How to Deal With Chinasaur Toys Giving Off Toxic Fumes And How To Prevent It?

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Hello, everybody!  After seeing some repainted dinosaur/prehistoric animal toys (Some being chinasaurs) on this forum, I have become interested in repainting dinosaur toys.  However, I am aware that repainting chinasaurs is a risky hobby, as some of them could have paint or materials that could react with the paint one is using for repainting the figure and emit toxic fumes.  Since I don't want this to happen, I would like to know general tips on how to properly react when such a situation occurs and how to prevent it from happening, or at least lessen the likelihood of dangerous paint reactions from chinasaurs.  Answers will be very well appreciated. 

[Tyto_Theropod]

I'm afraid I can't help on how to prevent it happening, but I did have this happen when I was repainting a chinasaur once. From that experience, here's my advice for when it does happen.

Warning signs: You may not immediately realise that the fumes are the issue. After I had breathed them for a while I started feeling lethargic and began to get a headache, but as it was late at night I though I was just tired. It was only when my nose and throat started burning that I began to worry. So I'd say that if you are repainting a chinasaur and start to feel any of these symptoms, you should be concerned and react quicker than I did! Of course it may not be toxic fumes from the model that is causing these symptoms, but it's better to be safe than sorry!

First response: Get yourself and any people and animals with you out of the room IMMEDIATELY. When this happened to me, my dog and another person were in the room with me, and the other person had started to feel lethargic as well. You should go outside and get some fresh air, then your head will start to clear and you'll feel human again. If the symptoms persist, go to a doctor.

Disposing of the model: The best thing to do with the model is dispose of it quickly. I sealed mine in a margarine tub to prevent further air contamination and put it outside. I then opened the windows in the room to clear the air. You should put the model, still in the container, in an outside bin.

Prevention: If you're really paranoid about this, don't repaint chinasaurs. There's a much better chance that figures from reliable brands like Safari and Papo will be safety tested for this kind of thing before they go into production. Remember, these companies care about child safety. Quite often the people making off-brand toys are either ignorant of this issue or just want to make money.

You should also wash the model before painting as it not only helps the paint to adhere but also gets rid of factory oils that might trigger this kind of reaction. Finally, be careful about what kind of paint you use. Water based craft acrylics are the safest. They needn't be a fancy brand - I just use the range from my local stationary shop.  Enamels, oils and some brands of artist acrylics won't dry properly and will leave the figure permanently gooey and more liable to produce fumes. Also, some chinasaurs will do this no matter what paint you use.

Those are my best tips. Hope they helped and happy painting!

[stargatedalek]

If there are fumes they won't persist for very long. Sealing it is probably not a good choice unless you're fine with throwing it away, if you air it out yourself in a well ventilated room for a few days it should stop releasing fumes.

[tyrantqueen]

Enamels, oils and some brands of artist acrylics won't dry properly and will leave the figure permanently gooey and more liable to produce fumes. Also, some chinasaurs will do this no matter what paint you use.

Never had any issues with artist's acrylics drying. I've used Pebeo, Liquitex, Reeves, Old Holland, Amsterdam and Lascaux, and they've all dried fine. But I usually prime my figures first. Oils are also okay to use, as long as you prime first (although I suspect not many people would be using them).

I wonder if it might be the pigment in the paint that is having a reaction with the plastic. We don't know what materials could be in the plastic that the chinasaurs were made with. Good quality artist acrylic tend to use real minerals in their paint, (for example, cadmium) because it offers the best intensity of colour and permanence. I wonder if this might have something to do with it, but I'm no chemist.

My advice to the OP is to prime first. Besides being a good habit to be in (because it improves the adhesion of the paint) this will form a barrier between the paint and the plastic.

[Tyto_Theropod]

I agree, TQ, priming is good idea but I wouldn't say it was necessary all the time. Then again, I'm biassed as I can't use primer because I have a bad allergic reaction to it. My post was just my opinion based on my personal experience, but of course everyone is their own person with their own way of doing things, and really it's up to you. From that point of view, I'd tell OP to take all this as guidelines rather than orders. (Not implying that anyone was ordering about, other than me perhaps... )

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Thank you all for the advice!