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wash - finish help needed (again and again I know)


stsith

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Hello guys, I'm aware that simmilar question was asked over and ovre again , but after watching loads of youtube guides, I'm affraid I'm no smarterthan I was before... Anyway, I'm near finishing my Zerstorer (first model after 30or so yrs), now what puzzles me is... 

I want to apply pin wash (I hope I'm using correct term) to higlight some details, I used tamiya acrilyc paint to paint model, so I need to do it with enamel wash? right? Do I need to put clear coat before washing, (and with what?) on I can apply wash directly on paint? and after I do my washing, with what do I apply finishing coat? Acrilyc or Enamel or I missunderstood whole proces 😶...

 

Tnx in advance, I really need step by step guide since I never before done any of it.

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You can apply a wash directly to the paint provided the solvent of the wash doesn't dissolve the base paint. Tamiya acrylic will be okay with enamel.

 

There's another factor however with washes, and that's the finish of the surface. Tamiya XF range acrylics are matte and matte paint will soak up washes leaving bloom stains. This might be desirable for certain weathering effects but not generally if you want to pin wash details and panel lines, for which you generally want a gloss surface.

 

So generally if you want to pin wash, start with a gloss paint or apply gloss varnish over the top. The paint used for pin wash must not, as above, dissolve the varnish. Tamiya x22 will be fine with enamel or oil based washes. 

 

A final wrinkle is that the ability of the panel lines to conduct and hold the wash is primarily a function of how physically well defined the panel line is; overenthusiastic application of paint and varnish can shallow and round off panel line to the point where they don't conduct the pin wash very well. You'll get better on thin clean application of paint with practice.

 

If you are unsure of an interaction it's sensible to keep mule or spare part (an unused part from the same kit is ideal) painted exactly as the model is. That way you can try the next step without risking the model. 

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great, tnx a ton Ngantek short and clear, and just what I needed 🥰 Ofc, I'll try to do it on 'spare' tho I'm not fan of gloss surfaces (don't want blig-bling ship 😅).... tnx again 

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15 minutes ago, stsith said:

great, tnx a ton Ngantek short and clear, and just what I needed 🥰 Ofc, I'll try to do it on 'spare' tho I'm not fan of gloss surfaces (don't want blig-bling ship 😅).... tnx again 

No problem. Everyone is different of course, but it's pretty standard to go through several stages of clear varnish on a model. Many will apply a gloss before decalling and/or pinwashing, then another coat, be it matte, satin, or gloss afterwards to bring it all together (glossy decals for example will stand out against matte paint). There will often be other layers between, perhaps to protect or 'lock in' a lower layer of paint or weathering from what comes above, chipping solution, washes, etc. Some weathering techniques take to different surface finishes too; gloss can be a bit slippery for certain filter and weathering techniques for example. 

 

Basically this is all by way of saying that it's normal to use clear varnish layers for utility, and that can be independent of the final finish that you want on the model.

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And now you lost me again 😶 I mean, ok I get that with multiple layers of coating, just, I'm confused what type of coating goes over what base coat... eg. if I go enamel wash on acrilyc paint, what type of lacqer I want to use, and vice versa if I use enamel paint what type of lacqer to use with it?

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Sorry just muddying the waters! There are many paint types (the most common relevant ones to modelling would be water based acrylics, alcohol based acrylics (Tamiya XF), enamels, oils, lacquers). There are general rules for interactions but it's not always clear cut; you might find a reaction where it isn't expected (even with different paint colours in the same line), and you might get away with painting incompatible types over each other provided they are dried and cured sufficiently. Whether or not you use an airbrush or hairy stick will also affect what you can get away with. The best way to find out is to try for yourself on a mule or at least ask about the specific interaction you are interested in.

But yes, acrylic vs. oil/enamel don't generally interact and can be layered; An example for a Tamiya user like yourself might be to paint XF, paint a layer of X22 on top, apply decals, possibly another x22 layer or maybe straight to an an enamel wash (say tamiya panel liner) or oil wash, a sealing layer of acrylic clear depending on what you want next; perhaps x-35 and then some more oil weathering, then you might add a top coat of matte xf86 or something. That's just an example, you may use more or fewer layers depending upon the paint, and what you want to achieve. A satin/gloss lacquer like MRP or mr color, you might find you can wash, decal straight over the base paint layer.

lacquers are similarly unaffected my oils; and you also might use water-based acrylic wash over those. Similarly you probably want to use an acrylic wash over enamel, or seal the enamel with an acrylic layer if you want to use an enamel wash. Again, I would test the interaction.

 

I'm slightly loath to put in general rules because as I say there are many exceptions. But roughly:

 

on top of:
-water acrylics - can use oil, enamel.

-alcohol acrylics- can use oil enamel, sometimes water acrylics with much care.

-enamel - can use water acrylic.

-lacquer - can use water acrylic, enamel, oil.

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And once again.... Ngantek aka Bob the Builder saves the day!!!! 😉 Now all my doubts are clear (or atleast I would love to think that way 😅).... Tnx again Obi Wan 😁

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