Don't paint old lead fittings.
I just joined here and while reading a post on painting models I was reminded about the problem of painting old cast lead fittings. Namely, if painted they will oxidize over time and disappear.
About 10 years ago or so we were discussing this problem on a different forum. It appears that a coat of paint will not protect lead from oxidizing down to nothing. A nice thin or thick coat of paint will not help since over time, with changes in environmental aspects such as temperature, humidity and even vibration cracks in the paint will occur and moisture will get in between the lead and the paint. With time all you have is the empty paint. A number of museums were having this problem with the rigging of some of their prized models falling down as paint alone could no longer hold the cords in place.
Has this problem been solved yet? Or all we can do is throw away the old fittings and replace them with castings of a different material? Which materials?
Ssculptor
I just joined here and while reading a post on painting models I was reminded about the problem of painting old cast lead fittings. Namely, if painted they will oxidize over time and disappear.
About 10 years ago or so we were discussing this problem on a different forum. It appears that a coat of paint will not protect lead from oxidizing down to nothing. A nice thin or thick coat of paint will not help since over time, with changes in environmental aspects such as temperature, humidity and even vibration cracks in the paint will occur and moisture will get in between the lead and the paint. With time all you have is the empty paint. A number of museums were having this problem with the rigging of some of their prized models falling down as paint alone could no longer hold the cords in place.
Has this problem been solved yet? Or all we can do is throw away the old fittings and replace them with castings of a different material? Which materials?
Ssculptor