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Hi, I'll start this post with this; If in doubt about what I'm suggesting, DON'T try this ok? Consult the company you bought the resin kits/parts from.
Anyway there has been various posts about how to clean and prepare resin parts for gluing and painting, mostly all seem to revolve round using warm soapy water. While this may well remove mould release agent, it won't remove anything that has to do with the actual resin.
I worked for a giftware manufacturer producing resin figures and all figures we cast always came out of the mould shiny, it is a normal part of the casting process. At this stage trying to paint the models was a non-event, it was impossible. What we used was this; acetone. This was the only way to completely get the surface clean, the shiny surface was replaced by a matt surface meaning that you could paint the model as soon as the acetone evaporated. In regard to washing with warm soapy water I'll mention this, our company invested in a high pressure water washer which was supposed to do what we are told to with resin models, namely clean them. £300 later we discovered that it didn't work. At all. Instead we had to resort to filling it with acetone! It worked then.
I'm aware that there are many different types of resin out there and some are more at risk than others; again if in doubt check with the manufacturer before you try dipping in acetone.

1) I think the reason manufacturers don't suggest using acetone is it is so damn dangerous to work with, hence the soapy water. There's no way their insurance company would let them advocate using a highly flammable chemical and I don't blame them! Note; I have ainsty castings which I have washed in very warm water 5 times and they are still shiny and some bits sticky. But in my experience acetone does cure sticky and shiny problems!
2) The reason for sticky bits is this; The initial cleaning at the manufacturer's base is not doing its job. The solution is easy. The acetone needs to be replaced regularly as like any chemical it becomes less effective the more it is used, just like water jars long past being water and more like mud. The cleaner the better.
3) The shiny surface is literally styrene(this is nasty) the acetone is basically descaling the surface of the model of this substance, so it follows that if the acetone is too dirty, the surface is going to be patchy(i.e sticky in places)
4) I'm not certain if acetone will work on the multitudes of resin out there, for instance the plasticy resin that forgeworld uses might not, but I think it will work on the harder resins that are used in scenery. Again check with manufacturers before any acetone endeavours; I'm just offering my experience/opinions and don't take any responsibility if your army goes all melty.
If you are going to consider using acetone follow this;
1) Always work in a well ventilated area
2) Acetone is highly flammable, so always extinguish any naked flames when using it.
3) Always use clean acetone, although as long as you are not working at industrial levels the acetone should last for a while.
4) If the surface of the model is still shiny or sticky, this is a good indicator that the acetone is past its best. Replace it with new stuff.
5) Dispose of used acetone safely and responsibly; The environment will like you for it and it means that the Environmental health department wont be on your case.
6) At the most only dip models for period of 30 seconds or less; remember that acetone is corrosive to resin. Leave resin in too long and it will begin to crumble. Used for short time periods it is ok.

I hope this helps. I was in two minds whether to post this or not due to the nature of acetone but in my experience 'warm soapy water' does not work for some of the problems surrounding resin.
One last thing; I stress again, if in doubt don't use acetone

Cool post... so basically, acetone will make it easier to clean our resin minis... or it might melt them... you don't know and nobody is going to experiment with it to check... awesome...

or, soap and 1000g sandpaper?

Let me make it clear; In my experience acetone does work in cleaning the shiny/sticky surfaces that resin models do have, ok? What I was getting at is that with the various types of resin that are being used, it is safer to check first.

I've had mixed experiences with dumping all my models in the toilet with a full container of Dawn soap and flushing twice. The swirling motion, mixed with the soap that is recommended to clean most mold release agents, really seems to take care of any paint flaking while I paint my models.

Some of the smaller pieces might make it past the U bend though, so its not for everybody.

Archim3des wrote:I've had mixed experiences with dumping all my models in the toilet with a full container of Dawn soap and flushing twice. The swirling motion, mixed with the soap that is recommended to clean most mold release agents, really seems to take care of any paint flaking while I paint my models.

Some of the smaller pieces might make it past the U bend though, so its not for everybody.

Wait... so you thought "Hey the swirling motion of water would help clean my resin pieces" and rather than throw them in a bowl with soapy water and swirl it around by hand you decide to save a little manual labor and throw your expensive models in...

the toilet?

Is there a finecast joke I'm missing here?

XD What he said ROFL

Seems like the release agent....*puts on glasses* needs to be flushed out.

Not so much a Finecast joke as basic sarcasm you're missing there.
Acetone will clean off pretty much all mold releases on the market by chemically dissolving them. Dish soap and hot water will also do this.
Acetone might melt your model entirely, soften the plastic, or erode detail. Soap and hot water will never do this.

Toilet bowl will clean your models via a swirling motion, but you may lose some pieces. What you suggested, and what most people (including me) do is to put it in a regular bowl and swirl it manually. Cleans it, with no chance of losing models.

I was merely suggesting the toilet bowl option for people willing to take the same risk as acetone.

heartserenade wrote:Seems like the release agent....*puts on glasses* needs to be flushed out.

*Does a comedy drum roll*

I have some finecast van vets sitting gathering dust, 1 of the chainswords looks like a boomerang, maybe I will try dipping it to see the results and let you all know what happens.

Water, a soft toothbrush and toothpaste works fine for removing mould release on a variety of resin compounds.

Acetone has a tendency to permanently damage polyurethane resins with even a brief exposure to it.

MEK will also "clean" mould release off resin.

It will turn your resin into a puddle of so much goo, but the release will not be a problem anymore, either.