Minor repairs? (1 Viewer)

[Spitfrnd]

That’s quite interesting reading, but I believe it refers more to lead weights and not to modern white metal castings which should have a small or non existent lead content due to health and safety reasons. I hope so as I have used super glue to assemble many hundreds of figures over the years!

Jeff

I hope so too. Not hundred in my case but some figures I do care about.

 

[beating retreat]

I am wary of Crazy Glue as I have read that it is more likely to promote lead bloom (a disease so terrifying it must be whispered) than some other glues. I'm currently using an ph neutral white glue (which doesn't have much strength) in conjuction with pinning for that kind of repair, although even that may also prove to be folly in the long run. I have only the barest knowledge of chemistry, but I think that almost all glues (all that I've run into) have some acid content (I wonder if that plays a part in the bonding), and the acid tends to cause the oxidation that results in lead bloom. I read on a site concerned with preserving the lead fittings on model boats that silver solder is the only real long term fix. The war against lead bloom is truly an intergenerational struggle, and in the end, the laws of physics will have their say, as entropy sets in. As for resale value, someday, my daughter will be cursing me for repainting my Britains and decreasing their resale value, so I would recommend doing whatever seems the most fun!- Emily

Hi I have read with interest in this thread about lead rot, over the last 30 yrs I have restored a lot of old hollow cast Britains and other makes usually pinning and glueing with either super glue or 2 part epoxy resin glue and have never had problems. I still have lots of the figures in my collection primed and painted with enamel paints and later acrylic paint, they have not shown signs of lead disease. As Jeff says none of the modern figures should suffer from these problems as they are free of lead content. One of the main causes of the disease is unsuitable storage/display, there are many books out there with advice on storage.But the lead rot does stop if you remove the cause, I displayed some old Britains cavalry in an old curios cabinet and noticed the disease started to manifest itself as a chalky silver grey powder, I removed the figures immediately and lightly dusted them with a soft paint brush, since then have had no problems with them. Hope this helps.

Regards John