Black Wash

Okay all,

Having gone through other threads, i am posting this to see if I have understood it right...

Get paint and window cleaner (ie windex), mix together thoughly. Use sponge/paper towel and dab onto the armor, wipe (dab) off any excess, let dry. Re-apply as often as required for dirtier armor... Sound about right??

My questions are... do people just dab/wipe or both? (No toilet humour on this one please! :moon )
How much paint is added to the window cleaner?
How do people apply? Sponge? Brush? Towel?
With the use of the cleaner, is it okay to apply over the top of the decals?
Do people just apply one color? I've seen black, green. Or do you apply more than one to give it a true weathered look?
oh, and do people clear cote it at the end?

Thanks...

I normally just use water with the paint, but windex works too. A ratio I normally use is 1/3 paint to 2/3 water or windex. Then I do several coats, one whiping one dabbing and then on that normally stays on. I normally use a paper towel to apply and a microfiber cloth that allways seems to be laying around when I need it to whipe it off. But when I whipe it off I do it in a buffing motion.

this is one of those things that will get you a million different answers

my method goes like this:

windex+paint in a spray bottle. the windex is because it evaporates faster than water. ratio varies depending on how intense i want it. i spray it on a wall / board / something to see what it looks like before i hit my target.

spray liberally on the piece, then go over it a bit with a hairdryer to accelerate the windex evaporation. just for a couple of seconds, until it looks like the thinner areas of the wash are starting to dry.

then i take some wadded up paper towels and daub it lightly, making sure not to wipe it off totally, and not to let drips / big areas well up where i don't want them.

also, i don't just do black. greys, browns, etc... are all good too.

Originally Posted by Caomhanach

do people just dab/wipe or both?

Your best bet is to experiment on something and then you can see the results and do it the way you like!

Just out of curiosity what kind of paint are you useing? that is key to the whole wash.

Don't know yet... haven't started... in fact haven't even got the armor !!(getting prepared by getting the right info while I'm waiting)

What I do is an enamel base color and acrylic after that, if you mess up with the acrylic, it'll come off with some rubbing alcohol and wont disturb the base color.

Acrylic and blu. window cleaner. Acrylic is water base so you need to seal it after with a dull coat.