How does one weather with india ink? Many thanks, andy chandler
I mix a few different concentrations. 1 tsp into a pint of Isopropyl alcohol, up to 3 tsp's. Usually I use the cheap 70% type from the drug store. This is then used as a wash, applied with a soft brush. It adds dark to recessed areas and give the impression of shadows, as well as being a great way to stain wood to get that silvery weathered effect. Be a bit careful as to the choice of ink as some of the acrylic India inks will congeal in the alcohol.
Simon Modelling CB&Q and Wabash See my slowly evolving layout on my picturetrail site http://www.picturetrail.com/simontrains and our videos at http://www.youtube.com/user/MrCrispybake?feature=mhum
I've had excellent results with Higgins Water Soluble India Ink in 91% alcohol: one teaspoon per pint. I prefer the 91% as it contains less water than the 70% and is less likely to warp wooden parts.
Wayne
Modeling HO Freelance Logging Railroad.
sfcouple I've had excellent results with Higgins Water Soluble India Ink in 91% alcohol: one teaspoon per pint. I prefer the 91% as it contains less water than the 70% and is less likely to warp wooden parts. Wayne
Which is an excellent point and what I actually use for wood. If your application is wood, make sure that any sheet parts are well braced.
At a surplus store I bought super cheap (35 cents) spray bottles and have various mixes of 91% alcohol and India Ink -- light medium and dark. I mostly use these for scenery weathering: darkening ballast, that sort of thing. For wood I prefer the better control of applying the same mixes with a swab or foam brush.
Dave Nelson
I've experimented several times with alcohol/ink washes, and the results have been terrible. It's like I have a surface tension problem - instead of settling into nooks & joints, it tends to pool on the raised and flat areas, drying into an ugly splotchy look. What am I doing wrong?
Jim
"I am lapidary but not eristic when I use big words." - William F. Buckley
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mononguy63 I've experimented several times with alcohol/ink washes, and the results have been terrible. It's like I have a surface tension problem - instead of settling into nooks & joints, it tends to pool on the raised and flat areas, drying into an ugly splotchy look. What am I doing wrong? Jim
I would make sure you are using water soluble India Ink, which is available on the Higgins Brand and probably others as well. When water soluble ink is placed in isopropyl alcohol it makes a very nice uniform solution that should not give one a splotchy look. However, my only experience with this staining solution is with wood, I've never used it on plastic. If you are using this on wood make there isn't any dried glue on any visible surface as the glue will plug up the pores in the wood and it will not take a stain leaving a splotchy look as you described. It doesn't take much of a glue residue to have a significant impact on the staining process---just wiping excess glue off with your finger doesn't remove enough as the glue is still embedded into the wood.
I've never used non water soluble India Ink but I can imagine that it may not dissolve sufficiently well in the alcohol and might lead to the problems you are describing---but that is only a speculation on my part. However, I do recommend the water soluble India Ink in Isopropyl Alcohol as a staining and weathering tool.
This is a great staining technique and should work very well for you, I typically dilute my stock ink solution ( one teaspoon per pint) about 1:1 with alcohol for the initial stain and then add more if needed. It's awfully easy to make things darker but darn near impossible to lighten things up.
Good Luck,
Obviously it does not soak into the plastic. As part of overall weathering I start with an application of Dullcoat to give some 'tooth' to the surface. Then I often apply weathering powders. A light application of the india ink/alcohol wash (again, I prefer a spray to a wash for most purposes) finds something to latch onto between the Dullcoat (which has a talcum like powder suspended in matte medium) and weathering powders. But pure plastic and normal paints, not so much.
Bar Mills has a number of videos on their website on weathering and working with wood. This includes preparing and using India INk. On the home page, scroll to near the bottom; if you hover your cursor over a video, the title will pop uphttp://www.barmillsmodels.com/
George In Midcoast Maine, 'bout halfway up the Rockland branch