Whats a good wash mix ratio?

[VaderDave]

Need to dirty up some painted parts as they look too new.


Whats a good mix ration of paint to thinner? 1 Part paint - 1 Part Thinner? 2:1, 3:1?

Thanx for any help.

 

[PredatrHuntr]

I use 1 part paint and mix in two to three parts water....if using black I may use even more water than that

 

[Skullsplitter]

Personally, I'd stain most of the parts, whipe off the highlight/edges, then wash some parts by adding drops of paint, not ratio's, to a small glass of water with some soap added to let it flow better. Then repeat as many washes as needed.

 

[VaderDave]

Kewl! Thanx guys!

 

[Skullsplitter]

water gives it a more irragular covering, while a thinner will be more evenly. Depends on what you ultimately want.

 

[ptgreek]

also really depends on what kind of paint you are using. And what exact "dirty" effect you are going for

 

[Darth Pinhead]

And don't forget, LAYERS! A single wash is cool, but dirtying it up in layers will create a more "real" effect, IMHO...

 

[Skullsplitter]

Yep. In the end, it all comes down to practice, practice, practice...

 

[Darth Pinhead]

I thought of a couple other things. Allowing the wash to dry to various different points, prior to blotting with paper towels, will also change the level of the wash. So, lets say you wash a section. Wait a little bit, then just blot some of it, in random places. Wait longer, blot some more random places. Again, you can (should?) always go back and add another layer or layers. The key to the "natural" look is to NOT create patterns. Always random. Personally, I find it easiest to plug into my MP3 player and actually not pay attention, while paying attention (OK, that makes sense in my head; hopefully yours, as well), and constantly squinting to get a better feel of the overall look. Make sense?

 

[VaderDave]

Yeah it does actually. Thanx for all the help guys! Gonna try some of this soon!