Taking the oil paint plunge... Need some advice.

[KeiserSoze]

So, I've decided to try my hand at weathering with oil paints. I've always shyed away from them for various reasons: First and foremost, I'm not a fan of cleaning up with anything other than water. (This stems from my years in construction/painting) And, I'm just intimidated by 'em. Anyway, I came across a deal on ebay I just couldn't pass up. One of those auctions that just goes under the radar, I guess. Got all these for $15. All new tubes, still shrink wrapped inside.

Looked em up and they retail for ~$120 total.... give or take... I really don't know much about oil paints. Did I get a good deal, or are these seriously overpriced retail? Are these good for models?

So my main question is about the water mixable ones. Assuming any of these are going to be usable, does anyone have any experience with the water mixables? Are they as good as regular oil paints? Should I just not bother with them and work with the others?

I've watched a few vids (Ken's first, of course) and got the basics down as far as theoretical technique goes. Got a couple old junkers that I plan on practicing on. I'm really one of those guys that learns best by doing, so, here I go. Thanks in advance for any tips.

 

[MrNatural]

I have yet to try the oil paint weathering techniques but i have painted on canvas with them quite frequently and I've never heard of oil paints that were water soluble I might even stay away from them. your best bet is to just practice on old models like you said until you find what works for you.

 

[Splashcoat]

I've never used water soluble oils on models. These are similar to traditional oils, i.e., pigment suspended in an oil medium but with a difference; I believe that water soluble oils are created by either adding a detergent to the mix to allow water to mingle with the oil or by modifying the oil at the molecular level to bind with water. I think the detergent type would probably be pretty useful as a wash since the surface tension would be very low, eliminating "high tide" marks associated with some washes. A quality brand like Winsor & Newton is probably the modified oil type so I'm not sure if it would act any differently than regular oils as a wash. Both types are probably just as effective as regular oils when used for shading or drybrushing with the added bonus of a less reactive solvent to potentialy react with the model's paint coat. Please keep us updated on how your experiments play out.

At any rate, you got a great deal. Quality oils are expensive but they will last for ages.

 

[Ballsnchunk]

I recently bought paynes grey by windsor&newton, a water based 'oil' paint with the intention of using it as a wash to emphasise panel lines etc. Luckily I tried it on a small area as the mix bled into the surrounding Acryilic top coat and looked awful, I couldn't remove it all either, having to sand and re-spray!
This must've been down to me, the gloss coat had been sprayed hours earlier maybe I should have allowed the gloss coat more time to fully cure, or maybe as it is water based it doesn't work over acrylics! but would be fine over enamels.
I haven't tried it since....but I will, so all I can say is use caution and give your top coat plenty of time to fully cure. I'd be interested in how it turns out for you.

ballsnchunk

 

[Grendels]

Here is what I have learned over the last year. The advantage to oil paints is that it is not the same medium as your base coats. For example:

Let's say I decide to paint my model up in enamels. Then I can clear coat in an acrylic. The acrylic won't mix with the enamel, and will seal and protect it. This is because the two different paints use different solutions as thinners. They won't interact. Now because I have sealed up the enamel with an acrylic, I can now do an enamel wash if I wanted to. Again the solvent in the enamel won't eat up the acrylic paint.

Since I am doing most of my painting with acrylics, I want to wash with either enamel or oil. For the reasons mentioned above. I have done both to good effect.

The advantage that oils have is that they take longer to dry than acrylics or enamels do. So if you don't like the results, you just clean it off. If you had a base coat of acrylic first, then the clean up is real easy, just dip a rag in thinner, and wipe it off.

The bad part is the curing time of oils, days instead of hours. But again that is an advantage. If you don't like it the next morning, just clean it off!

 

[Fett2303]

I'm dabbing in this as well. I'm weathering a Klingon D7 and have painted the entir kit with enamels. I used a clear coat lacquer to protect my base after a lil pigment and a light wash. Now I want to blend a few colors into it. I started with the oil paints and lightly wet the area before dabbing a few dots of color where I wanted them ( wet the area with turpentine) now my base coat is coming off and bubbling up.

How do I correct the problem, use acrylic clear coat or future? Is that right?