"Can you paint over magic dip/wash?" Topic

I paint figures in three "steps".

First I brush on a 10:1 Rustolium oil based flat paint (white, black or grey) thinned heavily with paint thinner

Second, is acrylic paints, in layers and some washes

Third I brush on (usually) a magic wash of black permament indian ink, floor polish and water.

This last coat brings out details and puts a slightly shiny coat over the figure.

My question is to whether you can do touchup painting over the magic wash without any known problems. (It looks like it works just fine). Has anybody touted this as a sealing topcoat?

I have done touch ups and highlights over the Dip before. I put another layer of sealer/varnish over top. So far I haven't had any problems with it.

Yes, you can do touchups or lighten areas that are too dark after you use the wash. I give mine a spray of dullcoat afterwards to take the shine off.

Yes. In fact, I just did as part of the finishing touches to Dennis Coleman's Hovels Papelotte farm, so good for resin, too.

Agree with morrigan. I do it all the time.

I do it also. BUT the dip will fill in a lot of the cracks, so something like drybrushing would be lots less effective on top of it. I pretty much confine myself to putting a lighter shade of the base color onto elbows and knees and other of the most raised and visible surfaces.

I usually go back and highlight after the dip/wash. Never had a problem with the paint sticking.

Will not be a problem!

The media in acrylic paint and Johnson's Future Floor Finish use the same polymer to form the solid. The acrylic paint will bond very well to the Future. As Future cures gloss, some care needs to be taken to avoid the paint from beading up. It has low "tooth". But using paint with little or no added water will work fine.

Now if you Magic-Wash/Dip with the solvent based Min-Wax or similar wood stain. You will want to wait a long time to over paint. I would say 48 hour minimum.

I have done highlights over both types of Magic-Wash and it has worked out fine. I would say I always re-highlight the headgear or hair of a figure.

I do suggest to finish it all off with some type of clear finish if you use your miniatures as game pieces. It will greatly add to the lifespan of the painting. I most often coat in undiluted Future and then after a long drying time spray on a matte finish (most often Testors Dullcote).

Thanks for all the help and suggestions. So far I have not had a problem with pieces chipping or being affected by wargame handling, after 10+ or so games. Sometimes I want to touch up poorly and unskillfully painted old figures.

Concise Polymeric Materials Encyclopedia
edited by Joseph C. Salamone

"…………..These polishes were based upon the zinc crosslinking technology patented in 1967. Self-stripping floor polishes were developed and marketed in the 1970's. ….These polishes are based on alkali-solubel acrylic polymers and pressurized wax emulsions…………High performance floor finishes use…..primarily on acrylic and styrene-acrylic emulsion polymers. 50-70% of the solids. A low molecular weight polyethyelene or polypropylene wax that has been functionalize to made it emulsiflable omproises 5029% of the solids. An alkali soluble low MW polymer makdes up 3-15% (leveling resin). Plasticizer 0-0.25%. A minor component is a divalent metal ion usually zinc. The zinc ion forms and ionic crosslink with the caboxly functionality of the emulsion polymer and the leveling resin. This crosslink provides detergent resistance, improves recoat properties and gives improved traffic durability. "

Okay, so it is mainly part an acrylic polymer (like the solids in the paint) and partly a wax, which is held "dissolved" or mixed in the water containing solution. The wax gives it the property to spread into the tiny crevices in the wargame figure and carry in the ink for decorating the crevices and making the wargame figure look better. There are also chemicals in there to link up the acrylic and wax and form a seal over the entire figure. My reason for looking this up is wondering if the shiny feature of this stuff is necessary. I think you have to get the shiny finish (from the wax part) to get the surface tension creeping, which gives the crevice decoration. The acrylic polymer in the stuff gives the good adhesion to the existing paint on the figure.

Some comments on stripping this stuff

link

"Mistakes can be remedied by washing off Future from the part and starting all over again. There is no special procedure for removing Future, it is just like washing off coat of acrylic paint. Rubbing the surface with a T-shirt cloth richly soaked in isopropyl alcohol should suffice. Another option for cleaning or thinning Future is to use ammonia-based window cleaner like Windex or Ajax (again, different brand names there)."