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Looking at some trading forums online and saw an ad where the person was asking for the miniatures to be from a smoke free home.
I understand that clothes and books can start to smell after being exposed to smoke, but why miniatures?
Is there some type of soot layer that gets on them? Could they be cleaned or would it be even noticeable?
This could be bad if the miniature is pre painted and don't want to repaint it

Nicotine can get on pretty much everything and yellow whatever it gets on.

Yeah, the smell can get onto/into anything and it usually requires a wash with soap and scrubbing to get rid of the smell: something you really don't want to do with mini's.

I got models from a smoker's home once. They were oily and greasy and really foul to touch.

Some people are allergic to the smoke, and, even if the models don't smell of it, the packaging will as it more readily absorbs it.
And if it comes from a smoker's home, you don't know if they're the pack-a-day person where the house will reek of the smoke, or if they're the cigar a day person where you might barely smell it (especially if they use an air purifier in the room they smoke in), or if they're a pipe smoker and you wonder what that lovely scent is.

People don't smoke inside, do they? Pretty sure that's illegal over here at least.

 Mymearan wrote:
People don't smoke inside, do they? Pretty sure that's illegal over here at least.

You can smoke in your own home in the United States. It's still gross.

Don't know if you've ever been in a house previously owned by smokers but it's pretty disgusting.

 cincydooley wrote:

 Mymearan wrote:
People don't smoke inside, do they? Pretty sure that's illegal over here at least.

You can smoke in your own home in the United States. It's still gross.

I'm pretty sure any country you can smoke in your own home, at least I haven't heard of one you can't. Many countries you can't smoke indoors in public areas, restaurants, etc, but you can in your own home as long as you aren't renting.

Most people I know that smoke still go outside to do it because it makes your house stink and it makes stuff icky and oily. One of my mates who works with computers refuses to work on computers that people smoke near because it covers the filters, fans, heatsinks, etc with a stinky and slimy grime.

Sometimes the odour on the miniatures can be terrible if they have come from a smokers home, It can be gotten rid of though with just a soak in some washing up liquid or something.

I think if you don't want to repaint them you might be pretty much screwed unless you can cope with the smell.

Most people that smoke, smoke in their homes I would assume, I know lots of smokers and the only ones that go outside to do it, only really go outside because there are others in the house.

I've had a few Transformers figures from eBay that have stunk of stale cigarette smoke. Had to wipe them down with baby wipes to get the residue off, then it took about 3 months for the smell to finally go.

Each to their own. A person can do what they like at home. It's just one of the things you have to deal with when buying privately.

The ironic thing about this.. it got me thinking about some pre painted WoTC D&D and Star Wars miniatures I got years back from online dealers; They had a white coat that would wipe off
and would show up again months later but not as bad. I asked a paint skilled buddy of mine about it and he thought it was just a bad clear coat sealing the miniature.
But reading this.. I went and dug out one of the "frosted" miniature and took a q tip to it... guess what.. yep.. dirty brown wiped off..
Never put it together... just thought out of the thousand of pre painted figures I had .. a few would have a bad clear coat.. Nope.. I am guessing smokers soot now..

I smoked for years and never had this issue. Even though I quit quite some time ago, I've never been able to tell the difference between minis from a smoking or non smoking home. Furniture, sure, but not minis.

That being said, I've got a few friends that are unbelievably persnickety about smoke. Someone requesting that the minis come from a smoke free home doesn't shock me. Assuming they were packaged in a clean box, I sincerely doubt a recipient would be able to pass the Pepsi challenge on this issue, though.

If you quit several years ago, then your house underwent the several year transition that it takes to go from a "house with a smoker in it" to a "smoke free house". Your models and your lungs air out at about the same (slow) rate.

Disclaimer: I say this as someone who quit smoking several years ago, and still has every miniature painted before and during the smoking years.

It's easy for someone without an allergy problem to dismiss something they've never experienced. If you are or were a smoker, you obviously don't have the physical problem that some people have with exposure to smoke so of course you don't notice it the way they do.

In the UK you can still smoke in your own home if you own it, but insurance rates are higher. If you rent, nearly all tenancy agreements have a no-smoking clause.

My next door neighbour, who does own her home, makes her boyfriend smoke outside in her courtyard garden to save the decorations, and the smoke comes over the fence and annoys us. I haven't said anything because it doesn't happen a lot and it isn't worth making an argument about, but it shows how smoking has the potential to cause annoyance even when you think you are being careful.

Personally, I've always been against smoking. I find it to be a disgusting habit. I don't miss the days where I'd go out to the pub, and come back reeking of alcohol and cigarette smoke.

 Kilkrazy wrote:
My next door neighbour, who does own her home, makes her boyfriend smoke outside in her courtyard garden to save the decorations, and the smoke comes over the fence and annoys us. I haven't said anything because it doesn't happen a lot and it isn't worth making an argument about, but it shows how smoking has the potential to cause annoyance even when you think you are being careful.

I don't know if I'm allergic to cigarette smoke or what, but 2nd hand smoke very quickly gives me a headache. I would be very happy to see a laws passed that makes it illegal to smoke in any public areas because even outdoors it sickens me when I catch a face full of someone else's smoke. I'd sooner inhale fumes from an out of tune car's exhaust then have to walk down the street following a smoker (or alternatively stick their head up a car's exhaust ).

 Genoside07 wrote:
The ironic thing about this.. it got me thinking about some pre painted WoTC D&D and Star Wars miniatures I got years back from online dealers; They had a white coat that would wipe off
and would show up again months later but not as bad...

That was a common problem with a few sets. Nothing to do with cigarettes. They came from the factory that way. Nobody was ever quite sure why.

 Jimsolo wrote:
I smoked for years and never had this issue. Even though I quit quite some time ago, I've never been able to tell the difference between minis from a smoking or non smoking home. Furniture, sure, but not minis.

That being said, I've got a few friends that are unbelievably persnickety about smoke. Someone requesting that the minis come from a smoke free home doesn't shock me. Assuming they were packaged in a clean box, I sincerely doubt a recipient would be able to pass the Pepsi challenge on this issue, though.

It's partly going to depend on how the smoker stores their minis, if they are cased/boxed then they may smell a bit but they won't have (much) nicotine/tar residue on them, but if they owner kept them on an open display shelf or similar they'll be much more likely to be gunged up

I bought a Skaven army from Ebay a couple of weeks ago and they turned up in a plastic toolbox and they absolutely reeked of smoke. I am also an ex-smoker so relatively tolerant of it and even I thought they smelt foul.

From my experiences the people that think to add 'smoke free home' are actually heavy smokers.

I remember buying some chaos warriors described as such on eBay. As I happened to live nearby to the seller I offered to pick them up and save the bother of packaging.

Needless to say home was not smoke free, not that I particularly minded,

 TheWaspinator wrote:
It's easy for someone without an allergy problem to dismiss something they've never experienced. If you are or were a smoker, you obviously don't have the physical problem that some people have with exposure to smoke so of course you don't notice it the way they do.

Have you really never met a person who has allergies (or even asthma) who has the dim sense to start smoking? That's the beauty of smoking--you keep doing it even though it's bad for you.

And, trust me, one of the first things a person discovers when they quit smoking is the fact that all of their stuff smells (or even reeks) of cigarette smoke and they never noticed it before.

What's even more hilarious- my brother used to hang out with a guy whose mum needed a respirator rig to help her breathing, but she smoked regardless. Talk about an invitation to blow yourself up...

I've bought minis before that reeked of smoke.

It's one of those things, if you're a smoker yourself you won't notice the smell, but everyone else thinks you and everything around you stinks like a burning car paint factory, even if they're too polite to mention it. Unless they smoke too.

Anyway, as with any topic about smoking, I have to keep recommending e-cigs. Whatever stuff they have in them sure isn't anywhere near as bad as burning tar ash going down your lungs, and you still get to have your nicotine.

 scarletsquig wrote:
I've bought minis before that reeked of smoke.

It's one of those things, if you're a smoker yourself you won't notice the smell, but everyone else thinks you and everything around you stinks like a burning car paint factory, even if they're too polite to mention it. Unless they smoke too.

Anyway, as with any topic about smoking, I have to keep recommending e-cigs. Whatever stuff they have in them sure isn't anywhere near as bad as burning tar ash going down your lungs, and you still get to have your nicotine.

Agree. Smokers smell like garbage all the time no matter how cool they think they are. I can't even let them sit in my car because their raw body stench stains my car seats with a lingering smell.

I am sure e-cigs are still bad for you, but honestly they don't seem to have that smell that sticks to everything. You want to give yourself an addiction or cancer? cool, just don't smell like garbage.

I've gotten on-the-sprue orks before that were slightly sticky to the touch and reeked of smoke. I can only assume that the seller smoked quite a bit inside his house.

 Kilkrazy wrote:
In the UK you can still smoke in your own home if you own it, but insurance rates are higher. If you rent, nearly all tenancy agreements have a no-smoking clause.

My next door neighbour, who does own her home, makes her boyfriend smoke outside in her courtyard garden to save the decorations, and the smoke comes over the fence and annoys us. I haven't said anything because it doesn't happen a lot and it isn't worth making an argument about, but it shows how smoking has the potential to cause annoyance even when you think you are being careful.

Everything causes annoyance to somebody. It's just now smoking has been deemed no longer socially acceptable, people think they have more right to express that they believe it's dangerous or annoying to them. Merely an observation from a smoker.

A smoker who only smokes outside and doesn't wear shoes inside the house. Crazy right?

Anyway,
My point of all of this being is that second hand models are always a chance of being dirty or smelly. Has anyone ever spilt drink over their books for example?' (also not saying smoking isn't gross)

Not really tobacco related,But i have bought used models stinking of cat Pee and my favorite was a baggie that smelled like real potent pot.

col. krazy kenny wrote:It's just now smoking has been deemed no longer socially acceptable, people think they have more right to express that they believe it's dangerous or annoying to them.

It's not really "just now", unless you're comparing to, like, the 50's and 60's Wasn't there an English king back in the 1600's who commented on how foul it was (up until he discovered he could tax the hell out of it, lol)?

But either way, all for the better I say, it's a pretty obnoxious habit that can't go away too soon for my liking. I guess I'm lucky that when ever I have a cigarette I find it foul more than I find it addictive.

 col. krazy kenny wrote:
Not really tobacco related,But i have bought used models stinking of cat Pee and my favorite was a baggie that smelled like real potent pot.

Yeah, I've experienced a couple of times opening packages that smell like pot.