I have a wash question

Tatooine_Todd

Sr Member
To get this clear in my head I need some advice. I sprayed my Maschinen Kreiger "Snake Eyes" in a Model Master Laquer gloss over-coat and next step is a wash.

My question to un-confuse myself, is Tamiya thinner a "laquer thinner" and the wrong thinner to use on the wash? If so, then I plan to use the testor's brush cleaner, thinner and enamel paint for the wash colors.

Please help clear my "wash" fog.
 
Tamiya makes two kinds of paints, enamel and acrylic. Most hobby stores stock the acrylic paint. So using either would be ok.
 
Tamiya's X-20A thinner is acrylic. They also make a lacquer thinner which at least in the states is called "lacquer thinner". I wouldn't really recommend using airbrush thinner for washes since it tends to be hotter stuff than a brush cleaner. Enamel thinner works okay for enamel washes over acrylic and some lacquer based paints (although one might have to be careful as I think an enamel clear coat can cause some issues with lacquer base paint, but I am not entirely sure on that).

If you do an acrylic wash, it is best to just use water as a thinning agent, but add a small drop of soap to it (can be hand soap or dish soap and it just has to be a very tiny drop) to break the surface tension of the water. Otherwise the droplets will bead up on a painted model surface like rain drops on a freshly waxed car. With the soap droplet, the wash will flow into the recesses rather nicely.
 
If you do an acrylic wash, it is best to just use water as a thinning agent, but add a small drop of soap to it (can be hand soap or dish soap and it just has to be a very tiny drop) to break the surface tension of the water. Otherwise the droplets will bead up on a painted model surface like rain drops on a freshly waxed car. With the soap droplet, the wash will flow into the recesses rather nicely.

Nice tip! I'm bookmarking that in my brain for later use. :)
 
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