Working with water soluble oils for pin wash and staining

[Dantay VI]

Hi All,

 

Because I work ofshore I cannot use normal oil paints which are used for pinwashes etc... Mainly due to the need for spirits and such like, plus I have a 2 year old at home, so do not want chemicals anywhere near where he could get to them.

 

As such I have found that Windsor & Newton do water soluble/ based oils, which means I can thin them and use them with water... Yay no need for spirits or other chemicals in the house with a 2 year old running around.

 

From what I have seen fro tutorial using normal oils, you let it sit on the model for 24 hours and then use spirits to clean up.

 

Is it the same technique with water soluble oils, but give it 24 hours and clean up with water and cotton buds? Do I need to seal the model to stop the water based oils "re-activating"?

 

Thanks for any advice or help you can provide for me

 

Danny

[Arkhanist]

Strictly speaking, they're water-mixable or water-miscible oils. I have a couple. They're normal oil paint mixed with an additive that allows them to be thinned and cleaned with water. This has the big advantage that you do not need organic solvents, e.g. white spirit or turps to thin them down or clean your brushes for normal use, which is great for oil filters or washes.

 

However, they do go through a 2-stage drying process. First the water evaporates like an acrylic, then they dry (slower) like a conventional oil. This means they cannot be reactivated with water, any more than normal oil paints can. So for your particular use case, i.e. using as a pin-wash then using a solvent to clean off excess oil paint, you would be in the same boat as with a normal oil, i.e. you'd need to use white spirit (or an equivalent), not water,  to re-activate the oil and remove it so they wouldn't solve your problem alas.

 

I can suggest an alternative approach however. There are non-toxic clay-based washes that CAN be reactivated with water. I have a collection of them from Flory Models - a UK company - and they're very clever. You slop them all over, let them dry (20-30 mins), and then remove as much as you want with tap water and a cotton bud/paper towel. You can drag it into streaks for natural weathering, or strip it right off except for lines and crevices, replicating a pin wash with far less work. Dark Dirt is my go-to flory wash most of the time for this, and grime is also useful as a bit lighter, browner wash.

 

There's one trick not mentioned in the video I think (but it is in the FAQ), is that It's easiest to remove when on a smooth surface. So if you're intending a light amount of weathering, i.e. just a pin wash and you've already done some brush painted layers - just as when doing a conventional oil based pin wash - it's recommended to do a gloss varnish layer first (and let fully dry) to protect the paint underneath and make the clay wash really easy to remove from higher surfaces. Over a matt varnish or unprotected brushed on paint, it might get a little embedded in the micro-crevices, and make a slightly dirtier weathering effect than intended that you can't easily fully remove. It's thus advised to do it over a gloss varnish the first few times at least to get the hang of it, as you can literally rinse it off under the tap to completely remove if needed. Satin or matt allows more build up on the surface, so is great when you want a more dingy effect.

 

When you're happy with the result, spray your normal varnish finish (usually matt) to finish off and also protect it, as it can always be reactivated with water (i.e wet fingers!) until you do.

 

This video demos the effect. It works just as nicely on space marines as it does planes, though obviously you tend to use a cotton bud more.

 

 

Flory Models are shipping again, but a bit slower due to covid. "Ultimate weathering wash" is exactly the same stuff, just rebadged, so an alternative source in effect.

Edited August 30, 2020 by Arkhanist

[Dantay VI]

Thank you Arkhanist, that is very helpful, so the oils I have are not that suited for pin washing, unless I do the clean up immediately  or just before the water has totally evaporated off?

 

I wish I had known that before purchasing the oils.

 

The only reason for purchasing them is because working offshore I cannot transport the spirits for using with oils and also I worry wha woud happen to my 2 year old if he somehow managed to get into the chemicals

 

My work PC does not run youtube, so I will take a look at the tutorial tonight when I get off work.

 

Thank you once again.

[Arkhanist]

They can have more water added while the paint is still workable (i.e before the oil stage dries) which is significantly longer than acrylics, so you might be able to get away with it if you're fairly quick about the cleanup, yes. However, if it's fresh enough to re-wet the paint you want to remove, it's also a risk though that the paint in the grooves will also get sucked up by the cotton bud - you normally rely on letting it dry, then only reactivating the areas on the higher areas. But it's worth a go given you've already bought them!

 

I can't say I'm an expert in their use though, as between flory clay washes and conventional oils, I haven't really dived deep on them.

 

For the stuff I don't want my kids getting into I keep them in a cupboard with a child-safety latch fitted (we do the same for the house cleaning stuff), but obviously that doesn't help when going offshore!

[Dantay VI]

Anything hazardous or bearing an orange square like one of these

 

 

Cannot be transported offshore in personal items.

 

So no superlue, glue, milliputt (its an irritant) etc...