Are GW technical paints meant to be thinned?

[Axineton]

Just wondering, I have the red and blue soulstone paints but not sure if I should thin them or not.

[Wakkomaster]

Hello there Fr33Dom,

I'm using those same paints for a number of things, including lenses and optics on my space marines, and from my experience they're to be used straight out of the pot. They're quite thick and... viscous? Yep, viscous... but that's because you don't have to brush it, but slap it genereously on the surface and let it dry. Basically the more you use on one spot the darker the colour will get, this way you can paint gemstones and lenses with the usual cool lighting effects. In doubt check YouTube, I'm sure there's a tutorial on the GW channel.

 

If you thin those paints they'll lose their special property to stick to surface in large amounts and they'll work more or less like fancy glazes.

 

On a side note, I tried using them on non metallic/matte bases but the result wasn't great I'm afraid. I believe that you could use the green one on a white base for some "ectoplasmic" effect, but I know there are other newer technical paints just for that.

 

Hope this helps!

[Axineton]

Cheers mate for the info, I’ve been usin them straight out of the pots too glad I’m not the only one lol

[Trokair]

Straight out of the pot is fine as others have said.

 

I sometimes thin them a little if I need to patch up inconsistency after the first layer has dried. By thinning the paint it does not behave the way it was designed, so you won’t get the effect, but it is more controllable and wont darken as much as un-thinned area.

[Wakkomaster]

Straight out of the pot is fine as others have said.

 

I sometimes thin them a little if I need to patch up inconsistency after the first layer has dried. By thinning the paint it does not behave the way it was designed, so you won’t get the effect, but it is more controllable and wont darken as much as un-thinned area.

 

Yes of course! And this reminds me - watch out when you need a touch up, when drying this thing leaves brushstrokes on flat surfaces like nothing else. If you need to correct a mistake do as Trokair said, leave it to dry completely (be mindful, it does take ages) and then go over it again with a thinned down coat.

[Trokair]

I tended to treat these a bit like texture paints in that I would use them last thing in the evening and let it dry overnight.

[Xenith]

Most of the technical paints have been made with a specific consistency to achieve a specific result (clump, splodge, splatter, crack, drip slowly etc).

 

Thinning them will change these properties. Test out on a model you can sacrifice first. 

[Slips]

I used the gem paints across pretty large surfaces myself and just used them straight from the pot. The viscosity takes some quick getting used to but its not that bad.

 

I try to almost stipple or mini-dollop the paint on when doing anything larger than a lens especially if its a flat surface so that the paintbrush streaks are at a minimum and its applied thickly enough for the paints properties to kick in when drying and basically smooth itself out. Once fully dry, if its uneven I'll then go over it once again with another application but using normal brush strokes applied in long and smooth motions across the surface in question.

 

An example of what I mean from basically one of the only minis I've painted with large quantities of the stuff:

[Brother Nihm]

Ryza Rust is best used when thinned slightly with water imho.

Otherwise the layer ends up being too thick/gunky, kind of like Nurgle Corrosion out of the pot.

Here's an example of thinned Ryza, on the sword: