Hey, Im working on my M2, a I was told it could use some Black Washing to bring out some detail, ummm what would that be???

A black wash is a highly diluted black (sometimes a dark brown) paint, more thinner than pigment. Take a fine tipped paint brush and get the wash on it. Then set the brush along a seam or line and let the wash flow.

Mix a wash is a small container like a soda bottle cap. A word of warning is if you used enamel paints, use an acrylic wash. If you used acrylics, then use an enamel wash. Practice on the bottom of hte vehicle before hand.

now where can i get this stuff from, or is it one of those do it at home type of things

Hi Delta, Sabot just about covered everything. The wash itself is home made. Take a small container and add some thinner, I always use the thinners from the same brand as the paint ie humbrol thinners with humbrol paint. I mix a very small amount of black or brown or both and give it a good stir. Like Sabot said when you touch a bit on a seam the liquid flows along the seam. When you let it dry the thinner evaporates and leaves the pigment in the recess giving depth to the finished seam. Sometimes to give a tank an overall grimy appearance I will brush the wash over the whole model and use a piece of old cloth
scrunched up to dab (not wipe) off areas so that things like flat panels are relatively clean but areas tucked away under stowage lockers etc are left with a heavier deposit of the wash. This method is a bit trial and error until you get the finish you want. As with most new techniques it is best to practice on an old kit that you dont mind if it goes wrong.

Martin

It's a do-it-yourself thing. Get a small bottle of flat black and some compatible thinner. If you've got an airbursh, you probably have this stuff. Take a straw and stick it in the paint bottle, hold your finger to the opposite end of the straw and take a drop or two of black paint out of the bottle. Put the drops into the bottle cap or other small container and add a little thinner. Basically it becomes black tinted thinner. Let the paint flow from the fine tipped paint brush into the cracks and crevises. Especially needed around the grill to give the parts some depth.

Practice on the underside of your kit first or on the back side of the road wheels. Don't want to mess it up. Best to wait a while until the paint fully cures before black washing.

19delta,

The cover story of this month's Fine Scale Modeller deals with weathering an Abrams from OIF. It has a bunch of pictures that may help clear things up. The link is below. I don't know if you have be registered to get to the site or not...

http://www.finescale.com/fsm/html/issues/currentissue.asp

Shaun