No magic in the magic wash

[Markus Steffen]

Hello,

I just found an article on Dr. Faustus´painting clinic that featured something like a magic wash.
It sounded briliant, so I decided to give it a try. I spend the whole day to find the german substitute ("Glaenzer" from Emsal) for the "future" stuff that was used in the report. I mixed it the way it was described, added some ink in the first and some acrylic paint for the second try. I changed the mixing ratio, but the effect was very disapointing. The stuff was much to fluid, nearly no color stayed where it should stay to build some shadows.
I found a short thread on that topic via searching the fanaticus forum from 2004, but it didn´t brought light into the dark.

Has anyone tried this with succes ?
I would have tried the magical dip, but the stuff used there isn´t available over here in Germany.

Any help would be fine !

Thanks

Markus

[Prich]

I´ve tried it several times and always have worked.

Try mixing water with any detergent or soap (wax free) used for washing and cleaning the floor in a 1:1 rate.
Then add ink to the above mix in 1:1 rate.

Other solution is using vallejo inks. It is said that they make some "magic wash" effect.

Good luck

[Roland Fricke]

My own experience with this technique is that I needed to gloss finish the figure first, dry and then use the wash which would repel off the high areas and dry in the low areas. I need to matte varnish afterwards though to tone down the gloss.

[Kees Bosch]

Hello Markus,

When I have painted my miniatures, I finish them with Tamiya Color Acrylic Paint SMOKE X-19. I mix it with water, just experiment a little to know how much is needed. It depends on the surface and the detail on the figures, and how clean or dirty you want them to look.
Afterwards, finish them with matt, and the metal parts later with gloss.
Maybe some drybrushing, and then on to basing...

Have fun,

Kees Bosch

[dg]

Markus,

I did actually buy the magic dip from the US -I could look up the site for you if you like.

However I have found mixing my own to be preferable- some variations of shade are possible. From my experiments, using the gloss varnish is effective, but then it does need a matt overcoat, and it is a lot of work to gloss,shade and then matt varnish over.

Currently I am using a mix of about one part ink,one part water and one part 'Glaenzer' with a dash of soap(washing up liquid).
My earliest efforts actually did not work because the ink wash I had was much too dilute - the wash needs to have some colour to work - take care though as on some surfaces as the wash dries it moves back over the figure.


Having written all this,probably the most important factor is the chemistry of the paint surface you are using as any wash will act differently on different surfaces, so you will need to experiment with the paint surfaces you are using. Dont worry it only took me two years to get it right :D
good luck!! graemlins/thumbup.gif

[Piastun]

I've tried the Miracle Dip a few times, sometimes it's worked for me, other times it hasn't. Perhaps it's got something to do with the detail on a figure... the HaT Macedonian pikemen have such fine detail,it's hard to make it stick out in painting. I've tried it on some 25mm Vikings I got on E-Bay (no idea who made these figures) and it worked beautifully.

I usually try to black prime, drybrush white and then stain... the Scarvie Method, I believe. Works great on Nappies too!

[Chris Brantley]

I've found that the Magic Wash works best on figures with strong detail (folds in cloaks, crevices in armor, etc.). For some reason, I get the best results on Old Glory figures. Essex varies with the sculpt.

Another thing I've found is that the dip tends to settle with the pigment at the bottom and the glossy sealer at the top. Unless you spend time stirring up the can, you end up with lots of gloss and little shadowing effect. But stir carefully; you don't want to create bubbles.

[imported_JamesLDIII]

I have used the standard Polyshades Minwax in the U.S., generally with success. I have also tried the Future Floor wax mix. While these are cheaper, I have had to experiment with the ratio of water to finish, etc.

What I have done lately, since I am using 6mm figures, is to use the Vallejo matte finish and mix in a drop or three of black paint. The resulting color is gray, but when the solution dries on the figure you get the same effect as with the other dipping washes. I brush it on.

I haven't tried this yet with 15mm figures, but if you already use Vallejo paints it's worth a try.