Damage in homemade models

Dear STS pals,
I want to share with you what happened with some models of my collection.
The first and worst one was my Black and White Hawk-Eagle, that got their feet EATEN. I never imagined that an animal would munch on WePam-made figures. I think it could be a silverfish, able to eat many strange materials. Silverfishes are not common inside my home (every time I see one, my aquarium fishes feeds on fresh proteins), but they still happen. Carpet beetle larvae (species: Anthrenus verbasci) are fairly frequent in my home, my fight against it is difficult to win. I hate when they eat my nature-related things such as preserved animals/plants, but eating a non-organic material is another level. I can do nothing but redo the legs of the eagle. This happened various months ago but I never published it until now, as I was very busy with other things.





In the place where I displayed the eagle, some minuscle poop appeared, signal of the feeding by an insect:


This was the just finished model with complete legs:


By other hand, I noticed a much less severe damage in other model a couple of days ago, and that's what made me write this thread compiling both. It's about the tail of my Dingiso. It developed rusty blotches.


This was the original model:


I think it's related to the wire that runs inside the tail. It's a steel wire and it should not be rusted, but who knows. Easy to fix with new paint.

Fortunately, none of my branded figures suffered any damage, so maybe this kind of things only affect homemade models.

Had anyone of you similar experiences in your figures?

Oh no

Steel can rust, it's only stainless steel which won't. I've had gold and silver-coloured wire rust before, so I assume they're plated over steel, and bending the wire to shape it causes the plating to flake off in tiny little pieces which might even be too small to see, but are enough to let rust start.

I'd recommend sealing the tail with a coat of varnish before repainting, something nice and thick that can be painted on rather than a fine spray of sealant, otherwise the rust stains might just carry on growing through the new paint layer as well, and you'll end up having to regularly re-apply the cover-up.

For attacks by living things, my worst was finding one of my vintage 1970s horse models with a natural mohair tail had been attacked by moth caterpillars, and had an entirely bald bottom!
I bought some colour-matched hair but didn't actually attach it yet, it's hidden in a sealed plastic bag, cos I didn't want to feed another generation of the same creatures and have a cycle of mending and eating going on

Oh no, how annoying, I hope you can fix them!!

The Wepam seems to be made from organic materials, maybe you could go for Milliput next time ?

Very annoying indeed. I wonder if it would help if you stored them with moth balls.

Thanks everybody!
George, tahnks for sharing your experiences too. yes, organic materials such as hair or feathers is quickly devoured! Maybe you can look for some sort of chemical treatment to your horsetail so its make distasteful for the moths? Or just preserve the whole horse in a cabinet with lavender or moth balls

The problem with varnish is that the tail would ressult glossy (even after the paint application) and untextured... I hope this don't happen again but if happens it will need to repaint one more time...

Kiki I didn't knew that WePam was organic paste! Certainly for the moment my FimoAir models were undamaged (tough I usually use both together!) That would explain why carpet beetles or other annoying pests destroyed part of it!

This modeling paste is made from the Cleopatra “Cléocol” glue and natural ingredients: Cléocol glue + vegetable flour + water + coloring

Ouch!!!! This is like serving a local menu for my flour moths!!!

Yes, it is completely natural that silverfish and other insects eat this kind of material. I am not surprised if the same happens with composition figures.
Silverfish are quite clever, you can use a card with the words "no comestible" and as long as they're busy eating the card, they won't eat your figures. I am kidding, of course, I love that you use silverfish to feed your fish. I am not kidding now, I'd love to see a figure of a silverfish, we don't even have on TAW a single figure of the whole order.
It is not so hard to get rid of these creatures and that's the start if it was really what happened.

sorry to hear about the tiny invaders!
peppermint is a natural remedy that repels some unwanted guests, but I'm not sure if it will work for your ones ?
You could try homeopathic peppermint tincture put onto the upturned lid of a jar, or even peppermint teabags (unused) in bags lying near your models. The smell will deter some guests.

And for very tiny invaders you can put some of this fine powder down. Diatomaceous earth. It is natural and safe around pets:) It has very sharp edges, too small to affect mammals, but tiny insects that devour it die from the sharp edges.
I've used it before, sprinkled around the affected areas.

..Diatomaceous earth is not poisonous; it does not have to be eaten in order to be effective. Diatomaceous earth causes insects to dry out and die by absorbing the oils and fats from the cuticle of the insect's exoskeleton. Its sharp edges are abrasive, speeding up the process.

I will keep that in mind when I make my own figures.

sunny wrote:

sorry to hear about the tiny invaders!
peppermint is a natural remedy that repels some unwanted guests, but I'm not sure if it will work for your ones ?
You could try homeopathic peppermint tincture put onto the upturned lid of a jar, or even peppermint teabags (unused) in bags lying near your models. The smell will deter some guests.

And for very tiny invaders you can put some of this fine powder down. Diatomaceous earth. It is natural and safe around pets:) It has very sharp edges, too small to affect mammals, but tiny insects that devour it die from the sharp edges.
I've used it before, sprinkled around the affected areas.

..Diatomaceous earth is not poisonous; it does not have to be eaten in order to be effective. Diatomaceous earth causes insects to dry out and die by absorbing the oils and fats from the cuticle of the insect's exoskeleton. Its sharp edges are abrasive, speeding up the process.

Using Milliput to make customs is far more safe against pests 

Most Composition figures are made with glue and Kaolin so it is safer, except for the ones known as "farine et plâtre" (flour and plaster).

Kikimalou wrote:

sunny wrote:

sorry to hear about the tiny invaders!
peppermint is a natural remedy that repels some unwanted guests, but I'm not sure if it will work for your ones ?
You could try homeopathic peppermint tincture put onto the upturned lid of a jar, or even peppermint teabags (unused) in bags lying near your models. The smell will deter some guests.

And for very tiny invaders you can put some of this fine powder down. Diatomaceous earth. It is natural and safe around pets:) It has very sharp edges, too small to affect mammals, but tiny insects that devour it die from the sharp edges.
I've used it before, sprinkled around the affected areas.

..Diatomaceous earth is not poisonous; it does not have to be eaten in order to be effective. Diatomaceous earth causes insects to dry out and die by absorbing the oils and fats from the cuticle of the insect's exoskeleton. Its sharp edges are abrasive, speeding up the process.

Using Milliput to make customs is far more safe against pests 

Most Composition figures are made with glue and Kaolin so it is safer, except for the ones known as "farine et plâtre" (flour and plaster).

Christophe I have Wepam and Diatomaceous earth here

sunny wrote:

Christophe I have Wepam and Diatomaceous earth here  

You propose a poison-based solution and I a weight-watchers solution 

Ohh, I am so sorry for your eagle

Well, I have a good trick against silver fish : Kittens !!!!
My two little monsters have tons of fun if they find one, - the poor thing gets killed untill there is only dust left

Haha, a kitten in my house would result in all my fragiles figures thrown to the floor!

I just redo the eagle's feet, and just now I realize the left eye have the rear part also eaten! This is more difficult to repair due to diminutive size (eye smaller than a pinhead). Eyes, feet and bill was made with WePam and body with FimoAir, the body was untouched! Maybe I should do every model with FimoAir only, but it's more brittle than WePam for thin parts.

Kikimalou wrote:

sunny wrote:

Christophe I have Wepam and Diatomaceous earth here  

You propose a poison-based solution and I a weight-watchers solution 

hehe