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So I might go and play my first game in 15 years tonight. It will involve using minis that currently have 15 years of dust on them.

Will dunking them in hot water to clean the dust off damage them at all? Will washing up liquid do any harm?

If it makes a difference they are a mix of plastic and metal, they are based with PVA and sand (which has been painted) and they are all painted with GW paints of the era, which will include inks. They weren't varnished or anything like that but do have transfers on which I assume at the least will get washed of.

Thanks for any help/advice. Oh and obviously I wasn't planning to get in the bath with them, just in case you were wondering, that would be a little wrong.

The water will probably wreck the PVA. If they're not varnished, you can expect to lose paint as well as transfers.

Try one and a SOFT-bristled brush maybe? Loose paint is loose paint, it's doomed regardless. I think brushing is the only way you're going to get that dust off though. You might or might not lose the bases. PVA when cured isn't particularly soluble in water I believe, but if you used flock instead of gravel, you're probably gonna have to rebase.

Good luck with it!

Doesn't sound to good, maybe holding them under running cold water? The dust is so think and ground in I just don't seem to be able to shift it with brushes or cotton buds. I might try a soft tooth brush.

Edit: Tryed it with an unbased one first

Running water is a bad idea, paint just came away, I guess hot water will be even worse. Why don't the minis I buy from ebay strip paint this easy

Maybe compressed air, or far more likely I'm going to to say feck it and just play with the dust on them.

Canned air sounds like a winner here. Pick it up at any computer store for cheap.

Lord Axiom wrote:Canned air sounds like a winner here. Pick it up at any computer store for cheap.

lol just what I was thinking.

I have a swiffer duster that I've been using on tanks, but canned air would be better. Just don't get high off of it

(this a joke off bruno, don't try it, you'll be very unhappy )

Lord Axiom wrote:Canned air sounds like a winner here. Pick it up at any computer store for cheap.

Or if you're a handy type man, use your air compressor out in the garage.