so i tried to use a wash to accent the panel lines on the P-51 im putting together and disaster strikes, first off no pigment stuck around in the panel lines and second the wash stripped paint down the seems. I put two coats of future down in defense of this happening and yet everything that could have gone wrong went wrong…gggrrrrrrr…well i guess the only thing left to do is touch up the paint and try again. I didnt expect for it to look great on my first try but this was one of those mindbending, kick the dog and try not to smash something failures [soapbox][banghead]
any words of advice would be greatly appreciated until then ill be over there ===================>
ahhh info about the job, i guess that would help. im using model masters chrome silver as color for the plane, then i brushed on two coats of future, the thinned some model masters gun metal grey for the wash
OK, you’re using enamel over enamel. That’s usually fine. But my guess would be that you thinned the wash with a compatible enamel thinner, such as mineral spirits or maybe even Model Master airbrush thinner. Assuming this, your problem is likely that the diluted wash acted as paint thinner would act on your finish, which would naturally tend to strip off your base coat. I would highly recommend using another type of wash, such as what I use, which is nothing more than tempra paint (sometimes called poster paint), which is water-based. It will not harm your finish, and it can be applied and removed as many times as you need to get it right. Excess can easily be wiped off your model with a damp soft cloth, such as an old t-shirt remnant, even after it dries completely. Just be sure to gloss coat your model before applying the wash. After it is dried, you can seal it with your favorite gloss or flat clearcoat.
Chin up, better luck next time. Don’t let it get you down-
Oh man…I’m terribly sorry to hear of your difficulty.
One question…you’ve applied two coats of Future…what type of paint was the wash? Was it acrylic?
If if was acrylic, then the thinner for the acrylic paint has eaten through the Future. It’s a hard lesson, but once you understand the cause of the problem, I’m sure you won’t let it happen again.
You never, ever, want to use a wash that is the same type of paint as the top coat.
I always use enamels or oil paints over a Future barrier coat - anything else will cause chaos amd mayhem.
Best of luck, mate.
There are several problems with your method of application, 1. DONT use Enamel paint, 2. Dont use alcohol or ammonia thinning agents that will eat into the Future coat, 3. You should have airbrushed your Future coat for even distribution over the model surface.
Modelnerd is correct you need to use a sludge wash over your panel lines. Mix 5 parts water, 3 parts paint (preferably (water base) acrylic or tempra paint) and 2 parts dish washing soap. With a thin paint brush go over panel lines, depending on thinness it will run down the lines on its own and break into other panel lines as well, this is what you want. Clean as you go…dont let excess sludge wash dry outside of panel lines, keep warm soapy water near by and wipe up excess sludge with Q-tips or tissue dampened with warm soapy water. Spray another thin coat of Future over it to seal it.
a lot of people disagree with me on this but i love it and i have yet to have a major problem get a sharp pencil and draw them in,then take a wrapped up peice of paper and rub the line this will soften and blur the shade to your liken if it turns out to light do it again,if it turns out to dark take a good eraser and lightly go over it to lighten it up
all of the shading in that ^ photo was done with pencil except the rivet holes was done with a 02 micron pen then pulled the ink back before it dries good luck
You have to be careful with the chemicals you use when doing washes. It’s safe to use artist oils thinned with turpenoid over acrylic and Future.
If you use the wrong thinners they WILL damage your finish as they disolve the paints. Ammonia, for example, is like anti-matter for acrylics and future. [:O]
Ive tried the 2 micron pen, works well for the rivits but even with how small it is the panel lines are to small. gonna give this sludge wash a try, sounds like it will work. and I would airbrush the future and even the paint but alas I have no such tools
A method I have used and have had rather good luck with is this:
Airbrush the base colors (I used MM). Lighten/darken panels and or panel lines. Let them dry at least 24 hours. Air brush Tamiya clear thinned with alcohol. Let that dry about a day (depending on humidity). The panel line wash is highly thinned artist oils using mineral spirits. This is applied along the panel lines all over the A/C. Then I go back to the point I started at, using a cotton swab lightly moistened with mineral spirits, swabbing fore to aft (along the flow of air). The panel lines are darkened and the fore/aft swabbing creates a weathering effect, it has also doubled as a filter tying the base colors together nicely.
I hope this helps. Sorry if it just muddied things even more. If you need clarification feel free to message me at hughes2682@comcast.net.
thanks for the help with the sludge wash, and the micron pen for the rivets. just washed the panel lines, it wouldnt take because the lines were kinda filled with paint and future so I had to rescribe them, rescribing the lines with all decals on through the future was a pain, and im not sure if I ended up makin the plane look better or worse but I did get a lot of useful experience and it still looks pretty good so im happy, I appreciate all your help everybody.
