Help! Wash crisis

You need to seal the paint with a clear coat such as Testors DullCote. This will protect the underlying paint and seal it.

And use Turpenoid to thin the oils. It won't affect the paint.

You cannot apply an oil wash over enamels The thinner in the oil paint will dissolve the enamel in a heartbeat. But I guess you already discovered that.

You must overspray the painted model with either acrylic or lacquer clear coat prior to the application of a wash. A gloss clear coat seems to work best for me. After you are satisfied with the wash, another clear coat of gloss or flat to seal and blend the finished wash with the underlying paint should finish off the project.

One advantage to using lacquer seal coat is if you don't like the way the wash is going you can use mineral spirits to remove the wash without harming the underlying paint.

Hope this is of some help.

Norm

Grumtine, though popular in the "paintin' on canvas" world, is pretty much useless in model building, in my opinion. It is way too strong and harsh (and stinky, and gummy, and overpriced, etc). The best thinner to use for oil paints, is plain old mineral spirits. The cheaper...the better. Get the type you find at WalMart for 99 cents a gallon; the one where the label says "Paint Thinner". I am serious. This is perfect. This will thin the oils with no problem, but won't affect the underlying paint. You can even use it over an enamel undercoat, with no problem. Just make sure the undercoat has set for a few days. And don't just "slop" the wash on the model. Apply it as a controlled wash. That way you run less chance of damaging the underlying colors.

wally's laquer thinner is overpriced...get that at a discount hardware store for 2 bucks a gallon cheaper.

Wait a minute! it's 99¢ at WallyWorld, $2.00 a gallon cheaper would mean that they pay YOU a buck to take it. Where IS this place, I can use about a hundred gallons! 8-D

-- John The history of things that didn't happen has never been written. . - - - Henry Kissinger

a gallon of LAQUER THINNER is not 99 cents at wallyworld.

That is impossible, in our current economy...lol.

I just bought a gallon for 99 cents.

(But I was referring to mineral_spirits/enamel_thinner,

i kind of suspected. my comment was meant as an aid for those wishing the best deal on laquer thinner. wallys paint thinner for 99 cents is unbeatable unless you buy 5 gallons.