another paint question

[JaPizzy]

Hi all again,

Another rookie paint question. When working with thin paint, and little \"flakes\" form almost as soon as you load your brush, within the bristles, is that probably a case where the pigment has \"fallen\" out of the binder?

This is what\'s happening, tried both distilled and regular water (no additives) and as in my other thread it\'s vallejo game paints this time blues.

James

 

[Modderrhu]

I\'ve had the same issue with VGC, particularly the white. First, open the bottle, and put some metal offcuts or glass beads in, then shake the living crap out of your paint. Second, when mixing with water, mix and grind those little flakes into the mix, I use little ceramic watercolour trays as my \'palette\' and mix with a toothpick.

However, I returned to GW paints.

 

[demonherald]

It could be pigment it could also be dust and old paint on the brush or pallette.

Generally isn\'t too much of a problem depends how much you have wtered down.

Grains are pigment flakes are pigment attaching to something.

You could try adding something like calgon to your water this is a water softener the oneused in washing machines. Only a little bit is needed in a water pot....worked for me.

 

[JaPizzy]

Does anyone know if model color does the same thing? I have a whole set on order and am wondering if mabey I shouldn\'t have.

I am still looking forward to getting it. I know that the two lines have different formulas for the binder from what I have been told.

 

[MPJ]

open the bottle, and put some metal offcuts or glass beads in

Great idea but make sure the \'metal offcuts\' are not of a ferrous metal (anything that rusts) or it will quickly ruin your paints. Lead works very well, peweter pretty good too but it\'s not as heavy as lead. I suppose gold would work great if you could afford to drop blobs of gold into your paints :idea:. I use old lead pellets but am quickly running out of them (they don\'t make much out of lead anymore, damn environmentalists worrying about lead in the ground, where the frig do they think it came from in the first place?).

 

[faulkns]

Have to say never had a problem yet with VMC with flakes.

Main problem is shaking hard enough to get rid of pigment seperation, especially in metals.

Still better than them drying out in a couple of months like GW!

 

[airhead]

I would guess that if you are seeing \'flakes\' then you need to learn to properly clean your brush and/or pallet. Your brush should be swished in clear water and twirled against the side of the container, putting a slight bend between the bristles and the handle. Never stab it against the bottom of the water jar. Then pull the brush across a rag or paper towel (I prefer the lint free blue paper shop towels). If you see any pigment, repeat the rinse.

At the end of the session, wet your brush and swirl it around some brush soap, then swirl it around the palm of your hand. Work the soap up into the ferrel. Rinse as above.

If this truely is flakes from the paint, I would think that the paint has gone bad (got too hot maybe?) and the latex has started setting. An email to vellajo might be in order.

 

[Ritual]

Yeah, I\'m with Airhead on this one... I\'ve never experienced paint to \'flake\'. Graininess is another matter, but you shouldn\'t get flakes in your paint.

 

[Orb]

me too...........as you mix the paint with the brush the dry paint in the ferrules comes out as flakes

 

[JaPizzy]

I\'m practicing proper brush care with regards to rinsing and cleaning. I always use clean water and masters brush cleaner on my brushes. I shake the heck out of them with an agitator in them. The flakes aren\'t there before I load my brush, and the paint only takes like 5 seconds before the flakes apear.

I haven\'t lost faith yet, and I think that the model colors that I\'m getting will be better.

 

[airhead]

I still say you should not see flakes in your paint. Something is wrong somewhere.

How do you mix your paints with thinner? I use a toothpick on a ceramic tile for a pallet. Never use your brush for mixing, guaranteed way to get paint up the ferrule.

What do you thin your paints with? Could be non-compatable.

Try thinning with just distilled water. Still see flakes? The paints gone bad.

The pigment is ground very fine in the paints. Seeing individual grains of pigment would be amazing. The metals are a bit coarser and at just beyond maximum dilution, you can see the little metal flakes fall out of suspension.

 

[JaPizzy]

I use an old brush to mix, not my painting brush. I also use the brush cleaner on it and rinse it everytime I use it. I will try however a toothpick or an end of a brush.

This last time I was having problems i was only thinning with water.

I also don\'t think it\'s pigment that I\'m seeing, I think it\'s the binder that the pigmint has fallen away from. Because it\'s the same color as the white gunk that forms on a bottlle of game color paint before I shake it up.

Mabey it\'s just a bad batch of paint. Ah well. I really do appreciate everyone\'s comments on the matter. i\'ve never received so maby responses to a comment on here before.

James

 

[vincegamer]

Originally posted by airhead
Never use your brush for mixing, guaranteed way to get paint up the ferrule.

I have a different take on this.
I always mix my paints with a brush.
I use one of those completely plastic brushes that come in a kid\'s water-color set. When done I just drop it in the water cup, bristles hitting the bottom and all. I can beat the crap out of that brush and it\'s still good as new - because that\'s really not any good at all. However, when I put water into the pallet cup and drop in the paint, I can jam this brush into the bottom of the cup and swirl it and completely mix the paint in a second or 2.
Wash it like washing any other brush.

[edit] I want to point out that the advantage of the all-plastic brush is that paint WILL NOT stick to it like it might stick to nylon or fur.

 

[airhead]

Vince, I guess that would be the exception to the rule. This wouldn\'t happen to be a white-handled brush with black plastic bristles would it?