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Paint vs. Ink

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  • Member since
    November 2019
  • 402 posts
Posted by The Milwaukee Road Warrior on Friday, February 16, 2024 5:52 PM

BATMAN

I use cheap craft paint for washes and after a couple of decades, the weathering looks great still. I don't know about the ink, but it would be important for me that I could wash it off if I did a lousy job or spilled it where I shouldn't have.

 

I had not considered this..  Good point.

Andy

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Milwaukee native modeling the Milwaukee Road in 1950's Milwaukee.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/196857529@N03/

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    November 2019
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Posted by The Milwaukee Road Warrior on Friday, February 16, 2024 5:51 PM

kasskaboose

Here's another idea: using cheap craft paint.  I've used them for my structures and two coats is perfect.  These paints also come in multiple colors and are readily available.  I applied the paint with cheap craft brushes or sponge brushes.

Yes, this was where I started actually, by buying the $5 tubes above at Michaels.  At some point I just realized that maybe I could go straight to ink and avoid even having to thin down my cheap craft paint.  

Andy

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Milwaukee native modeling the Milwaukee Road in 1950's Milwaukee.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/196857529@N03/

  • Member since
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  • From: 4610 Metre's North of the Fortyninth on the left coast of Canada
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Posted by BATMAN on Friday, February 16, 2024 3:39 PM

I use cheap craft paint for washes and after a couple of decades, the weathering looks great still. I don't know about the ink, but it would be important for me that I could wash it off if I did a lousy job or spilled it where I shouldn't have.

Brent

"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."

  • Member since
    February 2008
  • 2,360 posts
Posted by kasskaboose on Friday, February 16, 2024 3:20 PM

Here's another idea: using cheap craft paint.  I've used them for my structures and two coats is perfect.  These paints also come in multiple colors and are readily available.  I applied the paint with cheap craft brushes or sponge brushes.

  • Member since
    November 2019
  • 402 posts
Paint vs. Ink
Posted by The Milwaukee Road Warrior on Friday, February 16, 2024 10:01 AM

Hello all,

I'm going to be weathering some Walthers Cornerstone structures and I'm wondering if there is a difference when all is said and done, between using (for example) an acrylic paint tube that would need to be thinned with water or alcohol, and an acrylic ink that is already thin enough that it comes in a dropper bottle?  

Obviously, there is a difference between ink and paint, but does it matter?

I was thinking about using a Liquitex Titanium White (432) acrylic ink to make mortar for mortar lines in brick buildings.

A bottle of the ink is only about $6 and would go a long ways.  Has anyone tried this?  It's *very* liquid so I'm not sure I would even need to thin it, and it *may* be too bright so I may add in some gray or tan to mute it.

Ink: https://www.liquitex.com/row/products/professional/colors/acrylic-ink/

vs

Tube: https://www.liquitex.com/row/products/basics/range/colors/

If I can just buy ink rather than buying the tube and then having to thin that out, why not just buy the ink that already flows like water?

This may seem a bit ridiculous to ask, but I don't have extra square brick wall sections laying around to experiment with.

Thanks for your thoughts!

Andy

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Milwaukee native modeling the Milwaukee Road in 1950's Milwaukee.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/196857529@N03/

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