Executioner Posted October 16, 2003 Share Posted October 16, 2003 i was wondering what i should use to thin my paints while using reaper pro paints, plus what ratio to mix them at. also, is it good practice to pre-thin my paints in a separate bottle or something like that... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coogle Posted October 16, 2003 Share Posted October 16, 2003 I used about 10ml of both Flow Improver and Retarder in all my bottles to thin them, it helped a heap and I can tell the difference with my new ones. Mixing in the bottle is fine if you do set ratio's from when they are new. This is for general use. However if you need to thin even more, say for a wash then use tiny amounts with tiny amounts of water on your palate, but make enough for the job you are doing. If you think you are going to make a special mix which you want to use later, make more of it in a seperate bottle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enchantra Posted October 16, 2003 Share Posted October 16, 2003 When I thin my paints, I thin them on my pallete. I will put a drop or two of paint on my pallete, and then a drop of extender. I then mix it together. If it is still to thick for what I want I repeat the process till it is as thin as I desire. Sometimes depending on the consistency desired I may also add a drop of acrylic Diluent. A few things to note: -Paint with a lot of extender in it dries very slowly. I did a wash that was mostly extender, very little water, and 20 hours later the paint had only dried to the point where it was tacky to the touch. -Using a lot of water to thin your paint might cause the paints to get grainy. Watch for it. -Different brands of paint may react differently to extender. Always good to test things first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flit Posted October 16, 2003 Share Posted October 16, 2003 I usually use "Magic wash" (about 1 part Future to 3 parts water) to thin my paints. It works great on most acrylics. I find that just plain water works best with Vallejo, as the Magic wash can cause it to "lift" somewhat. For a long time I used just water to thin my paints with no graininess problems, but I have always used paints made for miniatures. I understand that graininess can be a problem with the cheaper craft paints. I have just started experimenting with extender, so I may decide that I like that best. Experiment and see what works for you. I do all my thining and mixing on my palette so I don't mess up my "good paint" in the bottles. As for ratio of thinner to paint- it depends. I like to keep my layers nice and thin. I usually start with about 50/50 paint to thinner. For washes and inks, I sometimes go alot thinner, about 25/75 paint to thinner. I try to keep the paint thin enough to get the look I want but thick enough to control. As always, experiment, practice, and find what works best for you. Hope that helps some. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coogle Posted October 16, 2003 Share Posted October 16, 2003 I just found a little light conditioning like I described meant I could use more of the paints straight out of the bottle, made them a little more versatile, but then again I don't have access to Future so need to make other arrangements, if you have future then by all means use it. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TKD Posted October 16, 2003 Share Posted October 16, 2003 I have been adding "947 Extender" by Plaid to my paints (both Reaper Pro Paints and craft paints). I cannot give a ratio, because I added it to each bottle of paint slowly until I got a consistancy I liked. This is coming from someone who paints straight out of the bottle and only mixes additional liquid (water or magic wash) for washes, though. But I get good results so I cannot be completely crazy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enchantra Posted October 16, 2003 Share Posted October 16, 2003 This is coming from someone who paints straight out of the bottle and only mixes additional liquid (water or magic wash) for washes, though. But I get good results so I cannot be completely crazy. I don't think any of us consider you crazy TKD. :D What people do to their paints is a persoanl preference thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkh Posted October 16, 2003 Share Posted October 16, 2003 Thinning...the bane of painters. Seems everyone has their own tastes for this one. Here is how I do it. I have recently started using Slo-Dri by Liquitex and Windsor&Newton Flow Improver (Thanks to all on the board for this one), mixed in distilled water. So here goes. Ratios are Paint:Water. Basecoat- Vallejo Paints Model Color 1:2-3 (certain colors are more opaque than others) Vallejo Game Color 1:1-2 (These seem to be thinner than the model color) Citadel 1-.5-1 (good transparent paints) Reaper 1-.5-1 (ditto) Ral-Partha 1-.5-1(ditto) Washes- Vallejo Model Color 1:15-20 Vallejo Game Color 1:10-15 Citadel 1:5-10 Reaper 1:5-10 Ral-Partha 1:5-10 Highlighting/Shading Consistency Vallejo Model Color 1:5-10 Vallejo Game Color 1:3-5 Citadel 1:3-5 Reaper 1:3-5 Ral-Partha 1:3-5 Now on the latter one I am assuming layering as that is what I am trying to do. With that in mind the ratios I posted are fairly accurate depending on how many layers you want to use to build up your colors. The beginning number is going to give you a fairly light coat in your layers and of course the more thinning agent you add the thinner still your layers will be requiring more layers to build up your intended color. I use a dropper bottle to dispense my thinning agent so I feel pretty accurate on my ratios but as always "your results may vary" as everyone has their own likes for how thin they like their paints. I will say this if you are doing small straps/bowstrings/wood grain it is in my opinion that you will want to be in between the basecoat consistency and the layering one as there will not be as much area to apply your layers. Metallics: I use a slightly thicker paint here as if you dillute too much you will force the metal flakes out of suspension, so I will actually use more color transitions(mixes) between my shade and highlight as there would be a noticeable transition if too drastic of a tone change was used. Inks: I have recently started using these again, I really take these things down. I would say 1:20-30 is what I use. I also use a very small amount of white glue with my mix as it really does improve its ability to seep into all the nooks and crannies. It also improves the drying time of the inks and leaves a semi-matte finish. Now that I have thoroughly bored you all, sorry for taking so much of your time, but I hope that some of this may be usefult to you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enchantra Posted October 16, 2003 Share Posted October 16, 2003 Inks: I have recently started using these again, I really take these things down. I would say 1:20-30 is what I use. I also use a very small amount of white glue with my mix as it really does improve its ability to seep into all the nooks and crannies. It also improves the drying time of the inks and leaves a semi-matte finish. I have never heard of using white glue in paints. What else can you tell me about it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whizard Hlavaz Posted October 16, 2003 Share Posted October 16, 2003 Nice post, Mediocrity. I bet a lot of folks will find that handy. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkh Posted October 16, 2003 Share Posted October 16, 2003 Thanks Hlavaz, can't believe two people actually read the whole thing...lol. Why white glue? I heard about this one I would guess around a year or two ago. I cannot tell you exactly what it does in technical terms but here is what I have found and believe. The glue breaks up the surface tension as well as say soap or any other additive, with the glue however I have found that it gives me a consistent coverage for things like weapon blades on metal paints. I have yet to ever get splotchy areas and as I mentioned it reduces the drying time of the inks so I can be pretty confident that after 5-10 minutes I can go back with a second staining with it, without drawing out my previous layer from any crevices. I need to make a correction however, do not mix this with your paint thinning solution. Use straight water for this as I have found that Slo-Dri curdles the glue. I have not used this over anything other than metallics, as I do attempt to layer out from my base/shade color and rarely do I apply a wash in this regard. The white glue can also be used as a sealant as well, as it does tend to dry a bit matte. I do a two step sealing of my minis, I will either use the glue/water as my base sealant or Folk Arts Glass and tile medium then my final sealant is the brush on Testors Dull Coat. My reasoning? Humidity kills me every now and then, giving me nice grey minis when I use any type spray. So I have experimented with alternatives and came up with this as a means. Plus it gives me the benefit of using different type sealants depending on what part of the mini I am sealing (gloss or matte). Oops being long winded again, sorry about that. Try these on a scrap mini if you are going to try it, as I would hate for something not to work right and ruin anyones work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enchantra Posted October 16, 2003 Share Posted October 16, 2003 Try these on a scrap mini if you are going to try it, as I would hate for something not to work right and ruin anyones work. This is one of those YMMV items. Interesting though how you have been able to get the glue to work. I should eventually give it a try. Thanks for the tip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coogle Posted October 17, 2003 Share Posted October 17, 2003 Definately a cool post or two and really usefull. :laugh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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