Cleaning and Prepping Resin?

[The Scofflaw]

I\'ve been made to understand that it is of utmost importance to clean every last bit of mold release agent from resin models (such as those available from Forge World). I have several questions I would like to field to the resident experts here:

1. What solvents and chemicals are safe to use with resin?

2. How long must you soak the resin?

3. How can you visually confirm for yourself that all the release agent has been removed?

4. What tricks/tools/materials do you use to make this process as painless as possible?

Thank you in advance!

 

[freakinacage]

as i understand it, a bowl of warm soapy water (washing up water) and a soft toothbrush (don\'t want to snap off that fragile resin!) will do the job

 

[donga666]

What he said...

Toothbrush, neat wash-up liquid/detergant, and hot water.

Be aware that hot water/heat softens resin and makes it bendy. If you have a bent piece its the best way of reforming it.

 

[Shawn R. L.]

What\'s said above....nothing special to do.

The dust from sanding the stuff is not good for you. Either wet sand or use a mask.

When you prime resin it can have a tendency to sort of resist....kind of. If you put too much primer on too fast it can do what\'s called fisheye. To avoid this I warm up the piece first...warm, not hot. put it in a sunny spot for an hour or so.... then when you spray the first coat on just mist it. A VERY light coat, let that dry, then put more coats on.

Haven\'t done this one yet but it has possibilities and couldn\'t hurt. Soak it in vinegar for about 1/2 hour to VERY slightly (microscopically) etch the surface and make it more receptive to the paint.

 

[dogfacedboy uk1]

I am painting my first resin piece at the moment and after soaking in hot soapy water and spraying chaos black i must admit i am kicking myself that i didnt gently scrub it aswell as i have come across a couple of areas that sem to resist thin layers of paint being applied.

dfb

 

[rolling thunder]

another way around the painting problem is to use car body primer, But i cant vouce for ppl not in the uk, as our stuff may contain different solvents to the lieks of the US. I always test spray some resin first. But recently ive found the \"Plasti-Kote\" range in my local BnQ which does a good job, goes down thick inititally but dries smooth and tough.
Though it takes up to a week to cure if left in a cool dark room. If will be ready for paint in 2 hours if left in the sun

 

[Einion]

A quick wash in warm, soapy water should be all that you need to do. Then use a good primer (e.g. auto primer) and you should have a base layer that\'s bonded really solidly to the resin.

Einion

 

[dark shaman]

good ole soap and water, or to be correct washing up liquid and warm water should do the trick ! thats all ive ever used nothing fancy!and ive never had a primer or paint problem!

 

[majestic0110]

Never, Ever use nail varnish remover on resin (if you are stripping a paint job for example)! I found this out the hard way today! It will melt it ! lol

 

[Dragonsreach]

Originally posted by Einion
A quick wash in warm, soapy water should be all that you need to do.

I\'ll add my twopennoth to that.
If it\'s Forgeworld I\'ve had some success with problem areas using a quick blast of Colgate and a decent toothbrush, followed by a washing up liquid wash.