how to wash

Forget acrylics for washes. You'd better use oil paints for washes. There are lots of posts about washes in this forum.

Nonsense - acrylics can be used, quite successfully, as washes. Both acrylics and oils make fine washes and filters.

Well, I think Chrisk was getting at using Tamiya Acrylics for a wash. I've tried that and they are horrible for washes. Use tube acrylics or tube oil paints- the good quality ones for prof. artists. Mix with thinner-(turpentine for oils, Water for acrylic) until the wash is very runny. Tap the brush against your container the wash is mixed in, and the paint should run down the sides right away, leaving a very thin, transparent streak. Thats my own personal indicator for thinning ratios.

By the way, pre-mixed acrylic or oil washes are a great option too.

Dodger57

Nonsense - acrylics can be used, quite successfully, as washes. Both acrylics and oils make fine washes and filters.

I don't know why you replied to my post aggressively. Let's be civil.  

Water colors, enamels and pigments can be used as washes. There are many reasons why oil paints are widely used as washes and the OP isn't familiar with washes.  For someone like him, oil is the easiest. I'd say, among the modelers featured in FSM over the past two years, almost 100% used oils as washes. 

There are two types of wash.  The first is for a restricted area, the second is a general surface wash over a large area.  In either case washes need a high thinner to pigment ratio.  The first type is harder to apply.  You need an extremely small pointed brush, or else multiple applications by dipping pin point or small wire into wash and doing it a tiny drop at a time.

I personally use enamels as that is the type of paint and thinner I use, but I have friends who use acrylics, and their washes are nice also.  You need to put them over paint that is completely dry.

If you are doing aircraft,I like to use Flory Washes,Google them,they are available from Spruebrothers and are really great for panel lines,here is their link   www.florymodels.co.uk/washes

for armor,cockpits,wheel wells,I use Modelmaster Enamel Burnt Umber 90-10 ratio

Important :whatever you wash with,make sure it is opposite your basecoat.If you paint Acryics,then use enamel or oils,and the opposite applies

that's very interesting, I was always under the impression enamel over acrylic might cause it to peel.,thanks for the tip

why is it best to use the opposite paint type for wash? I use acrylic washes on acrylic paint, mostly because I dont want to spend money on a bunch of enamel paints.

Well,when you make a wash,it's ratio is usually 90-10 thinner to paint,the thinner can affect the basecoat if it is the same type of paint.much like dumping enamel wash on enamel paint,as you work it around,it will affect the enamel basecoat.

That being said,I'm not sure if acrylic wash would affect a basecoat sealed with Future

Check out Youtube also, I have found great stuff there.  Search for scale models & washes, and you should get some good results.

As Don said, it depends if you are going for a pin wash, for very specific areas, often recessed panel lines and the like.  A lot of tutorials use oil paints diluted in mineral spirits, but others have said, other paints will work also.  A sludge wash is typically spread out over a large area, and then excess wiped off, leaving some wash in recessed lines and around raised detail.

Personally, I have never had great luck making my own sludge washes.  For sludge washing I have used Flory washes, but they are not cheap (at least for a tight-wad like me).  I have to be very careful with Flory washes though.  If I get it in to tight spots, I cannot get them washed off well, and I have had a terrible time in areas that were a little too rough or porous, as I could never get them clean.  That said, I am working on a Bearcat that I painted dark blue, and the only thing that I could get to work at all was a Flory wash (probably more a comment on my skill level then any particular technique).

Do some searches here in Techniques and on youtube, there is some really great stuff around.

Experiment, and good luck!

ok so the best thing to do is to apply a flat or gloss coat to model before washing panel lines. i have a flat grey on a f-15 which i still have to reapply another coat of paint to finish it.

Sorry for the late response here - didn't subscribe to this post...

Chrisk-k - Nothing aggressive about my post at all. Unless you are offended by the word "nonsense" - if so I do apologize.