Oils

If they are standard oils (regular linseed oil based), they can be thinned with turpintine, turpinoid (less agressive), and some generic paint "thinners" including mineral spirits. If they are the new line of oils with a water-soluble oil, then water will thin them.

In either case, I would coat your model with Future first and let it cure. This will seal your paint job, improve the way the wash flows, and allow for easier removal in case of errors. Once the wash is on the model the way you want, allow it to dry completely seal it with Dull Coat, and press on.

What else are they good for? Oils are great for figure painting because of the way they can be blended. Many award-winning figure modelers swear by using oils.

Hope this helps...

Also great for drybrushing; as they take longer to dry, you have more control over the blending.

I use Grumbacher oils, which are thinned with mineral spirits

I use Grumbacher oils thinned with odorless Mineral Spirits, which I bought at my local hardware store.

Glenn

Thanks for the input guys, but what is a good thinning ratio?, And do I just usr spirits to clean up. Last question :) should I use separate brushes for them? Thanks and have a good turkey day!

I knew you'd ask that...

I don't use oils for washes, so I can only give you an idea based on the MM enamels that I use.

I'll fill up a standard MM bottle about 3/4 full of thinner. Then I'll dip a small paint brush into whatever color I'm using (usually black, dark brown, or burnt umber) and then clean the brush off in the bottle. I'll usaully do that 3 times. So your talking maybe 97% thinner to 3% (just a wild guess).

The point is, until you've practiced and know exactly what you are looking for, an extremely light wash is better than a heavy one because you can always add more.

Someone who uses oils for washes will have some better advice...

You thin and clean up with the mineral spirits. I'm very new to this method and still learning myself but the advice that I've seen is to add a very small amount of paint to the spirits, just enough to basically make the spirits dirty. You can then adjust the ratios to your liking by adding a little more at a time until you achieve the look your going for. Hopes this helps, Pete

Last question,
Can you airbrush oils?

By the time they are diluted to the right consistency, I'm sure you'd have little pigments left... Oils are no good to cover a surface with a uniform, even layer of paint. They are too transluscent for that. Oils are normally used over base coats of enamels or acrylics (the latter being better to avoid problems!), and give effects of shadowing and highlighting.

I've used oil a few times and go along with all the advise already given. I would just add that it takes a long time to dry (the more paint the longer it takes). Overnight is the minimum you have to wait - even if it looks dry 3-4 hours later. I've waited up to 2-3 days for oil paint to be sufficiently dry before working on the model again.

do you wait overnight before wiping the excess oils off, leaving only the oils in the panel lines? I have always done it within minutes but maybe I am doing it wrong?

I don't. I remove the excess and blend straight away.