[soapbox]Help with washing

i've never tried acrylic washes before jaysun, but here is my process for an oil wash. when i get the paint on the subject like i want it, and it cures thouroughly, i apply a couple of coats of thinned Future(found on most cleaning isles), which does 2 things, acts as a barrier between the paint job and the harsh mineral spirits and artist's oils wash, and it enhances the wash's ability to flow around the base of small details and run the creases of tiny recessed panel lines efficiently. when the future dries over night, i have a 6 bowl plastic pallete that i use for mixing up my wash. i fill one of the small containers with mineral spirits, then extract a drop of black and a drop of white pigment. i mix a dark grey concoction that is very thin and load my brush (a #3 testors detail brush most of the time), and touch it to the panel lines and at the base of details and capillary action does the rest. then, i let it sit for about 45 minutes to an hour and go back and remove the excess with a scrap of dry T-shirt material. on stubborn areas, i dip the scrap of T-shirt in some mineral spirits and carefully remove the stubborn spots. what ever type of paint you pick, whether it be acrylic or enamel base, i'd apply the coat of future first, its mandatory in my opinion. later.

I agree with my esteemed friend Chris there... Future, or at the least a gloss coat is mandatory to be able to get off the excess without leaving residue...

the same way he uses his oils would be acceptable for acrylics... except for the acrylics I would put a tiny bit of dishwashing detergent in the water before you dilute the paint you are washing with... it breaks the surface tension to help it run into the fine lines and crevices you want to accentuate, as well as reducing the adhesion of the paint to make it easier to clean up from where it shouldn't be...

after it's all done let it dry at least 24 to 48 hours and coat it with Future or gloss again to seal it in.... Walaaa! you are done!

Future is a lot cheaper... at the supermarket it's about 4.50 for a 27 ounce bottle which lasts forever! look for it in the floor polish... also check out Swanny's page: http://www.swannysmodels.com/TheCompleteFuture.html tells ya all about how you can use the stuff! It's one of my top modeling tools now!

In addition to "The Complete Future" you may find this article on washes and weathering useful ... http://www.swannysmodels.com/Weathering.html

Thanks everyone for your help. I'm off to the supermarket. The future is in the bag.