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Lesson One. the basic wash Part 1

Lesson Three The basic wash part 3

Question on the metal Bob. You mentioned that the polished steel was buffed. How did you go about this?

It's easy! You use the Humbrol 270003 Polished Steel and paint the part. In this case the metal parts of the tools. The only thing you have to watch are the brush strokes. Get the pigments from the bottom of the tin and thin them sufficiently with the rectified turpentine. I never use the clear carriers that are on top when you open the tin. Always get the pigments that have fallen to the bottom of the tin with a small screw driver or some such tool and then with the rectified turpentine. Just as with the oils, the turps make the paint flow smoother. The mixture should be thinner than if you had mixed the pigments with the clear carriers that come in the tin. I have tried that and it is very difficult to avoid the brush strokes which show up after buffing. Here is a photo of what it should look like after drying.

tools01.jpg


Then you can buff it as soon as it turns flat, usually within minutes, I use a clean t-shirt, place your finger in a smooth area and gently rub the metal parts. You can also use Q-tips for areas difficult to reach with your finger. See below.

lite04.jpg


I have been using this paint for maybe 25 years and the sheen lasts forever or at least so far. Nothing else needs to be done. If you put any kind of clear coat on it, the effect is lost.

As you notice, I only painted some areas on the blade of the shovel. Later, I will use some rust and the base coat to make it look weathered.

Bob
 
Lesson Three The basic wash part 3

Get the pigments from the bottom of the tin and thin them sufficiently with the rectified turpentine. I never use the clear carriers that are on top when you open the tin. Always get the pigments that have fallen to the bottom of the tin with a small screw driver or some such tool and then with the rectified turpentine.

Oh my! That is the same technique I have used, with much cheaper Pactra paints, for many years! I don't recall exactly where I learned it from but it has stayed with me since. If anyone remembers the thick, gooey, amber tinted clear carrier in Pactra paints, you know why the technique was necessary.

Regards,
 
Lesson Three The basic wash part 3

Get the pigments from the bottom of the tin and thin them sufficiently with the rectified turpentine. I never use the clear carriers that are on top when you open the tin. Always get the pigments that have fallen to the bottom of the tin with a small screw driver or some such tool and then with the rectified turpentine.

Oh my! That is the same technique I have used, with much cheaper Pactra paints, for many years! I don't recall exactly where I learned it from but it has stayed with me since. If anyone remembers the thick, gooey, amber tinted clear carrier in Pactra paints, you know why the technique was necessary.

Regards,

Saul, Pactra was the only other paint brand that I was able to use for dry brushing. Humbrol is better, but Pactra had some really nice colors. A pity they are long gone!

Bob
 
Lesson Three The basic wash part 3

Could you pour off the carrier in the tin and leave the pigment?
 
Lesson Three The basic wash part 3

Could you pour off the carrier in the tin and leave the pigment?

I used to pour off most but left a thin layer. Plus, I stored it upside down. This was for ALL metallics. Just remember that I used Pactra in their clear knobby plastic bottles whereas Bob Letterman is writing about Humbrol tins. About the only Humbrol tin I still have is their track colour (yes, I used their spelling intentionally). Other tins (probably made by Humbrol) which I still have are the XtraColor series.

Regards,
 
Lesson Three The basic wash part 3

Could you pour off the carrier in the tin and leave the pigment?

If you do, it will dry up. Humbrol paints are prone to drying anyway if the cap isn't fully pushed all the way back in. Once dry, it becomes flaky and powdery even after you mix it with the turps. Saul is talking about Pactra which came in a screw cap bottle.

On and off, over the years, i have tried mixing the pigments from a tin with rectified turpentine in a screw cap bottle. Didn't work. The rectified turpentine evaporates much quicker then the oily liquid that rises to the top of the tin. Again, the same problem. It dries out.

I am so used to getting the pigment from the bottom of the tin I can do it in my sleep. I always have used a pallet, and never use any paint directly from the bottle or tin. When you use a pallet, you control the paint. When you use paint directly from the bottle, the paint controls you.

Bob
 
The Basic Wash sets Parts 1, 2 and 3

These are all three of the parts for basic washing of Olive Drab vehicles.

Bob
 
Re: The Basic Wash sets Parts 1, 2 and 3

Bob,
Thanks for all the work and photo's. This is very informative and also entertaining.
Thanks again.
Cheers
John
 
Re: The Basic Wash sets Parts 1, 2 and 3

Bob,
Thanks for all the work and photo's. This is very informative and also entertaining.
Thanks again.
Cheers
John

Hey John,

I'm havin' fun doing it! :cheer: :cheer: :cheer:

Getting ready to post lesson 7.

Bob
 
Re: The Basic Wash sets Parts 1, 2 and 3

Hey Bob,

Thanks for these lessons, still in the process of reading and learning but going to try it for my self soon! As mentioned before in this post, it's very good to see how every step in the proces is covered.

Thanks for the all the hard work my friend!

Erik
 
Re: The Basic Wash sets Parts 1, 2 and 3

Hey Erik, Glad to have you back posting my friend. You've been away too long! (y) (y) (y) (y) (y)

Bob
 
Re: The Basic Wash sets Parts 1, 2 and 3

Hey Bob,

Did my first wash the LETTERMAN WAY on my Churchill Mk.III (y)

https://www.modelersalliance.com/forum/ground-power/116065-dragunovs-churchill-mkiii-early-post-rework?limit=8&start=8#116598

The oil paint isn't dry yet, but with only the wash, it looks even better than any of my previous weathering jobs, it's not perfect but ok for a first time. Weathering is always my weak point in modelling.

Now the big wait..........watching the paint dry :D

Then on to the next stage!

Thanks for the lesson bob!!
 
Re: The Basic Wash sets Parts 1, 2 and 3

Bob

Great weathering class. :notworthy (y) How bad is the smell on the rectified turpentine? I ask because I do model in my truck
I drive. Back in 2004,I spilled a bottle of Testor's liquid glue. The fumes got bad after I cleaned the glue up,I had to leave the windows open
for quite some time,and get out of the truck.

Also,is that stuff safe for acrylics?
 
Re: The Basic Wash sets Parts 1, 2 and 3

Bob

Great weathering class. :notworthy (y) How bad is the smell on the rectified turpentine? I ask because I do model in my truck
I drive. Back in 2004,I spilled a bottle of Testor's liquid glue. The fumes got bad after I cleaned the glue up,I had to leave the windows open
for quite some time,and get out of the truck.

Also,is that stuff safe for acrylics?

Thanks Zod,

It does have an odor, not as bad as regular turpentine, but in a truck, whoa, It would be strong.

I have used it many times on acrylics, in fact, if you use enamels, I let mine harden for a couple of months at least. Others give the model a coat or two of flat clear varnish before applying it. I have never used that method, so I can't say. It can be applied within a couple of days over acrylics providing the coat of acrylic is relatively thick. Rectified turpentine can be aggressive and it is important to apply quickly and remove quickly in any case.

I hope this answers your question.

BTW, when I ran VLS, it always amazed me how many over the road truckers we had as customers. Sometimes there would be as many as three semis in the street out front!

Bob
 
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