| Allen57 | 05 Jun 2015 9:35 a.m. PST |
Has anyone tried using nail polish to paint miniatures? I have seen a number of iridescent polishes that could offer colors/effects not otherwise available in miniatures paints. |
| Heisler | 05 Jun 2015 9:40 a.m. PST |
Nail polish isn't going to work to well its very thick and I'm not sure how well it would then (it would require acetone to thin). Iridescent effects can be done with interference and iridescent acrylic paints found in the Golden Fluid Acrylics line. |
| 45thdiv | 05 Jun 2015 10:46 a.m. PST |
It's like Testers model paint. |
 x42brown  | 05 Jun 2015 12:21 p.m. PST |
I have used them in the distant past. As Heisler says they are thick and covers detail of the model. I find now that I can get most of the effects I wanted from them using pearlescent inks so no longer use them. x42 |
 StoneMtnMinis | 05 Jun 2015 12:56 p.m. PST |
Many years ago(20+) I achieved the same effects by using a metallic silver base coat and then layering washes of different colors over it. It gave a very interesting effect and used my standard colors I had on hand. |
| Allen57 | 05 Jun 2015 5:17 p.m. PST |
The appeal of some of the nail polishes is that I don't have to do a lot of fiddly layering to achieve the results I desire. I am not averse to thinning nail polish. |
| Mako11 | 05 Jun 2015 5:53 p.m. PST |
Did that with some GZG spaceships and they came out really nice. Need to thin them a bit, and can't remember what to do that with (most of the lines seem to cut have remover, rather than nail polish/enamel thinner). Perhaps going to Walmart, or Home Depot would be a lot less expensive for the thinner, which no doubt is sold in bulk containers. I do like the iridescent finishes of some of them, so am planning on giving that a go again for some SciFi troops in body armor. |
| Bellbottom | 06 Jun 2015 1:50 a.m. PST |
Careful use of nail varnish remover can also remove decals from diecasts |
| jowady | 06 Jun 2015 10:48 a.m. PST |
Since many nail salons now feature air brushed detail thinning shouldn't be a problem. However since the thinner is acetone, which can be a dangerous and noxious chemical, I would advise caution in its use. |
| Greylegion | 06 Jun 2015 1:55 p.m. PST |
Check out YouTube. There is a lady on there that does tutorials, using nail polish. She does some pretty cool effects Mini Girl …… Check out tutorial #23 |
 Sgt Slag | 08 Jun 2015 10:57 a.m. PST |
I painted some plastic, toy beetle figures, for use in my fantasy games as giant beetle monsters, using nail polish. I chose two metallic colors: red and green. They turned out decent enough to game with. The beetles have been based, so they won't receive a lot of handling of the painted bits, so I can't comment on its durability. Experimentation is king -- give it a go, and see what happens. The nail polishes sold at Wal-Mart are around $2 USD/bottle, so it won't cost much to try them out. Cheers! |
| Kensboro | 09 Jun 2015 2:12 a.m. PST |
Another source for good quality (but expensive) iridescent paints would be Holbein Aeroflash. If you want to make your own (and do it on the cheap) try mixing some of your own paints with Pearl-Ex Micropearl. Note that there is "Macropearl", "Pearl", and "Micropearl"; in order of largest flakes to finest. Make sure you get the Micro!
A 3/4 ounce jar is just a few dollars, and it will probably last you for years. |
begins to think about terrain for Team Yankee.
