Lead Rot, How I Despise Thee... (Not for the Squeamish)

[General]

“A sword, a spade, and a thought should never be allowed to rust.” -- James Stephens

[rob_the_robgoblin]

Not true... What you can get in a regular grocery store must not exceed 3.5% - but the ones you get at Systembolaget (state owned liquor stores with monopoly on alcoholic beverages) can be of any percentage.

I'm pretty sure the water in my local is about 3.5%!!!! 

As for Lead Rot, that's bloody horrid! Such a shame, must have been really horrible opening a box of unusable models.

This happened to a mate of mine who had a really, really old Citadel Dragon sitting in it's mouldy box under a pile of mouldy things in his mouldy, damp garage...

[6milPhil]

Is this contagious? 

[Christian]

What does this look like when it starts off? I have an old Foundry figure that has some brown spots all over him. Only very light ones, but they are quite numerous.

[rob_the_robgoblin]

I think that's just the pewter. I have a fair number of Flintloque figures like that too and they are fine.

I also bought some Chainmail figures years ago when they were still in production that came in a sort of brownish pewter.

[Roebeast45]

I've seen it start as whitish or light gray. The dark gray granules on these Star Frontiers are pretty advanced.

Moisture seems to be a major factor so keep them dry with good airflow. Or maybe some of those silica gel packets that come in food packages.

And making sure that you have no unpainted lead is probably the best defense! 

[traveller]

This is scary stuff, un-speakable horrors similar to Cthulhu. I have suffered once as well. Ral Partha FIW caught the bug and started to rot. A dreadful sight. A consideration regarding storage is also that the miniatures should not be stored too cold, that might start the plague...

[Christian]

Which manufacturers are still using lead?

I had an idea of creating a hobby resource that states which companies are using lead and to what degree it is in their products.

For the safety conscious I suppose. I have recently started wearing a rubber glove, but only when I file my figures. Handling them I just wash my hands in warm, soapy water.

[The Dozing Dragon]

First time I've seen 'shiny lead' attract rot like that. It's normally the darker grey lead (eg Citadel swines in the early 80s  ). Once cleaned I recommend a coating of super glue - super thin and eats all moisture present.

[Parriah]

It might be considered sacrilege around here, but I've always used enamel model paint on figs all the way back to 1979 when I started. Never have had a problem with this stuff on all my oldest stuff, so the enamel primer advice is probably good.

[Scout_II]

Don't hate on lead - it is a great metal for minis...

But, in terms of dealing with the rot.  Give them a bath with vinegar or a similar mild acid (coke works fine...ask any mechanic, that is often used for cleaning battery terminals).  Light scrubbing with a stiff bristled brush (either stiff plastic or soft metal like brass/aluminum).  Rinse with a quality solvent that displaces water (alcohol or turpentine).

Preventing lead rot is pretty simple - give it a complete covering of an impermeable coating.  Lacquers will work, as will most enamel primers.  Some acrylic primers will work - though not all of them.  They tend to dry somewhat porous and I have seen lead rot grow from under painted surfaces that were not impermeable.

If you can't/won't use a good sealing surface or are storing miniatures for extended periods of time try to avoid Oak and other woods that are high in tannic acids.  Keep the temperature and humidity low as well as all three can act as a catalyst to the corrosion setting in.

Best bet though is a good enamel primer and a good lacquer clear coat after painting.  Do that and it won't matter much where you store them.

What does this look like when it starts off? I have an old Foundry figure that has some brown spots all over him. Only very light ones, but they are quite numerous.

Sounds like that is some mold scorching.  I have a bunch of miniatures from different companies that have a gold or brown tinge on them in spots.  Not lead rot.

The lead rot starts out looking a bit like dust.  Over time, the crystal will pull lead from the mini and moisture from the air and grow.  This can create pits on the surface (some quite significant) and a crystal growth that ranges from something that feels a bit like rock salt to something that is more akin to flour (depending on the conditions that it grows in, the crystals can either grow as large pieces or collapse into a fine powder).

Which manufacturers are still using lead?

Lots of them - a whole lot of them really.  Metallic lead is safe, and even the "lead free" miniatures likely contain trace lead (the refining process used to extract materials like tin and bismuth leave a portion or the lead in the mix which can be upwards of 1%).  Organic tin compounds are as toxic as cyanide (more dangerous than organic lead compounds) and other non-lead metals used in pewter like bismuth can cause kidney and liver failure.  Antimony - yet another metal used in most "lead free" miniatures causes poisoning like arsenic and will kill you deader than dead in every single form and compound that you can think of.

Now...should you be afraid of lead, or lead free miniatures?

[Roebeast45]

Don't hate on lead - it is a great metal for minis...

...

Now...should you be afraid of lead, or lead free miniatures?

I've been painting metal miniatures since 1984. I've dealt with pure lead, lead alloys, early lead free alloys with too much zinc, and current "white metal". High lead miniatures have several properties that I am glad I no longer have to deal with, primarily the constant clogging of needle files but also softness of detail and structural weakness. And since the only reason to use lead for miniatures is lower cost I don't see the point in its continued use. But to each his own. Hobbyists need to make sure that they understand the materials that they are dealing with and any inherent risks involved.

[HPFlashman]

Which manufacturers are still using lead?

I had an idea of creating a hobby resource that states which companies are using lead and to what degree it is in their products.

For the safety conscious I suppose. I have recently started wearing a rubber glove, but only when I file my figures. Handling them I just wash my hands in warm, soapy water.

Old Glory state that they use lead in their figures, no percentage given.  As to your safety measures, they are somewhat like mine after handling airgun pellets, .22 caliber ammo and reloading/reloads with lead bullets as to the washing up.

No smoking or eating while dabbing with lead. If you use any high power tools or do casting, be sure to have adequate ventilation or take it outside, a dust mask is also a good safety measure. I have a couple of friends thats gotten leadpoisoning and its not reccomendable.

[Parriah]

I like how soft lead is, one can modify the he dbble toothpix    out of it. The limbs will bend and move, and carving is a breeze.

[The Dozing Dragon]

Just went looking for an old mini and found my old Citadel/Ral Partha Tom Meier Oriental Dragon, half painted donkeys years ago was sitting there with the tail snapped off through rot  Both halves of the break were crystalline so I think it's a case of binning it and getting a newly cast one. Most annoying. I wonder how much of my collection is going to go this way - that one was fully undercoated and a couple of layers of paints on.