Right!
The Turps and Mineral Oil got here yesterday. Today, I removed the figures from the baking soda solution and scrubbed them off. I used the soft bristle old toothbrush – Cubs from the Lead Adventure Forum, who has dealt with lead rot before, assured me it was good enough with a bit of elbow grease, and that the wire brush would score the soft lead too much. Sounds plausible to me!
Initially, I was impressed with the baking soda option.
But, as before, as the miniature dried, the bloom was apparent.
So I am glad I got the turps and mineral oil. Here is a pic of the lovely couple:
So I put together a 50/50 mixture (I eyeballed it, rather than measured) and put all of the figures in it to soak. The blog by George RR Martin, where he discussed this method, mentions applying it with a cotton swab and then scrubbing. But that seemed to be aimed at collectible lead knights, already painted, where you are doing spot repairs. I decided that I would soak the figs, since they are almost all unpainted (except for poor Laine). I’ll let them go a couple of days, I guess, and then scrub them off. Hoping for better results!
Speaking of Laine, interestingly enought the rot seemed to be cleaned out of the grooves in the side of her base, but there were more dust-like deposits on top of the base and the back of her shoulder as she dried.
So, overall, baking soda does not get the job done – or at least, on the first try. Maybe with multiple applications. But we are moving on to the next step!
Here is another exciting action shot of the figures soaking:
Be sure to tune in in a couple of days for Part 6!