How do I black wash a grille ?

[deuces wild]

Ok, thank you sir!.....🙂👍

[peteski]

7 hours ago, Leica007 said:

I would stay away from using alcohol on the chrome, it does strip the chrome off. I use acrylics and use windshield washer fluid (winter formula) for thinning all my acrylics, especially for airbrushing.

But Lei,  windshield washed fluid actually has alcohol in it. Especially in the winter blend (where it is uses as antifreeze agent).  Go figure.

[Leica007]

The percentage isn't the same as rubbing alcohol, I've never had a problem with using ww fluid when black washing grilles, wheels, or even dirtying my engines painted with acrylic.

[StevenGuthmiller]

11 hours ago, Leica007 said:

I would stay away from using alcohol on the chrome

Yes, absolutely!

Stay away from any solvents that may damage the chrome.

 

Remember, you're only creating a simple "wash".

There's absolutely no need to over think it and go out and buy a bunch of unnecessary products, or to nerd out over the thinning question.

Thin aqueous acrylics with water, and enamels with mineral spirits, and you'll do just fine.

 

 

 

Steve

Edited April 6 by StevenGuthmiller

[ColonelKrypton]

22 hours ago, deuces wild said:

Can I use 91% iso alky for a thinner with the Testors acrylic black paint???.

No,  but you might get away with it if you are lucky. If not lucky you might encounter the paint curdling, never drying or curing properly or flaking, peeling or not adhering properly, and so on. 

Water based acrylics ( i.e. Testors, Revell, Vallejo, AK Interactive third gen, Army Painter, Humbrol, Golden, Liquitex, various brands of craft acrylics - Apple Barrel, Deco Art, and others ) should not be thinned with alcohol or lacquer thinners, or enamel thinners, or Windex, or windshield washer fluid ( which may contain alcohol and ammonia ). Use distilled or deionized water if you can ( a gallon is not expensive and will last a long time ), better yet, use the manufactures own products ( in the case of hobby products like Vallejo). 

Tamiya acrylics are not water based acrylics and their thinner is about half and half water and alcohol and should not be used with water based acrylic paints.

The best thing I found for thinning water based acrylics is either Liquitex or Golden brand airbrush mediums. They contain acrylic polymers which help preserve the paints properties when thinning.  For washes I use the manufacturers own thinner or in the case of water based craft paints Vallejo airbrush thinner or AK Interactive 3rd gen thinner. Get the larger bottles, a little goes a long way when used only for thinning - use something else like tap water or something stronger as needed like, alcohol, windex, etc for clean up.

That many get away with using witches brews like Windex or windshield washer fluid to thin water based acrylics is just plain luck and a testament to the quality of the basic paint itself. I can't count the number problems so many have had using and painting either by brush or airbrush trying to use these brews. Model kits and paints themselves are expensive enough but trying to cheap out and pinch pennies on something like paint reducers and thinners is just being penny wise and dollar foolish. 

cheers, Graham

[Matt Bacon]

If you have a nearby gaming shop where you can buy Citadel/Warhammer colours they have a range of dedicated washes/"contrast colours" which are ideal for this kind of work. Nuln Oil and Black Templar are the ones you want for a dead black effect, but for panel line/shutline shading on colors so they don't look as harsh as pure black, they also have a whole spectrum...

best,

M.

[ColonelKrypton]

17 hours ago, john sharisky said:

I have good luck with non-waterproof black ink.

Inks are a good choice too.

Liquitex, Daler Rowney, Higgins, Winsor & Newton, Dr PH Martin, Speed Ball,  to name  a few, and available in a rainbow of colours.

Liquitex and Daler Rowney are acrylic inks, just like water based acrylic paint but much thinner, well like ink thin, and work well as washes. 

Not all inks are created equal. Traditional India ink and Chinese or Japanese inks are little more than lampblack and water and are not water proof. Many artists inks use shellac as a binder and are more water proof. The acrylic inks are typically much more waterproof however. 

cheers, Graham

 

[deuces wild]

Ok, thanks guys!.....🙂👍

[Dave G.]

The 91% IPA needs to be cut with water anywhere from 60-40 ratio to 70-30 ( even better) water to alcohol ratio. It will work fine for washes in most craft paints, in terms of not attacking the chrome, flow, dry time etc.. But it would be more durable with some medium based acrylic thinner in the mix, Like Liquitex Airbrush medium for instance. The Liquitex mediums maintain the resin molecules, where too much thinning with water and alcohol, breaks the molecular connection or so called binder. You discover that, like perhaps, a year down the road when it all starts flaking off if using a non binding medium like water lol !  Acrylics ( water borne) shouldn't be thinned more than about 35-40% with a non supportive solution, so make up the difference with the medium. This gives a wash with some adhesion, thin enough to drain off the high points and easy to wipe grill bars clean of any left over film, while still partly wet.

Artist paints will stick even better. I conducted a test with artist acrylics from Liquitex. I painted it on to aluminum foil, let dry. Then crumpled the foil. Expecting the paint, in acrylic fashion, to flake off when I opened up the ball of foil, it did not do that, but rather stuck quite well. FWIW, model chrome is plate aluminum.

I've also used water clean up oils.

All that said, everybody has their wash formula and like it. So ramble mode off. Have a great Sunday !

[StevenGuthmiller]

16 hours ago, deuces wild said:

Ok, thanks guys!.....🙂👍

Use what you have.

 

You can drive yourself nuts with minutia, but it's not rocket science.

If you have Testors acrylic, thin it with water and use that.

 

 

 

 

Steve

[deuces wild]

Thank you Steve!....🙂👍