The Ship Model Forum

Hey everyone. I've been building models for quite some time now and one thing I can't seem to figure out is how to get a black wash to work like it should. Is it because I use acrylic paints? When I apply it, it looks fine and Im happy with it, but once it dries it isn't in the crevices or around parts to make them pop out. Instead it just looks like dirty water dried on the surface (which I do realize it just what it is). I know it can be done with acrylics though, as I've seen models that were weathered with acrylics. Can someone please give me pointers on this very important technique? Thanks

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-Abram
ModelWarships Gallery Page
Joslin Models Facebook Page

Acrylic washes are tough, as you need something to break the surface tension of the water to make them flow properly, or else a meniscus forms. Your options, however, are easy and varied;

Acrylic Options
Add some Future floor wax to your wash mix.
Add a drop of soap (hand or dish detergent)
Add both
Use only Future to thin your paints (no water or manufacturer's thinner)
Add a drop of white glue
Purchase a pre-made acrylic wash. Games Workshop makes some good ones.
-or-

I prefer to use oil based washes, which always perform correctly, and are easy to fix. Plus, they are additionally safe when applied over acrylic paints.

Most guys who use acrylic washes a lot end up with their own formulas. As you can see, most of the items necessary for a successful acrylic wash are centered around water soluble additives that break the surface tension, and thereby the particle suspension, of your paint.

I can tell you the product called 'Magic Wash', which many figure painters like, is basically future+water+paint.

Hope this helps,

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Sean Hert

Sean, thanks a bunch! Ill try some of those ideas out.

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-Abram
ModelWarships Gallery Page
Joslin Models Facebook Page

Try artists black oil paint. Use Tupeniod (odorless thinner). I think you'll like it better.

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Any ship larger than a Destroyer is a waste of metal.

Really? The figure painters I know all paint oils wet-in-wet?

I also prefer oils to acrylics for washes. Little interaction with the base coat and easy to correct.

Some times its easy to forget other hobbies, a lot of my diorama bases come from the railway 1-72 world which make good looing rocks, and even better looking mountains in 1-700 scale, paint is paint eh ? Warhammer, MIG, Forge World and the list goes on, a good black wash comes from the Citadel series and simply called ''black wash'' this has a wonderful habit of running into every crack and cravis you can imagine, it will dry dull, you can re-coat. There is another wash (again black) transparent acrylic and called ''black shade'' this give a shine to your surface and requires a matt varnish to dull/tone everything down.
Weathering products is very much the same, good old Tamiya or as I enjoy Warhammer or a little more money MIG which has a great range of weathering products, have you also tried stiff brushing off paint, paint one colour allow to completely dry, paint another colour -almost- the same and ''before'' it has time to completely dry quickly brush it off, this is normally better for 1-72, but I dare say it could also work for much smaller scales.
Hope this has been of some help.

Ok, gaming miniature figure painting, to clarify.

Many figure painters are switching to acrylics nowadays- but they are still using oil washes. The figure magazines are full of articles on using acrylics all the time now, but I still think oils are the way to go.

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Sean Hert

I'm a big fan of this..........."The Detailer" Ready To Use Washes. I buy it on eBay.



After applying a gloss clear coat (protect any decals first with a clear coat) I apply it with a brush and after it's dry I use a damp Microbrush to remove it from the areas where I don't wan't it. Wiping it towards the recess or detail where I want it to remain.

It sometimes takes about three passes with the damp Microbrush (dabbing it on a paper towel to remove it from the Microbrush and re-wetting it) to wipe the undetailed areas clear and brighter. I'll wipe these areas in a downward direction to push the water and wash towards the deck-bulkhead interface.

Bridge window areas sometime require two applications in order to make the centers of them, dark.

This product can look a little like Gunmetal paint instead of Black but a clear coat gets rid of this effect. This wash can also make the overall paint look a shade darker but, now I am counting on this effect. A clear coat keeps the wash from darkening the finish, too much.

Here is my USS Virignia model with the wash applied.



And here is my USS Scott (life raft cannisters aren't done yet) with the wash just the way that I want it.

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Carl Musselman
(Formerly Back-Aft Models)

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