> Jerry:
We call them "pizza spiders".
I keep a small can of sand handy for use with soft plastic things (pizza
spiders, cheap "toy" figures, halloween bugs,
etc.) that I need to paint. The can is about 2/3 full of sand,
and has a tight-fitting lid (mandatory!). Drop the item in the
can, put on the lid, and shake for a couple of minutes. Roughs up the surface
nicely, so your primer will adhere much better. I usually do a number of items
at once (several figures, a gross of bugs, whatever) at once. Then remove the
items from the can (pouring the can's contents through a screen into a box
works nicely), wash them (to remove any remaining dust and oils), let dry, and
primer.
- Sam
Thanks, Sam; I don't recall hearing of using sand.
There have been long discussions about painting these, with
suggestions like plastic pre-paint spray at auto parts stores,
washing with degreasers to remove mo(u)ld release, dipping in flexible tool
coatings, Future floor wax, etc.
For more gory details, I'd suggest a newsgroup digest reader,
like, http://www.dejanews.com , and power search:
rec.games.miniatures.* Or, even archives of this list; I think we've talked
before.
I gather that PP and vinyl, if not the same thing, have similar
characteristics. Plenty of work done with old Airfix and Esci figures by the
historical folks for us to reinvent the wheel.
The_Beast
> In a message dated 3/11/99 10:50:33 AM EST, devans@uneb.edu writes:
<< http://www.dejanews.com >>
Every one I click on in the list says the author is no longer available on the
list. Is there a better way to get into these archives? A mailing list
perhaps?
<< http://www.dejanews.com >>
*blush* I went to Dejanews, tried using date instead of confidence, but seem
to only find paint stripping and figure sales.
And a very old post I made that only mentioned the primer stuff.
I'll see if I can't come up with a document that includes what I've mentioned,
and submit it to the fellow doing the paint FAQ.
> I gather that PP and vinyl, if not the same thing, have similar
No. Polypropylene is a polyolefin. Vinyl (PVC) is much easier to work with,
except for molding. Not that I'd look forward to working with either one if
styrene were an alternate available.