Oil washes

[plasticWerks_JL]

To those of you who mix your own oil washes, what do you find is the most successful method of getting a good mix for both thin, panel line washes and thicker sludge washes?

I have a tube of W&N black, a cheaper set of tubes (Reeves), and a can of hardware store mineral spirits, and they don't seem to want to mix thin enough for panel line "pin" style washes. The oils don't desolve into the mineral spirits, and end up separating rather quickly in my mixing cup.

Just wondering what paints/solvents you guys find play nice together. Thanks fellas, any help is appreciated.

-JL

[Janissary]

I too use hardware store mineral spirits and W&N oils. Generally they would ok. However, separation does happen (albeit slowly), so I give it a quick stir with the brush each time I load the brush. I have also used Turpenoid and that works well too. Turpenoid tends to stay "wetter" for a longer time (more oily), perhaps mixes slightly better with the W&N oils compared to MS. Never used Reeves tubes. I heard lighter fluid also works well as a solvent.

My guess is that it is more about the oils than the solvent. W&N is generally Ok, but I heard really good things about MiG productions' Abteilung Oils. Never used one though. I tend to get acceptable results (at least for me) with W&N oils with MS or Turpenoid.

Edit: Also wanted to add that I prefer the wash to be on the slightly thicker side. I find the coffee consistency people tend to suggest to be too thin.

Edited April 4, 2016 by Janissary

[balls47]

Yessir, I've had good luck with Grumbacher oil paints. I thin them with Turpenoid. The thing that I hate about oil paints is the slow drying time. However, they do look great. If I do a "sludge wash," I normally use an acrylic mixture of paint, thinner of choice, and a few drops of dish soap. For washes in general, I have come to like Flory's products. I haven't tried any other products. If I have an older model(such as an old Monogram model) with raised panel lines, I don't rescribe the lines. I sand them down until they are barely, if at all, visible. I have found that when painted, there is enough of a shadow, that there

are very light panel lines that are visible. I do a lot of in-flight models, so panel lines aren't a big deal. If you look at photos of airplanes/jets flying, you won't normally see much in the way of panel lines. In fact, the only time that you really see very distinct panel lines is when you up close to

an aircraft. I guess it's a personal preference type of thing. Just keep your panel lines very, very subtle, and not perfectly consistent. I don't want my models to look too "toy-like." Check reference photos of what you are building/finishing. Good Luck!!!

[f14tomcat]

Plain old lighter fluid.

Wayne

Edited April 5, 2016 by f14tomcat

[SonyKen]

JL,

Since I mostly do aircraft I generally don't do sludge's but I do, do panel line and cockpit washes. I use W&N oils exclusively and have found that plain old everyday contact cement thinner/remover works great in this application. This stuff can be found at any office supply place such as Office Depot, Staples or Office Max. This stuff is very cheap too and doesn't have an offensive odor. Hope this helps!

Best Regards,

Ken Bailey

(SonyKen)

Edited April 5, 2016 by SonyKen

[plasticWerks_JL]

Thanks, fellas! I think if I get some free time I'll pick up all of these and try them out. I'm still working on improving techniques and trying to find what works best for me, so the more options I have, the more I can experiment with.

I'll have to try a higher quality oil paint, as well. The Reeves paints are beginner sets, very cheap small tubes, but I don't use them often.

Any problems with these mediums (lighter fluid, turpenoid, contact cement cleaner) over a Future gloss coat?

[SonyKen]

JL,

Maybe I am not understanding what exactly that you are doing, but why would you want to put a wash over a Future gloss coat? In the applications that I have used the contact cement thinner on, I have never put down a gloss coat before a wash. In my cockpits, I want a final flat finish and with panel lines, you want the wash to stay in the panel lines and not "slid" out of a slick surface such as a glossy surface. But a direct answer to your question, I have never applied my contact cement thinner wash over a glossy Future finish. One thing I do know is that I only apply my concoction over acrylic paints because I do know that the thinner does breakdown enamel paints even if they are dry. So since I have had no trouble over acrylics, the assumption is that since Future is acrylic or water based, there shouldn't be any problems. But please don't go on my assumption. You need to test it first. HTH!

Best Regards,

Ken Bailey

(SonyKen)

[admiralcag]

I use turpenoid over Future. No issues.

Vern

[Don]

O.k. not to step in and sort of hijack the thread, but having never used oil washes before I have a related question. Once all your painting is done, decals are on and sealed, do you just apply the highly thinned oil paint on the model, let it dry, and wipe it off the areas you don't want it? What do you use to wipe it off with (cotton bud, cotton ball, soft cloth)? Damp with water or mineral spirits? When everything is to your liking can you spray a flat clear over the model to seal everything in without any reaction (I use Tamiya and Testors Acryl paints and clear/flat)?

Thanks all and sorry for any potential thread budding in.

[plasticWerks_JL]

Don, no worries, the more questions and responses, the more info I can stash away for later.

EDIT: I use the same process you described above, with gloss Future coat, oil paints with mineral spirits, and wiping away with slightly damp cotton buds or cotton cloth (using mineral spirts again). Cotton buds tend to get caught on edges and leave lint behind, so I'm trying to limit using them a lot.

SonyKen, I've always seen builders sealing decals with a gloss coat before washes/weathering, and I would imagine a flat coat would trap more of the wash on surfaces it's not really wanted. I haven't heard of anyone using your technique, but it sounds interesting, and I don't see why it wouldn't function similar to using a gloss coat. At the least i think it would give a different look for more heavily-weathered areas.

Thanks for all the info and ideas so far!

Edited April 6, 2016 by plasticWerks_JL

[Cliff C]

Thanks, fellas! I think if I get some free time I'll pick up all of these and try them out. I'm still working on improving techniques and trying to find what works best for me, so the more options I have, the more I can experiment with.

I'll have to try a higher quality oil paint, as well. The Reeves paints are beginner sets, very cheap small tubes, but I don't use them often.

Any problems with these mediums (lighter fluid, turpenoid, contact cement cleaner) over a Future gloss coat?

I would say definitely invest in a higher quality oil paint, it makes a big difference. I've used turpinoid and lighter fluid for years and both work well. Lighter fluid evaporates very quickly and you constantly need to adjust your mixture. I also prefer a slightly flat sheen to the paint for greater control. With a hi-gloss finish you tend to remove too much of the wash and too flat of a finish and it becomes too difficult to remove.

HTH - Cliff

PS. Good ventilation is a must unless you want to remodel the house.

Edited April 6, 2016 by Cliff C