Fighting Lead Rot

[Mister Frau Blucher]

So I've got a bunch of figures from way back showing the signs of lead rot. I should have primed them back then - I know now. And some of these were bought in Ebay lots. At any rate, I have this problem, and I'm going to fight it.

I've done a lot of reading online, including some threads here on LAF. I'm going to document the various steps on my blog, but as I have more or less ascertained, this is the process I'll be following:

1. Soak in vinegar overnight.
2. Scrub with toothbrush in water.
3. Repeat several times.

I am skeptical this will solve everything, so I am prepared to do additional steps:

4. Use a wire brush.
5. And then use an Xacto knife.

I saw one thread here where a guy followed up with those last steps, and it finally did the trick. I'll do blog posts every other day or so about my progress. Here is the first post:

https://swordsunderdistantsuns.com/2021/02/16/combating-lead-rot-part-uno/

If anybody has had experience and/or actual success in fighting it, I'd definitely welcome all advice!

Here's a few pix from the post:

[has.been]

In over fifty years messing about with metal figures, I've only had a few examples
to deal with. I mean 3 to 6 figures. Those I 'cured' with a wire brush & repaint.

[fred]

Interesting - and will be good to see your results.

From a quick google Lead Rot often seems to be caused by acetic (or other acids) in the air. But then the method to cure it is to soak in vinegar, which is acetic acid. Seems a little odd.

[Andrew_McGuire]

My limited experience of attempting to rescue badly discoloured figures by soaking them in a bath of white vinegar leads me to feel this is likely to lead  to, at best, disappointment, and quite possibly despair. My figures were more recent products than yours, I think, and the ailment in question was probably not lead rot per se, though a reliable diagnosis was never attained.

In short the the treatment, which was recommended by a former numismatist, only turned the figures black, and not in a nice way. I also attempted to clean up some tools and blades, with even worse results. The vinegar burned holes through aluminium and made steel revert to pure carbon (or, at any rate, that’s the way it appeared). I now use it exclusively to prepare soft plastic figures (it’s supposed to etch into the smooth surface and facilitate paint adhesion, though I’ve found this very difficult to confirm).

I did once have a recipe for lead rot treatment, however, which I found on, of all places, George R R Martin’s website (he was, and may still be, a collector of figures of knights, usually of considerable vintage). It had, I seem to remember, two ingredients, one of which was pure turpentine. I’ve not visited the site in years, but will see whether I can find it. In any event, it was taken from an old BMSS magazine, and may well be available elsewhere.

Edit: The article I mentioned is still available at georgerrmartin.com, though my recollection was faulty in some respects. It can be found under the section headed For Fans. Clicking on this brings up a menu, which includes the heading Knights; from this the subheading Comments on Collecting brings up a few articles, one of which is helpfully titled Lead Rot. The content would appear worthy of attention, not only for GRRM completists, though I am unable to comment on the efficacy of the technique described.

[Mister Frau Blucher]

In over fifty years messing about with metal figures, I've only had a few examples
to deal with. I mean 3 to 6 figures. Those I 'cured' with a wire brush & repaint.

I think the way I stored my unpainted lead has led to the number of problems I have. They were stored in plastic bins with no air flow, which from my reading seems to make it worse.

I have a feeling I'll be trying out the wire brush method.

[Mister Frau Blucher]

Interesting - and will be good to see your results.

From a quick google Lead Rot often seems to be caused by acetic (or other acids) in the air. But then the method to cure it is to soak in vinegar, which is acetic acid. Seems a little odd.

I had a similar thought, fred, about how the acid would help. But this seems to be accepted, so I'll find out if it does any good overnight.

[Mister Frau Blucher]

My limited experience of attempting to rescue badly discoloured figures by soaking them in a bath of white vinegar leads me to feel this is likely to lead  to, at best, disappointment, and quite possibly despair. My figures were more recent products than yours, I think, and the ailment in question was probably not lead rot per se, though a reliable diagnosis was never attained.

In short the the treatment, which was recommended by a former numismatist, only turned the figures black, and not in a nice way. I also attempted to clean up some tools and blades, with even worse results. The vinegar burned holes through aluminium and made steel revert to pure carbon (or, at any rate, that’s the way it appeared). I now use it exclusively to prepare soft plastic figures (it’s supposed to etch into the smooth service and facilitate paint adhesion, though I’ve found this very difficult to confirm).

I did once have a recipe for lead rot treatment, however, which I found on, of all places, George R R Martin’s website (he was, and may still be, a collector of figures of knights, usually of considerable vintage). It had, I seem to remember, two ingredients, one of which was pure turpentine. I’ve not visited the site in years, but will see whether I can find it. In any event, it was taken from an old BMSS magazine, and may well be available elsewhere.

Edit: The article I mentioned is still available at georgerrmartin.com, though my recollection was faulty in some respects. It can be found under the section headed For Fans. Clicking on this brings up a menu, which includes the heading Knights; from this the subheading Comments on Collecting brings up a few articles, one of which is helpfully titled Lead Rot. The content would appear worthy of attention, not only for GRRM completists, though I am unable to comment on the efficacy of the technique described.

Hey, thanks, Andrew! I will check out that article. I am committed with this first batch of problem figures to see it through in the vinegar. If this first night does not help, I may switch to his method. Very curious to see what he says. I really appreciate the info and your tracking that down.

[Ultravanillasmurf]

I remember someone suggesting using Milliput slurry to fill in surface defects.

[Andrew_McGuire]

Hey, thanks, Andrew! I will check out that article. I am committed with this first batch of problem figures to see it through in the vinegar. If this first night does not help, I may switch to his method. Very curious to see what he says. I really appreciate the info and your tracking that down.

You’re very welcome. Your post awoke my curiosity enough to seek out the article, which I read several years ago, and which seems to be considerably older than that. I was pleased to find it still in place, and have now reread it.

I’ll leave you to discover GRRM’s thoughts and findings for yourself. The two other articles on the pleasures and perils of collecting make interesting reading too. It’s a shame nothing has been added in recent years.

I wish you well with the vinegar treatment, which may react differently with lead-rich figures than with the items to which I subjected it, though I somehow doubt it.

[Spinal Tap]

I had absolutely no idea what lead rot was so went for a Google.

Found this which might be of interest/use.

Part 1 is long.

Part 2 is very long.



http://minismuseum.com/2015/12/27/lead-rot-cleaning-pt-1/

[has.been]

Part 1 is long.

Part 2 is very long.

Thanks for the warning, I won't bother with the reading then.

[Cubs]

I got this method online (I think it originated with George RR Martin, for what that's worth) and it works perfectly for me.

50/50 mix of mineral oil and pure acetone. Scrub it all over vigorously with an old toothbrush. This serves to remove flaky bits and treats what's left. For really severe cases a soak in the mix for a few hours may be required.

The miniatures have essentially been proofed for years against further deterioration, so they're safe to store away. They come out with a dark oily sheen, so when you go to paint them, bear in mind that you may find it helpful to give them a quick scrub with warm soapy water just to remove the surface grease and allow the paint to adhere.

[Andrew_McGuire]

Part 1 is long.

Part 2  is very long.

But lead rot is forever.

[Cait Sidhe]

So I had some deposits form on an old Warzone mini (apparently quite common) and I followed some instructions I found.

Basically soaked the parts in white wine vinegar then boiled in de-ionised water before cleaning the parts with a wire brush. Once was enough and a few years later the bits (still sitting in a box unused) are still looking fine and clear. Admittedly the Warzone stuff isn't that old and it was just some surface deposits.

The key thing is I guess that lead rot isn't "fixable" as such, you can only clear away the affected metal and stop the reaction. So it will depend on how much damage has already been done.

[Andrew_McGuire]

Indeed. It’s cancer for minis - incurable but can be arrested if treated early enough.