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First off, let me apologise in advance if this has been asked elsewhere on the forum but a search yielded no results.

I'm getting horrible metallic paint pecks appear all over my minis and it's ruining them. How can I stop this?

Admittedly I have a stored them all loose in a box a couple of times but I'm afraid that even when I've got proper storage this is going to happen as the metallic parts rub against the foam.

Does anybody have any advice. Thanks all.

Are you using sealer after you finish your paint?

A quick coat of matte lacquer should stopthe problem getting any worse dude. Though it won't get rid of any existing specks.
[edit] ninja'd

Dammit. I guess I'll just have to touch up and then seal over. What lacquer to you recommend?

I use Krylon Acrylic clearcoat ... it comes in a regular can and is about 3 or 4 dollars.

FYI I use the Satin finish on my guys because I like them shiny ... it comes in a matte finish as well.

Oh I see. I didn't know if it would be better to use a brush on.

You mean metal specks on metal models, yeah? Coz you can get metal specks on a plastic model if you didn't change your brush cleaning water after using a metallic paint

If you mean metal specks on metal models. Are you using a decent primer? Even without varnish, the only time I've ever had metal specks on my models is when I didn't prime it properly.

If you are priming with a decent primer already, then yeah, use a varnish as people have mentioned.

Yeah as said above to avoid paint chipping on metal models you need to use a good primer, and give it time to cure, and use a protective clear coat.
High Gloss Laquer is the most protective, but I doubt you want a High Gloss finish, so maybe spray the gloss first, let it cure and then spray matt or satin to taste

If its not paint chipping... and its flecks of metallic paints.. well... buy some brush cleaner and use it between colours

I don't clean my brushes well enough and this is a habit I should change but I don't think this is the cause as the models look fine on my desk until I move them, I think the cause is specks transferring from one mini to another.

 andywalker07 wrote:
I don't clean my brushes well enough and this is a habit I should change

I would recommend changing your water between metallic and non metallic paints unless you want you models to look like twilight vampires *shudders*. From personal experience I also found that changing your water regularly, especially between dark and light shades, also helps to avoid tainting lighter colours

You need to make sure if you are seeing chips in the paintwork that let the metal show through, or metalic paint specks that are getting on top of the finished paint.

They are two different problems and require different solutions.

It is a good idea to varnish wargame models anyway, because they get a lot of handling. I use spray gloss followed by spray or brush-on matte (or satin for vehicles).

 andywalker07 wrote:
I don't clean my brushes well enough and this is a habit I should change but I don't think this is the cause as the models look fine on my desk until I move them, I think the cause is specks transferring from one mini to another.

A small tub of Master's Brush Cleaner will keep you brushes clean and useful for years. Awesome stuff.

I actually have two sets of brushes, one for metallics and one for non-metallics. Added to that I use two water pots to prevent cross contamination. This prevents metal flecks from metallic paints being deposited into (and therefore spoiling) non-metallic paints.

Models that are being handled will almost always need sealing to prevent chipping with the hard edges and corners probably requiring a coat of gloss varnish for added protection.
If the paint is coming off flat areas however it may be that the primer isn't adhering to the surface properly (washing any and all models in warm, soapy water and scrubbing with an old toothbrush should help get rid of any contaminants from the casting process).

Madrilous wrote:

 andywalker07 wrote:
I don't clean my brushes well enough and this is a habit I should change

I would recommend changing your water between metallic and non metallic paints unless you want you models to look like twilight vampires *shudders*. From personal experience I also found that changing your water regularly, especially between dark and light shades, also helps to avoid tainting lighter colours

As often as everyone says this, I've never experienced it. I sit and paint for hours on end, switching between metallic and non metallic as I need to, and it never seems to adversely affect my painting.

They are plastic minis and I use different brushes and water for metallics.

Can you post a picture of a model with the specks on it?

Sounds like you need to change your paint water.

 andywalker07 wrote:
They are plastic minis and I use different brushes and water for metallics.

So does it look like metallic paint has rubbed off one model on to another? Do you change water between metallics and regular paints? Is there metallic paint under the non-metallic paint that might be getting exposed by having paint rubbed off?

It does sound rather odd. I'd like to see some pictures as well. The only time I got metal specks on my plastic models was when I didn't change my water after doing lots of metallic paintwork.

Here's another question, do you mix your paints in the pot, as in dip in one and then the other?

If this is the case, you may have contaminated your paints with a metallic medium. Or if you use the same workspace that you work on models as you paint, it could be pewter dust.

It's where the metallic paint is coming off of back packs etc and depositing onto clean minis. I use clean water and my paints aren't contaminated. I'm hoping that if I keep them clean until I'm ready to varnish I'll be ok

What brand of metallic paint are you using?

Tamiya x series

Sounds to me as if the paints not quite dry or cured when your throwing them together in a box to rub against each other?

Giving pieces propper curing time, and putting a protective clear coat over and giving that a propper curing time will more than likely totally alleviate your problem. (btw touch dry paint is not cured, it takes atleast a full day or more for the acrylic resins to cure fully.

Pictures and details.

If the models are plastic then clearly the specks are not the underlying metal showing through, so by a process of elimination (I watch the Sherlock Holmes show) it must be cross-contamination caused either by not washing the brushes completely, or by touching the figures up against each other before the paints are fully cured.