Just as a matter of interest....And to go marginally off topic.

Do folk wash (as in, clean) their figures before painting/spraying on an undercoat ?

When I start slapping on the putty, I find the greenstuff sticks more easily to a metal dolly if I've given it a quick clean with 'thinned' washing up liquid (and a really old, splayed brush.)
If I've used Dr Emmel on a figure that I'm converting, the same thing applies, otherwise I get lots of tiny metal shards mixed in with the putty.

Cheers - Phil

Nope

Me neither. used to wash plastics but never metals.

I've only washed plastics.

Washing miniatures:

Yes, but only resin stuff or 28mm miniatures that really need a good paint job.
If I'm going to convert the 28s, using green stuff, I will wash the model first.

Hot, soapy water. Toothbrush (not electric) to gently scrub the miniature. Pat dry on a towel, once cleaned. Placed over a radiator on a piece of kitchen roll to properly dry for a number of hours.
If resin: I'll then coat the whole model in pva (white) glue to seal the surface prior to priming with paint.

Its surprising how different a metal miniature looks after washing. Brighter for a start, and at the bottom of the wash basin can be seen the oils and dirt the miniature carried from when it was cast and packaged. So it does actually make a difference, I've found. Just whether its worth it, if all you're doing is slapping on some paint, is debatable - I know I don't wash every figure.   

I wash plastics and resin, but not metal figures.

Sometimes I wash figures, but I always wash resin scenic items, especially the rubbery ones from TBM.
Thanks for the tip on PVA with resin items.

I always wash all figures

I occasionally wash metal figures if they feel greasy otherwise I just slap paint on

Take care

Andy

Even with its enormous vocabulary, English still makes a single word perform multiple and sometimes incompatible tasks, with room for unpleasant misunderstandings.

Quote from: Just a few Orcs on 26 January 2016, 12:37:59 AM
If washes are so important to wargamers why is it when you go to shows there seems to be quite a few wagamers that use washes but don't wash!!!  

The same people insist on wearing massive backpacks on both straps with no spatial awareness at all 

Back to topic, some good info here I will try out

Cheers
Ian

Although I am quite fastidious about personal hygiene I do carry a backpack everywhere, including my normal shopping trips. Ergonomically this is the best way to carry items, including small children, without putting too much strain on the body. so if you are at Vapnartak watch out.