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Mixing washes, filters and other settling liquids


Mike

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Mixing washes, filters and other settling liquids



washes.jpg

If you're familiar with the AK-Interactive and Mig type of washes, you'll know that they're enamel based, and over time settle quite persistently to the bottom of the bottle. It's difficult to agitate the bottle enough to dislodge the "skin" at the bottom just using your trusty arm, and it's a pain to have to get a stirrer involved, which invariably ends up wasting some of the goodness at the bottom. Using a paint brush has the same problem, and adds the probability of ruining your paintbrush into the bargain.

bearings.jpg

A simple solution is to add a ball bearing into the bottle. I picked up a pack of 50 x 6mm chromed balls for a couple of quid on eBay, and popped one in each of my many bottles of washes, filters and paint effects. A quick shake, and that persistent scum on the bottom of the bottles is gone. Just remember to be careful not to agitate the bottles excessively, as even plastic bottles could crack under impact of the ball bearings at sufficient speed.

Why did I choose 6mm? Mainly because I knew from my Airsoft days how big they are. They're also a good weight whilst not too heavy, and are large enough not to disappear in the bottom of the bottles. I chose chromed balls to avoid any contamination of the mixture due to leaching of any impurities from the bare metal.

Hopefully that one should keep your washes fresher for longer ;)

Mike.

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  • 2 weeks later...

A great suggestion. In the past I've used lead shot from shot gun shells - also doubles as nose weight for those tail sitters and is cheap. Even the smallest bags of lead shot at a gun shop is too much for the number of kits I will even build or paint bottles I will need it for stirring up, but the price is right and can always share with others who might need.

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Just a slight word of caution; I bought a similar bulk pack after seeing the idea on a website but some of them have started to rust slighty in the pot which is not ideal in light\white finishes (but probably aids the darker\rusty ones). They do work well for agitation though!

Edited by cjhm
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Just a slight word of caution; I bought a similar bulk pack after seeing the idea on a website but some of them have started to rust slighty in the pot which is not ideal in light\white finishes (but probably aids the darker\rusty ones). They do work well for agitation though!

Thanks fellas, I hadn't given that a thought. I do still have a ton of enamels, maybe that is why I have been fortunate thus far. Mind you, I am slowly converting to water based, so I will have to perhaps reconsider and pick up some of the chrome ones now.

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 4 weeks later...

Exactly what I did in line with the old way it was done in the original Alclad bottles.

Also add these to Alclad too. You have to be careful to get some that wont corrode but otherwise its a simple fix for mixing snags that can happen.

J.

Edited by JaseGill
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Bike shops have easy access to ball bearings, maybe not as cheap as the eBay ones above but a decent bike shop is likely to supply stainless bearings. You can even buy ceramic bearings if you have deep pockets, no corrosion there.

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  • 4 months later...

What doesn't rust is glass! A couple of years ago I picked up a bag of glass beads from a craft stall in the local market they are about 6mm in diameter, there is one of those in each of my paint tins and bottles.

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  • 2 years later...
  • 2 years later...

Update to this old post: I always remove the glass ball from aerosol 'rattle cans' once they are used up, just pop a hole in the can whilst over some rag or paper as theres always paint left! No rusting issues and much lighter...probably why the paint firms use glass...😂

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  • 1 year later...
On ‎5‎/‎18‎/‎2018 at 8:01 AM, mikey builder said:

... just pop a hole in the can whilst over some rag or paper as theres always paint left! ...

you've got courage; i'll give you that.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi all, 

 

@Mike et al

 

All this his sounds great advice. I am an enamel paint user. There is so much talk and praise of enamel washes etc for use over acrylics but what about the other way around? What options are available for a modeller like me?

 

Thanks in advance for your ideas.

 

Martin

Edited by RidgeRunner
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4 hours ago, RidgeRunner said:

All this his sounds great advice. I am an enamel paint user. There is so much talk and praise of enamel washes etc for use over acrylics but what about the other way around? What options are available for a modeller like me?

Ultimate do a range of water-based washes that might be of interest.  If you screw up you can just wash them off with water.  Your other option is to put a "barrier layer" of clear gloss acrylic (Klear/Future etc.) between the enamel washes and the enamel paints to keep them from eating each other.  I'd definitely test that hypothesis though, as I've never done it myself. :hmmm:

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How do I do black lines in door jambs. The model has already been painted. Any hints please?

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On 12/10/2023 at 4:18 PM, PatW said:

How do I do black lines in door jambs. The model has already been painted. Any hints please?

Don’t use black; it’s too stark. What you want is a shadow of the body color. I mix a thin wash of dark gray Tamiya, water, and a drop of liquid dish-washing soap and apply it sparingly with a thin brush and let capillary action spread it into the door jambs, letting it dry. I then repeat until  I get the effect I’m looking for, which is a darker shade of the body color. Study your full-scale automobile to see what you should try to achieve.

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Thanks Space Ranger.

I've been round the doors with a very sharp 2B dark pencil!

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