After destroying a finish on a very expensive 1/32 F-104, I had to strip it to the bone, reprime/repaint. No probs there…just a hell of a lot of work. Argh.
Then…lacquering/weathering. I sprayed first, PFM (which just seems way too watery…not like the older stuff of about 10 years ago…) let that dry for 24…decided I didn’t like the so-called “gloss” finish; so I spray bombed Testors gloss in thin coats over that. So far so good. 24 hours later…I used a sludge wash; 1 hour later, another over that and let that coat dry another hour.
Took the damp paper towel to it…nothing. The sludge would not budge. I almost literally dropped a 22lb sledge on the model…(I was so pissed off.) This had now taken twice the time and effort to rebuild/redo. Once again…I had to use 99% IA to get the wash off. You know what that did to the lacquer. (And some of the decaling.)
Here’s what I think I did wrong. (Again).
I did not allow at least 48 hours for the Testors gloss to completely dry/cure. OR, using PFM under the Testors gloss.
Anybody ever experience this or something similar? What am I doing wrong that a simple sludge wash didn’t work?[bnghead][bnghead][bnghead][bnghead][bnghead]
You don’t say what kind of sludge wash you are using, but whatever it is, you are letting it get too dry. I would recommend using a Turpenoid/oil paint wash. Dries much slower so it’s easier to control. You can speed up the process with a hair dryer. If you get it too dry to wipe off, a little Turpenoid on a rag will take it off. You can do the whole thing in ten minutes. I never walk away from a wash. Even oil paint is tough to get off after a few days.
Is your wash solvent based??? If so, that’s the problem.
I use lacquer gloss (Minwax, thinned and A/B’ed)…decals…gloss again. Then I use a homemade wash (acrylic craft paint, water, drop of dish soap…does not take much paint!). I’ll brush a little wash on a section of the model, then rub it in with a finger (usually my own!). Give it a few minutes drying time, then wipe away the excess with a water dampened cloth(old t-shirt). The only time I have ever not had good results with the wash was when I didn’t have a good gloss.
Lacquer-based solvents don’t make any sense to me. Lacquer thinner is just too hot. It may be possible to find a protective lacquer-proof clearcoat, but why bother? Water based and enamel based washes do fine- I don’t see the need for a lacquer one.