"Future Floor Wax finish" Topic

Yes, I know that this has been discussed before. I searched the old threads but couldn't find exactly what I wanted to know.

I have 32 Starship Trooper "bug" painted and ready for sealing.

I bought a bottle of Future Floor Wax and a small jar of cheap black paint.

Now I'd like to know:

1) should I apply a "wash" to the figures before using the wax or can I mix some paint in with the wax,

2) do I water down the Future Wax? If so, at what ratio?

and

3) can I dip the figures or should I brush on the wax.

Thanks in advance,

- Jim

P.S. Could we add a FAQ section and put this in there?

1. You can mix the black paint with the Future and make a fine wash.

2. You do not need to water down the Future.

3. Yes. Either will work. If you dip, you need to wick away the excess. A curled-up tip of paper towel works well. So does an old brush.

I use Future mixed 50:50 with water, and add paint to taste as a wash. Works a treat. :-) There are myriad answers, wait until you read one you like.

Experiment on other, non-important, figures, to determine the solution which works best for you. I recommend using plastic army men figures, for testing purposes: inexpensive (a few pennies, per figure, literally), can be thrown away afterwards, won't matter what happens to them, so no risk. Cheers!

brush defintiely.

for a black wash i go a little thinner with the future water mix, say 40:60 or slightly more water. stir the wax and water (or shake) and let it sit for a bit. then add your ink.

i recommend you practice the wash on something else first so you know how much black paint you want. you can also use any color, say a darker complementary color to your base coat with a little balck added. its a shading wash like any other.

if you want more of a sheen on the bug, and a very nice hard protective finsih; just thin some future (maybe a 80:20 mix future to water) and use it as a sealer coat when you are finished. its very durable.

and i really recommend against using future straight as a wash, it clogs fine details and is a bit of a mess to work with. water really helps it flow (actually, it helps the water flow, which is the whole point of using it).

"I use Future mixed 50:50 with water, and add paint to taste as a wash. Works a treat. :-)"

Ditto. I will add that I glop it on with a brush (which is sort of implied in calling it a "wash" and not a "dip"). I bought a bunch of empty 2oz fliptop bottles at Michael's (like the ones craft paints come in), and mixed up a variety of colors and strengths of washes for future (pun intended) use.

Doug

Oh - and Dullcote goes on over a (dry) coat of Future wash quite nicely, and takes the sheen right off.

Doug

unless you like slimey/shiney bugs :)

i'd like to add its probably best if you use an older brush for the washes (and a bigger one) and try to keep it only for the big future wash jobs, saves wareing out a good, new brush.

I painted my bugs black first,
then brushed on the red lines and highlights,
then painted and drybrushed some yellow markings,
then sealed with a "wash/sealer" of future wax with 2 drops red paint

and my painting article is overdue, due to life.
Appologies!

A few questions because I'm mentally preparing myself to paint my first 28mm miniatures. Exactly what does a wash do when painting a miniature? What's the effect? The guys I know don't uses washes; they pretty much paint-by-number with some black lines for effect, which I don't like. I think this is called the 'kabuki' method?

Here is a visual example/guide, however, this tutorial utilizes Minwax Polyshades urethane-stain. The effect is the same, basically. The real difference is that Minwax is solvent-based, whereas the Future Floor Polish, is water-based, and much easier to customize.

link

The "painting vehicles" page has the best illustration, showing 'painted,' and 'unpainted,' vehicles, side by side. These are standard, 54mm, soft plastic army men figures, available almost everywhere. You can see how it draws paint/stain, into the creases, and folds, of the miniatures. It gives a nice, shadowing effect. The figures were simply painted, block style, then, when this had dried completely, I applied the Minwax.

If you have additional questions, please search on the terms, "Miracle Dip,", and "Magic Wash," here, on TMP. Then start a new thread, if you still have additional questions. Cheers!

@SwampFox first a link: paintingclinic.com

that site is Dr. Faust's Painting Clinic, check out the 'clinic' section for some good beginner tips, he lays it all out as far as what techniques do what, lots of how-to's etc.

washes basically shade a miniature, the pigment in a wash settles into the recess of a figure to create depth and shadow. think of a suit of chainmail, full of little holes, a wash is thinned paint (whether paint or ink and water, floor wax, or something like miniwax its basically all the same) painted over the surface so that it sinks into the holes and deposits pigment in them. its basically a way of taking advantage of the models contours to produce shading.

the 'miracle dip' or wash method is what the original poster was asking about, its a very thin wash (generally always black, or dark brown for folks that like floor polish) with an emulsifier like floor wax that is applied to the whole model, useually at the end of the process.

washes are an EASY way to really improve the look of your finished pieces, and they are quick and mechanical techniques (as opposed to something like blending). so have a look at Dr. Faust's and don't be afraid to get stuck in, any monkey can do it, beleive me!

Thanks guys!

@swamp fox, what are you going to paint?