Interesting way to get great finish

[PurplePenguin]

I stumbled across this by accident, i was painting my latest venture (B-25 J) in 48 scale and after i'd finished painting i noticed that the paint job was blotchy in areas even though i'd taken care in painting it. After spending several hours trying to correct this by adding watered down layers of paint to various areas to try and even out the paint job i gave up, the paint job was still blotchy in areas and uneven. Then i noticed in areas of the plane blemishes where my fingers had come in contact with the plane not imprinting on the paint itself but leaving a shiny finish. I studied this for a while noticing that where my fingers had indeed come in contact with the plane the grease from my fingers had left a slightly shiny finish and more finished look. This got me thinking what if i could put a layer of 'grease' over the plane would this indeed counter the blotchy areas on the plane...then for a slight eureka moment, me being a 20 something male i have regrettabally various amount of hair products, one being a light wax, after applying a very small amount of light wax to the B-25 J i noticed to my surprise it gave a fantastic finish to the aircraft, no blotches, no sign of uneven paint, a slight shine but not to the levels of a satin or gloss lacquer. It was fantastic after applying it all over the B-25 i am delighted with the finish it has given. It looks alot better.

So after the long story my question is, has anyone ever stumbled across an everyday substance, material or object that they have found to beneficial when it comes to modelling in some capacity? The most obvious one i can think of is oven cleaner being used as a paint stripper.

Also is there any 'light wax' product on the market for modellers to use?

 

[Colin1]

Also is there any 'light wax' product on the market for modellers to use?

If there is
you can bet it costs a small fortune for a rather modest quantity
In a similar vein, there are model-application finishing products on the market that largely go unused by modellers who can buy a bucket-full of Klear or Future for a fraction of the price; your idea, if it caught on, would likely go the same way

 

[PurplePenguin]

If there is
you can bet it costs a small fortune for a rather modest quantity
In a similar vein, there are model-application finishing products on the market that largely go unused by modellers who can buy a bucket-full of Klear or Future for a fraction of the price; your idea, if it caught on, would likely go the same way

I think the light wax i bought cost no more than £1.80 and i reckon you would get around 50-60 fair sized model aircraft out of it. You literally put on a very small amount rub over the area and then wipe off with a towel and you get a great finish. I was so impressed by the finish it gave i went back to a previous model i'd completed and did the same process to enhance its finish.

 

[Wayne Little]

Mmmmm...interesting result, let's see some pics of this 'waxed' finish .....curious now!

 

[PurplePenguin]

Mmmmm...interesting result, let's see some pics of this 'waxed' finish .....curious now!

Unfortunately the model in which i incorporated this finish fell to its death a couple of hours ago, can't believe it i'd only just finished the thing (B-25 in 48th Scale) yesterday! The good thing is i told a friend of mine and he has the same model kit unbuilt and has offered to give it to me. Annoyed though it looked great! must find somewhere else to display them!.

 

[Airframes]

Interesting. Many years ago, I did a similar thing, using a lanolin based product, the name of which now escapes me. I was trying to simulate the sheen of Luftwaffe paint finishes, in the years long before some of the now more common products were availabe. I did notice, however, that after some time, part of this finish deteriorated, and that it did effect the paintwork - this was on enamel paints, I think acrylics would suffer even more.
Of course now, with so many different products available, including 'household' products such as Johnson's Klear (Future), eliminating blotches and obtaining various forms of smooth, even finishes, from matt to gloss, is quite easy, and allows for a permanent, stable finish. Even basic varnishes have come a long way since the days of single choice - matt or gloss - both of which were fairly 'thick', leading to the usual problems of even coverage without 'clogging' detail etc.