Black wash for grille?

[Steamboat]

What's everyone's favorite black wash for the grille? I've been using a mix of black chalk and water for ease of application but it's not very durable.  I'd like to up the game in this department. 

[LennyB]

For some things I like to use the Tamiya wash but it has its limitations as you can’t use it on everything.   More often then not I go back to the old standby of thinned Testors paint.  

[1972coronet]

Tamiya Black Panel Accent . 

I apply it in my own way to grilles, hub caps, etc., etc. ; to wit : 

 Spray a coat of matt / semi-gloss , et alia,  to the plated parts. This gives the wash a "tooth" to grab so that it doesn't flow to the absolute bottom , sides, etc. 
This also permits for more than one application ; its enamel 'oils' also help to 'burnish' the matt clear to a more realistic finish (anodised aluminium, mostly). 
 

[rattle can man]

Thinned, cheap black craft paint. thinned Tamiya is my second choice. both  easily removed if needed and durable. I've tried panel line washes (takes multiple applications), thinned Testors (If you use thinner to remove from areas you don't want it, you risk damaging the finish), and india ink in isopropyl alcohol (can react with finishes).

[Ace-Garageguy]

I've tried a bunch of stuff, on both car and HO scale railroad models.

My favorite to date is Tamiya flat-black acrylic in the little jars.

[Steamboat]

Thanks for the help. I'll try those.

[blizzy63]

 

Edited January 21 by blizzy63

[Bill Eh?]

10 hours ago, Steamboat said:

What's everyone's favorite black wash for the grille? I've been using a mix of black chalk and water for ease of application but it's not very durable.  I'd like to up the game in this department. 

 

Bill, you generally like your results, the only issue being durability. I wonder if adding a small amount of white glue to the water might help in this area. I'm thinking in terms of only a few drops. After all it is soluble in water.

[Deathgoblin]

Model Color flat black, thinned with a little water.

[slusher]

Tamiya panel line accent color. I also ponch model box card board flexible put in the head light buckits paint the Crome with Krylon short cuts black and with Tamiya applicators or pointed swabs clean black off where I don’t  want it with, Tamiya applicators and mineral spirits.

[StevenGuthmiller]

Plain old Testors flat black enamel thinned to wash consistency.

 

 

 

Steve

[Steamboat]

9 hours ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

Plain old Testors flat black enamel thinned to wash consistency.

Steve

 

How do you remove excess from the shiny areas?

[blizzy63]

1 hour ago, Steamboat said:

How do you remove excess from the shiny areas?

 

[StevenGuthmiller]

2 hours ago, Steamboat said:

How do you remove excess from the shiny areas?

The same tools that Robert depicted above.

I will usually let it dry first, and then lightly dampen a swab with a little mineral spirits and lightly wipe the paint from the high spots.

If you get your wash thinned just right, you barely need to do anything.

The color will wick right down into the recesses leaving almost nothing to remove from the high spots.

 

 

 

Steve

[Bills72sj]

I use Tamiya Panel Line Accent as well. The wicking is great but it takes many applications if you are darkening larger openings. The solvent in it can affect glossy surfaces some times. I kind of like the sound of the acrylic paint.

[Bugatti Fan]

There are many products that black washes can  be made from. A number having already been described on here.

Revell's Aquacolour has not been mentioned yet. They include some shades of black too and thin well with water.     Getting away from washes, their Anthracite shade is really good for simulating the look of rubber mats in car models.

Back to washes again, I have also used thinned artists acrylics from their various black shades and Paynes Grey. Some artists acrylics are available in liquid form in small bottles, presumably for airbrush work. Come to think of it artists waterproof inks could be used as a wash for filling in on grilles etc.

Proprietary dedicated washes can work out to be quite expensive when compared to making up some of your own. This applies to colour washes for other stuff too like weathering for example.

Acrylics dry quite quickly, so going over the high spots with a cotton wool straight after should work to remove any unwanted excess.

Edited January 23 by Bugatti Fan

[gtx6970]

In the past Ive used thinned enamel paint. But the only place around here sells testors enamels is Hobby lobby, and its Not convenient to get to  as its the complete opposite side of town from me 

 

I just bought a bottle of the Tamiya black for grill work  , and I like it. Its extremely thin so it flows out nice

 

Edited January 25 by gtx6970