Of Bathing and Bases

So with a small handful of minis de-flashed, it was time to hit them with some primer. But first I need to give my minis a bath. Who'd have thought such a simple thing can go poorly?

I had read about various methods of cleaning the metal figures: Dawn dish soap, mild degreasers, etc. I found myself at Whole Foods (which I often do since my wife is a hippy vegan) so I picked up a bottle of CitraSolv natural citrus degreaser. All natural, smells good. What's not to like?

I made a dilute mix of CitraSolv and hot water in a mixing bowl. I put the minis in, swished them around a bit. Took them out and gave them a bit of a scrub with a toothbrush with the bristles cut down to about half height (what my dad used to clean his finger nails after working on the car). Then I gave them a good rinse and set them on a towel to dry.

And then I got a bright idea --- always a warning sign. Why not give the polystyrene Renedra bases a quick wash? They probably have some mold release residue too, right? So I put them in and let them stew for a moment. When I went to give them a quick swish around, I didn't feel 30 bases in the mixing bowl. I felt about three. The bases had begin to melt and stick together! I pulled them out and rinsed them in a panic. I pried them all apart and stood them up to dry.

In hindsight, a simple warm, soapy bath would have been best for the bases. But it's not all bad. Now both sides of the bases have a slight texture so I won't have to worry about getting them upside down! Makes me wonder if they don't spray on a solvent to make the texture in the first place.