[Lead Content]

... Do not allow your kids anywhere near where you work on your minis.

 

While great advice, it's near impossible to keep kids out of a room. Even if you have a lock on the door, the one time you leave it open, they'll be in there.

Also, you may not be working in an area you can keep them out of.

 

In my opinion, the best option would be to give them a little education and have some basic safety procedures.

My personal ideas would be (note that I don't actually have any kids):

• If they are young enough that they don't understand not to put things in their mouth that aren't food, lock everything away.
  
• Keep the miniature in its packaging until you're ready to start working on it. Give it a good clean once opened to remove any surface chemicals and whatnot.
  
• Keep them out of the room while filing/sanding so they don't breathe in any dust. Clean up all the dust before leaving the room or allowing them in. Alternatively, prep outside while they are otherwise occupied and wipe down your work surface afterwards.
  
• Make sure they are aware that they are not toys and should not be played with as such. If they don't have a full understanding of why you are concerned about the metals getting into their bodies or why this is bad, tell them about how the miniatures are very soft and can easily be bent, scratched or generally damaged and that they are not cheap to replace. Actually, talk to them about both of these things.
  
• Instruct them to always wash their hands after handling. Like they would after playing outside or in the sandpit, especially before eating.
  

 

Once you have primed, they generally shouldn't be touched anyway. Oh, and remember to give them a quick wash before you do that in case there are oils on the mini from handling (sticky kiddie fingers) or dust which will affect the primer from adhering to the surface of the mini. And keep them away if spray priming. I think thats a given. Probably the part you will be most concerned with.

 

Personally, I wouldn't be too concerned with them picking up and looking at a raw mini if it has had a basic cleaning.

[Agitators and problem paints]

Well, I made up a little paint agitator, as pictured below. Actually, dad bent the wire, I'm a bit of a weakling. The bit at the end is a shoddily made drill piece made from a small chunk of sculpey for my little electric drill. I could have done better on the bit but it was pretty decent for a quick and dirty first attempt. Of course it ended up being a lot easier to use by hand. It did improve my bad derivans a couple of degrees, but I think those specific ones are a loss. I painted up a small board of swatches earlier so I should be able to tell which ones aren't that great before I use them. The good ones do dry to a really nice matte so I'm keen to stick with the good bottles.

 

That stupid GW Goblin Green just refuses to have those swirls mixed in. I added a few drops of distilled water, but to no avail. It almost appears as if something else sneaked into the pot. Although if I use it carefully by removing the paint from the pot before I use it and trying to avoid those yellow bits it will probably still be fine to use. The consistency and colour of the actual green seems fine inside the pot. I'll have to give it a test run at some point.

 

@ fieldarchy re: the agitators. Yeah, it doesn't seem necessary for the GW's, but my derivans are thick and do separate ever so slightly and are quite large (36ml) bottles. An agitator just seems to make it a little easier. Except for one that appears to be quite thin out of the bottle, they all require a good shake and thinning down before use.

[Agitators and problem paints]

Hematite is already oxidized iron, so there's no worry of contamination.

 

I did forget to mention something. I do use some beads as agitators already. Hematite beads to be exact :P I knew enough about them to know they would be safe to use. Nice to know I wasn't mistaken! I've got plenty left, so I'll just keep using those.

 

As for the paint mixer, If I can find one lying around my father's shed that is small enough. He's mixed plenty of paints in his time, but they would be auto and house paint and imagine it would probably need a good clean if it was the right size anyway. Otherwise, a trip to the local hardware store (with my fingers crossed) may be in order again. Oh hardware store, how I love thee! I am likely to be someone who finds out first hand what taking a switched on paint mixer out of a bottle of paint will do. I get a little absent minded when I'm doing things that don't require much brain power and my mind tends to wander off and not pay attention to what I'm actually doing.

 

Thanks for the help Laszlo. I also ordered the Hot Lead DVD last night and am already eagerly awaiting its arrival, although its going to take me quite some time to get through as my weekends have decided to get busy all of a sudden.

 

and lol @ Wren. Took me a second or two, but I got it! I keep chuckling to myself at the mental image.

[Agitators and problem paints]

I have just a few questions, long winded as they are. I'm very new to the hobby and, naturally, started on the cheaper or readily available end of the scale when buying my first supplies.

 

Firstly - appropriate agitators for paints. I have quite a few white metal beads laying about. They should be nickel and lead free, as far as I'm aware. I did a saltwater test on each type to see if they developed any rust and after about 10 days, they are perfectly fine. Shall I add them to my bottles, or is there any other chemical reaction which may occur which would damage my paints? I don't want my lack of chemical knowledge to wreck the decent ones I have!

 

I'm hoping that the paints that seem a bit sub-par (compared to the others in the same line) will benefit. They were about 60% off, so its possible they have been sitting at the back of a shop somewhere settling out for years. Might have to give them a good stir with a skewer or something to see if that helps too. The ones that ARE good are quite lovely and a joy to use. Its the Australian-made Derivan Mini's range, in case you were wondering, so if anyone has any experience with them, it would be wonderful to hear what you think. If you know nothing of Derivan, they are a widely available brand (in Australia at least) and produce a lot of quality artist paints and such. The reviews I have found of the mini's are a mixed bag though. Some love them, some hate them, some are neutral.

 

I also have a small amount of GW paints. I was recommended the mechrite red citadel foundation which is absolutely wonderful, in my inexperienced opinion anyway. Just had to say. However, I have the Goblin Green GW, and when I open the pot, it has yellow swirls in it. I shook it, looked inside, shook it again, looked again, then shook it until my arm was about ready to drop off. Still has yellow streaks in it. Anyone know what is with that? Bad batch? Just bad overall?

 

Please forgive me if I've left out any important details or my typing is terrible. Its late and I'm a little bleary-eyed.

[Work Areas]

I'm new to the miniature painting, so this weekend I decided I had had enough with the craft work on the kitchen table all the time. I don't have much space but managed to make some for a new area.

 

Before Pictures:

 

The kitchen table. Its even worse because I slapped together a cute little paint brush holder. Its the blue thing behind the lamp. For $3 of materials and other bits scavenged from arond the house, it came out pretty darn well. There is a distant blurry view of it in the final photo.

 

The corner to convert - yes, I am a horder. The bookshelf had to go so there is even more stuff lying around the place now.

 

The AU$40 Cheap as Chips desk assembled. I had to go a long way to get this, and discovered an awesome hobby store nearby. Too bad its so far away.

 

Covering my cheap desk with cheap disposable tablecloth, with blue-tac on the sides and underneath to hold it in place. I would like some thicker plastic to cover it, but this is good for now, and can easily be pulled off and replaced.

 

The semi-finished space. Still needs some decent organisation. It already looks kind of messy and I hadn't even done anything yet. Luckily that gigantic present on the shelf will be gone next weekend and I need a hole cut in that rug, otherwise the desk wobbles. Hey, it was super cheap.

 

 

I really enjoy looking at other people's spaces. Hoping for more to come!

[Bob the Builder wet pallet]

I have just recently started painting and made my very first wet palette last weekend. I just used paper towel on a plastic plate with raised edges that I was using as my palette with some good quality baking paper. I think its a must for me personally, as I fight the shakes, worse if I'm cold, and usually have the heater on. Otherwise my paint dries in the palette way too fast and I really need all the time I can, especially since I have very few paints atm and mixing is a must. I have ripped through the paper once, but I was being a bit rough with my mixing on that particular occasion.