Fairly new to oil washes so I’m not sure what going on. In the attached photo you will see that my pin wash is separating, or getting clumpy. I stirred the wash each time I dipped my brush in to try and maintain the consistency. Using Windsor and Newton artists oil with hardware store odorless mineral spirits, which I’ve seen from many resources is an acceptable combination for washes. Any input would be greatly appreciated!
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First off, welcome to the forums.
A little more information will help you get a more specific solution to your issue.
What kind of paint are you working over? Did you use a clear coat between the paint and the pin wash? What kind of clear coat? How long did it dry before the wash was applied?
It almost looks like your paint is soaking up the thinner which may be causing the separation of the wash. Hopefully with some additional information, someone here can help a bit more.
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That’s not a bad theory… And thank you so much for the response. Maybe it’s too much information about the project, but here goes… 1/35 Saint Chamond tank, base paint is AK 3rd gen acrylics brush painted. Applied decals, then clear coated with Testors Dullcote. Next step was oil dot filter, which dried for probably a month, then the pinwash. Have heard many conflicting things about different sheens of clear before washes… Maybe I should have done at least semigloss? Here’s a pic after some cleanup with minimal spirits and drying overnight. Definitely not quite what I wanted it to be.
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Heya @LungFu – welcome to FSM! I really like the camo on that St Chamond.
As for your wash issue, I have had the same problem, but in my case it came from using a cheaper brand of oil paint. If you’re using W&N “Artist’s” oils, that shouldn’t be the problem… but it could be that the particular thinner you’re using doesn’t play well with the oil paint. There can be a lot of variability between thinners, even if they’re all supposedly the same stuff.
I’d suggest trying W&N’s “Sansodor” to see if that solves the issue.
As a second note, I find that a true pin wash works best on a glossy surface, so it can smoothly flow through the panel line grooves, while other oil effects work better on a matte surface, where you do want them to “grab” the paint a little.
Hope this helps, and please continue to share your progress on this build!
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Thanks for the compliment on the camo! I picked up some Gamsol thinner that was highly recommended on the internet, so I think I’ll try that when I wash the running gear next and see how it goes. I feel very encouraged by the support from you guys on this forum. I don’t live close to an IPMS club, so this is the next best thing.
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