panel lines

you can do a dark acrylic sluge wash over the gloss on the panel lines.Brush on let dry , and gently wipe away.It will highlight the panel lines.Water a few drops of dish washing gel,the dark color.

Without any thinner.

as i am kinda a newb (but have some skills) please describe a neat wash.

Useing the opposite is only really impiortant when you have an enamel base as the thinner is very harsh, you can used water based wash on Acrylic base, but i often se the same issue. I have had thise problem on occasion when applying to future, i have found it hit and miss even when useing the same brand of wash. I take it you have tried useing the wash neat.

I know your supposed to use the opposite of the gloss coat so ive been useing enamel

Ok, well that answers one question. The second is the wash, you said its testors. Is that acrylic or enamel.

Ive used future as the gloss coat so any suggestions would be welcomed

Thinning won't help, in fact a pin wash is generally thicker than an over all wash. What ever surface you putting it on is repulsing your wash, and the thinner will just make it worse.

ive been trying the pin wash but still wont flow. if i thin my stuff anymore it willl just be thinner at this point lol.

I am not familiar with testors wash, so forgive me. If's it acrylic, try adding a small drop of washing up liquid. It helps break the surface tension. I never have this problem with enamel washes, but flory wash can bead depending on what surface it is on. Its ok with Future, but not alclad or xtracolour enamel paint.

Try a pin wash. Use a fine brush loaded with the wash and touch the panel line. The wash should flow into the panel line.

Ive been trying the testers wash fx ive tried both acrylic and enamel yes it beads but no matter how much i thin it it wont flow.

What are you useing for the wash, is the wash forming into beads.

Ok i got the gloss coat down and it looks good but im so frustrated trying to do my panel lines im ready to throw the eagle out the window. I just cant get it to flow along the lines ive done alot of reading watched alot of videos i just dont know what im doing wrong.

Ok

Silver

But;At contest.I leave everyone in the dust when using these products.

 

Cough, cough...

otay.

First of all you will need a gloss or semi-gloss coat for any kind of wash."Future" is not the best.Try Alclad gloss ,Testors gloss,or non- spar varnish gloss.These products are stronger.These products have the related flat final applications also.Future and some decal setting solutions do not get along.This is my opinion.But;At contest.I leave everyone in the dust when using these products.

plasticjunkie

Unless Testors has re done their clear flat/gloss lacquer formula, it will yellow over time specially over white paint. I have been using Future for well over 20 years too and have NEVER had an issue using it. One of the last older builds I had being close to 30 years old was sealed in Future and was recently sold on Ebay. The US Navy high visibilty scheme including the white areas did not yellow and the paint looked like the first day I prayed it on. On the other hand, I had Testors clear gloss lacquer yellow only after about 5-7 years. 

Some modelers have a bad experience with a product or hear of one and automatically condemm its use. I have a friend who used Alclad for the first time and had an awful experience with the black primer. We have heard horror stories about that because the first black primer badges were bad and some even sprayed really bad.

Now he refuses to use Alclad and even gave me a couple of the bottles he had. And as for me, I love how Alclad sprays and the metallic tone it puts down. 

Tojo

I also use Flory but I use it over a Future gloss coat which makes it easy to wipe off once it's dry. I have noticed that if used over a flat coat, it makes it a lot harder to wipe off and will darken the finish a bit, acting like a filter. 

 

Thats what i like about flory. For a nice grubby look, i do it over a flat finish, for a cleaner result, over flat.

Hi Christopher ;

   I have read all of this thread and I am somewhat taken aback . I have used Testors products for years and I've not had yellowing problems

  Now as to Future , I have NEVER had good luck with it ! . I will use Testor's Boyd's Clearcoat thinned and brush applied for decaling then Testors flatcoat Acrylic that's it !

     By the way , Although I don't paint with Acrylics for regular jobs , if you must use Future It can be removed with Ammonia  thinned with distilled water, and it stinks and CAN remove the basecoats ! So beware !  T.B.

plasticjunkie

Sheep

I told him that exactly. I use Testors gloss black enamel and I get excellent results. He got so upset that he will not use Alclad at all.

 

Wow... not even a second chance at it? Such a shame.

Bish

I was useing the Micro vanishes for years. But i did ofen have problems especially with the flat. When i moved to spraying out in the shed, i then started to experiance some real issues especially in winter. If i sprayed in the evening, parts of the dried finish would have crystlised. I used to thin mine with distille water no problem.

Now i have switched to Alclad, i mush prefer that.

 

I used the Alclad Flat for the 1st time,that is the deadest flat that I have used,very effective.

I was useing the Micro vanishes for years. But i did ofen have problems especially with the flat. When i moved to spraying out in the shed, i then started to experiance some real issues especially in winter. If i sprayed in the evening, parts of the dried finish would have crystlised. I used to thin mine with distille water no problem.

Now i have switched to Alclad, i mush prefer that.

PJ, I wish I could recall what I used. I am pretty sure that they are water based, and are supposed to be thinned with distilled water- especially the Micro Flat, IIRC. But like I said, it was 20 years ago, and one shot deal looking for a replacement for Testors rattle cans. And due to the results without a test mule, I pitched the stuff. I think that was when I switched to future for my Gloss coat and began my continuing hunt for the ultimate flat coat. I have found a few that I really liked. And none of them yellow with age... unlike the Testors rattle cans.

stik

I still have Micro flat and gloss that I've in the back of the drawer for eons. I tried thinning it with water and it turned into gunk. Rubbing alcohol thinned it without a problem. I thought they were water based unless mine are so old and they had a different recipe back then.?

Sheep

I told him that exactly. I use Testors gloss black enamel and I get excellent results. He got so upset that he will not use Alclad at all.

PJ, I had a bad experience with Micro Flat when I used that product. The Micro Gloss went on like a dream, but the Micro Flat... Yikes. very bad results! I nearly had to pitch the build because it was after decalling and no second chances for what I wanted. Dont recall anymore what I did to salvage it as this was about 20 years ago now and the time I was getting away from Testors rattlecans, but I was not happy. I got rid of that stuff (Micro Flat) immediately. Lets just say a test mule is a wise idea with that stuff before you use it on a project that matters.

Use Future.

Wash with oil paints thinned in pseudo turpentine. It's a petroleum based product called Turpenoid and has no smell.

What this gets you, and esp. if you are learning to weather, is that if you don't like the results you can mostly correct them with some wiping.

At the end I flat coat everything.

PJ - I'm assuming your friend had used Alclad's black primer is the reason why he won't use Alclad product. There have been numerous complaints of Alclad's own black primer. If he had use straight up gloss paint, I think his feelings would have made a complete turn around.

Tojo72

For me and aircraft panel lines,the go to combination has been Future and Flory Panel Wash,great stuff,organic,and easy to use.Usually the Future isn't my final coat,mostly I cover it up with a flat coat.

 

I have to agree with Tojo and PJ here; Flory washes and Future work well for me.  I've found that Future sprays really well when thinned with a bit of Windex.  Man, it looks like glass.  There's never a problem with decaling.  I gave up Testors Glosscote lacquer years ago, mostly due to the lacquer smell but also to not worry about that hot lacquer damaging paint.  That did happen on my Monogram Harrier (still never photographed either...). I've seen no evidence of yellowing of Future at all either.  Generally, I use Model Master clear flat acrylic for the final flat coat.

I tried several different washes, but I've not looked back after switching to Flory.  One note of caution regarding them however:  DO NOT contaminate those Flory mixes with anything solvent-based.  I even keep separate stirring sticks and cups for their use.  Cross-contamination with solvents will ruin the washes. 

Gary