Games Workshop's Silver paints and their usages

[JeffJedi]

So there are 8 silver paints in the main range  some base and some layer and one Dray paint.

 

Online and in WD you will find by far the most common usage is Leadbealcher with Nuln Oil wash and a Stormhost Silver highlight.

 

When and where do you find use for the other silvers?

 

Stormhost Silver

Ironbreaker

Rungfang Steel

Leadbealcher

Necron Compound

Iron Hands Steel

Iron Warriors 

Grey Knights

 

Do you use unusual washes to enhance the colors? Do you make mixes?

Edited 17 hours ago by JeffJedi

[Madao]

Just don't bother with GW and buy Gunmetal and Steel (air variants) from Vallejo, they are way better to work with (and mix them to get midtones)

 

I am using necron compound though, it is nice for bringing the shine back from dark metal

Edited 17 hours ago by Madao

[Sky Potato]

This is how I use each of the colours

 

Stormhost Silver - highlighting the cutting edge of blades. I want to try edge highlighting silver surfaces before applying contrast or clear paints, I think I’ll use stormhost for that.

 

Ironbreaker - as a basecoat on Necrons before applying an all over coat of Basilicanum Grey contrast. Also as a general light highlight on stuff like chainmail once it’s been nuln oil washed. Finally, as a base for silver as decorative patterns on armour

 

Runefang Steel - I only really use this if I can’t find my Stormhost when I look for it

 

Leadbealcher - general “working” metal - chainmail, exhaust pipes, the vents of marine power packs. That sort of thing. Wash with nuln, light brush over with Ironbreaker.

 

Necron Compound - drybrush over black for a bit of variation. I also think this is Runefang Steel pigment, but in a different medium for drybrushing.

 

Iron Hands Steel - the metal on weapons - gun barrels, swords, chainsword teeth and the like. Again, washed with Nuln, and then cutting surfaces touched up with Stormhost

 

Iron Warriors - Mainly as a dark silver for decoration and armour trim - I do my 30k Night Lords armour trim in iron warriors for example. I also drybrush this over black for tank tracks.

 

Grey Knights - use it on my Knights for the armour panels. Corvus Black or Macragge Blue panels, with a Grey Knights trim. I wash this with Drakenhof Nightshade before relayering with Grey Knights then a light touch up of Ironbreaker.

[Firedrake Cordova]

I think that the large array is largely for differing tones and levels of brightness. From what I remember, the progression was originally Leadbelcher -> Ironbreaker -> Runefang Steel, and then GW added Stormhost Silver as a brighter option. Subsequently, Iron Warriors (darker than Leadbelcher), Grey Knights Steel (bluish), and Iron Hands Steel (brownish tone) got introduced. You almost certainly don't need all of them, and some can be made by mixing others with inks (or Contrast/Shade). Vallejo has a similarly baffling large number of "silvers" in it's Metal Color line.

 

From what I remember, the metallics with a hard white cap on them are a different formulation to the others (and are more expensive).