stevehnz Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 (edited) Having read about W & N flow improver I set out to buy some but no-one local had any & I'm broke enough not to want to pay post over what is relatively expensive anyway ( to me) so I ended up with some Reeves acrylic medium which reads much as though it does the same job, but no info re use. Even emailing their help desk didn't give me a start point of any kind so I've tried some with some acrylics I have, Humbrol, Tamiya & Vallejo, using about 10% +/- & definitely so far so good, they all self levelled better, I was able to touch up a few minutes after which I've long found to be a total no no with acrylics & no visible brush marks or drag marks after. It leaves the matt colours with a satin finish, not a problem too me as I always matt coat after decals. Supposedly gives a tougher finish & better adhesion too. I'm wondering if anyone else has tried this & has any thoughts re amount to use? Steve. Edited April 24, 2015 by stevehnz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitch K Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 Usually acrylic medium is different to flow improver. It's more like paint without pigment. I've used Liquitex airbrush medium (which turns thick, butter-like paints intended for impasto work into something airbrushable!) to do the same thing. The Reeves product sounds like great stuff, and it's great that it's working for you. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardie Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 As Mitch says I suspect that what you have is liquid acrylic paint without the pigment it's intended use is to thin your paint without weakening the strength of the paint. The more water you add the thinner the acrylic and therefore the weaker the paint. The medium allows you to spread your paint thinner without compromising strength. The flow improvers are "surfactants" which break the tension of the water allowing the paint to flow better across the surface without beading. If you can't find any W&N flow improver locally the next best thing is childrens bubble mixture which is essentially the same thing- water mixed with surfactant. It is the surfactant which allows bubbles to be blown from ordinary water as it greatly reduces the surface tension of the water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevehnz Posted April 25, 2015 Author Share Posted April 25, 2015 Thanks guys, that has vastly improved my knowledge of this subject which was pretty much zero to begin with. I guess some more playing with it is called for to see how much or how little works best, a little easier to do now that I know something of how it works. I'll grab some bubble mix too Beardie & see how that goes. If me model blows away I'll know I've over done it. Steve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardie Posted April 25, 2015 Share Posted April 25, 2015 You only need a drop of the surfactant "bubble mix" added to your paint and it should do the trick just fine letting the paint lie smooth on the surface without beading and it is a lot cheaper than the "flow improver". I do believe that W&N are a bit cheeky with how much they charge for there stuff. If you smell the Flow improver you will find that it smells remarkably like Bubble mix and costs a whole lot more. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevehnz Posted April 25, 2015 Author Share Posted April 25, 2015 Not sure if I should say this in front of you but that appeals to the Scot in me. (My maternal Grandfather was born in Edinburgh) I do tend to be a bit careful with what I spend. Steve. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitch K Posted April 25, 2015 Share Posted April 25, 2015 Another very good substitute for flow improver is dishwasher rinse aid. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevehnz Posted April 25, 2015 Author Share Posted April 25, 2015 Heck but I'm pleased I started this, all sorts of good & cheap solutions coming out, right up my street. Thanks Mitch & Beardie. Steve. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitch K Posted April 25, 2015 Share Posted April 25, 2015 Not sure if I should say this in front of you but that appeals to the Scot in me. (My maternal Grandfather was born in Edinburgh) I do tend to be a bit careful with what I spend. Steve. I was careful before I moved to Yorkshire. Then I got worse. The locals call me a miser! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardie Posted April 25, 2015 Share Posted April 25, 2015 I am a canny careful Scot myself or as the wife likes to call me, a tightfisted scrooge 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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