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"Minwax PolyShade Tutor discontinued" Topic


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Col Durnford Supporting Member of TMP15 Sep 2024 1:09 p.m. PST

Now that Minwax PolyShade Tutor has been discontinued, what are you using
as a replacement?

CAPTAIN BEEFHEART15 Sep 2024 1:55 p.m. PST

WATER

Personal logo Saber6 Supporting Member of TMP Fezian15 Sep 2024 2:05 p.m. PST

source?

I have several cans…

Louis XIV Supporting Member of TMP15 Sep 2024 4:35 p.m. PST

Army Painter has dip washes as does Vallejo (I think)

Col Durnford Supporting Member of TMP15 Sep 2024 4:42 p.m. PST

I was getting Tutor from Ace Hardware. They no longer carry it in the store or online.

Personal logo Yellow Admiral Supporting Member of TMP15 Sep 2024 10:51 p.m. PST

I stopped using it 20 years ago. All the miniatures I coated with Minwax Tudor have yellowed, so I don't use polyurethane of any type on miniatures anymore.

A bunch of years ago I started making my own "dip" using tinted Future. I still do, but some day the Future will run out (it's also discontinued). There are other acrylic floor polishes that behave similarly, so a substitute may be available.

It looks to me like Citadel's Agrax Earthshade has the same tinting effect. Painters from the Warhammer mob swear by it, and joke about dependingon it the same way "dip" users do. One of the Army Painter tones also might work (Strong Tone, maybe?). You still have to clearcoat over these, so they're not a one-and-done application like Minwax, but I always had to apply matt clear over Minwax anyway to kill the shine.

- Ix

Prince Rupert of the Rhine15 Sep 2024 11:49 p.m. PST

Black and burnt umber oil paint with some mineral spirit works for me.

Personal logo Sgt Slag Supporting Member of TMP16 Sep 2024 7:38 a.m. PST

First off, it is still available on Wal-Mart (water-based and oil-based), for delivery to your local store, or to your home.

Never been a fan of Tudor (black). I am, however, a dyed-in-the-wool fan of Royal Walnut, and similar colors of dark brown. They give a down and dirty look to figures, as if they've been in battle, knocked down, etc.

Examples: Hill Dwarves [shorter, smaller stature than Mountain Dwarves (LOL!)], Gnomes, Cyclops, Draco-Lich-factory, and finished with Royal Walnut, after dressing it up. My favorite example is this 54mm Cave Man figure: paint only applied to the non-skin bits, then the flesh-colored plastic, et al, were covered with Minwax Polyshades Royal Walnut; when that fully cured, i matte coated it.

For the Future Floor Shine replacement for making custom washes, AKA Magic Wash, you can use this product, from Wal-Mart: Quick Shine.

I recommend brushing both the Minwax, and the Magic Wash, onto the figures, using disposable school paint brushes, as opposed to dunking the figures into the mixture: faster; more effective; reduced pooling; easier to control; uses less Minwax/Magic Wash solutions.

Best mixing method is to use a spin mixer, attached to your electric drill -- best, easiest mixing method, as the results are far better than shaking the can, manually. The tint is completely diffused within the polyurethane suspension! Make sure to start with a fresh can of Minwax, as manually shaking the can leads to the tint building up, in the can, over time, as it never really gets properly suspended, and it thickens… Cheers!

PS: Bonus Content!

If you are impatient, like me, and you do not want to wait for the oil-based washes to dry, over a period of days… You can buy a Slow Cooker/Crockpot: set your color-washed figures into it, put the lid on, and set it to Low Heat (170 F/77 C), and bake them for 30 minutes. This will fully cure the oil-based washes, and you can proceed with the matte clear coat, immediately.

I bought a very large capacity Slow Cooker, at an Estate Sale, for around $10. USD I only use it for baking/curing my miniatures. I set its dial temperature gauge to 200 F, with an oven thermometer inside, to verify the temperature. Works amazingly well, for little money.

Most thermal plastics, used for injection molding figures, melt at 300 F/149 C and above (some types of plastic fully melt at 400 F/204 C and above). I've bake-cured, literally, hundreds of plastic figures, including toys such as lions and Cave Men: they get soft, but they do not melt, in the Slow Cooker, on Low Heat -- they do NOT deform! Double-Cheers!

79thPA Supporting Member of TMP16 Sep 2024 11:47 a.m. PST

I was going to mention walnut, but sarge beat me to it.

Personal logo John the OFM Supporting Member of TMP16 Sep 2024 12:47 p.m. PST

Yes. "Dip" is terribly misleading.

doc mcb17 Sep 2024 1:45 p.m. PST

Yes, brush on and throw the brush away.

I've never had trouble with yellowing.

I DO wait for a sunny day. The Minwax will dry in a couple of hours in the sun.

Then next day I do the grass, and then spray with Dullcote.

Col Durnford Supporting Member of TMP17 Sep 2024 5:06 p.m. PST

My process take several days:

Day 1 Brush on minwax.
Day 2 add decals – paint base green
Day 3 brush on acrylic Liquitex
Day 4 and Day 5 flock and detail
Day 6 light coat dullcoat
Day 7 more dullcoat
Day 8 deploy

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