Washing resin miniatures

I understand resin minis can benefit from a dunk in soapy water before assembly.
But do you just put them in and leave them for a while or do you scrub them as well, with a toothbrush or similar?
I have done this once or twice but don’t know if I have worked them enough, as I often get issues with getting the basecoat to stick, bath or no bath.

2 Likes

I wash most resin in warm soapy water (I just use a bit of normal dishwashing liquid) - bath them in it for a min or so and give them a scrub with a toothbrush too on all areas, even the annoying tiny bits! :smiley:

Then I rinse them off with cold water - make sure not to wash any tiny parts down the plughole!

It works for me - never had any issues doing this.

There are some newer resin versions from some manufacturers that state they do not need washing though… going to see if that is really true over the next few days :slight_smile:

4 Likes

i wash mine in the same way as Remy77077, and i’ve had trouble inthe past with grease resdue, but the newer Mantic resins are not greasy at all, but i give them a wash just to be sure

4 Likes

Make sure you don’t use water that’s HOT of course unless you want to bend any resin parts!

Although personally if I want to bend any resin parts I find it easier to use a hairdryer to warm up the parts I want to move, but I know others prefer to use hot water.

3 Likes

I’ve easier access to hot water than a hair drier(!) but otherwise agree with the above!

4 Likes

Just picked up the Greater Air Elemental and it’s my first big resin kit (massive preference for plastic - construction & budget).

Other than washing the components, are there any other tips/things I should look out for?

Thanks!

If you file it, don’t breathe in the resin dust. Toxic.

And beware that it’s brittle, so be careful when cutting into any thin parts if you are removing mold lines or something.

3 Likes

the best way I find to clean up fragile pieces, or removing large sprue gates is to heat the model up.
Dunk it in hot water, when it goes rubbery you can remove everything you need to without any worry of breakages

3 Likes

@FredOslow @Gerrcinn

Thanks!

I was surprised how brittle it was when clipping away the sprue/vents. Fortunately this particular model is four big pieces without too much fine detail. Don’t think I’d enjoy working with someting more ‘jaggedy’.

Heating up the resin before snipping off feeds and things, as Gerry suggests, is a good plan. Sometimes the shock of the snip can cause bits to snap.

As for washing, personally I tend to leave things in warm soapy water at least overnight. Then brush the next day with an old toothbrush, rinse off with clean water.

If you do ever get a model that’s still shiny after all that, contact customer services for a replacement. You can still salvage them however by spraying the piece with varnish. That seals the surface and gives the primer something to stick to.

3 Likes

I never washed a single resin miniature. So far I had no issues with the primer. Maybe I was just lucky, or the Army Painter and GW primer are really good.