Best way to apply a black wash?

[Brandon Miller]

What's the best way to apply a black wash to a grille or wheels?

[Dpate]

Water based or enamel? stock chrome or custom chrome? 

[Brandon Miller]

It's stock chrome. I just want to add some depth to it.

[NOBLNG]

I have limited experience doing this, but I would just take some water based paint, thin it down real good and lightly brush  it on. You can wash it off if it doesn’t look good. I know you can buy powdered washes, but have never tried any myself. You could search for videos on YT also.

[bh1701]

I use Vallejo Black Model Wash and just brush it on. It settles in the crevices very well. Sometimes may need to apply a second coat for a couple of spots where the coverage was not that good. I tried making my own washes and never had much success. I now use the Vallejo exclusively. I have used it on bumpers, wheels, and other places. Here is an example of a grill that I used the black wash on.

Thanks,

Bart

[CabDriver]

Black India ink (ask at Michael's or Hobby Lobby) works great, can be cleaned up with water, covers well and is cheap...and it's thinned to the right consistency already!

[Raoul Ross]

1 hour ago, bh1701 said:

I use Vallejo Black Model Wash and just brush it on. It settles in the crevices very well. Sometimes may need to apply a second coat for a couple of spots where the coverage was not that good. I tried making my own washes and never had much success. I now use the Vallejo exclusively. I have used it on bumpers, wheels, and other places. Here is an example of a grill that I used the black wash on.

Thanks,

Bart

Impressive! How does it compare to Tamiya's, which I thought would be the 'goto' answer supplied here.

[bh1701]

2 hours ago, Raoul Ross said:

Impressive! How does it compare to Tamiya's, which I thought would be the 'goto' answer supplied here.

Are you asking about the Tamiya Black Panel Line Accent? I use that sometimes to accent the door and trunk panels, but have never tried it as a wash. Hopefully someone else has some experience with it.

Thanks,

Bart

[Raoul Ross]

Well now that you say that I guess I don't know the difference between a 'wash' and the Tamiya Black Panel accent, I thought they were the same thing. Maybe someone here can enlighten me.

[Claude Thibodeau]

4 hours ago, Raoul Ross said:

Impressive! How does it compare to Tamiya's, which I thought would be the 'goto' answer supplied here.

HI!

The Tamya black panel accent is actually solvent based, akin to enamel. It flows well, remains fairly dark, but... if you apply too much on a given spot, and want to clean it up, it may easily smear, and / or even "tint" the surrounding surfaces, depending on the nature of the surrounding paint (lacquer is safe, enamel and acrylic may soak it up). Just a word of advice if your panel lines are on a light colored body.

On kit chrome, it's mostly forgiving, if you clean-up any overflow quickly before it settles and dries.

Speakink of which, it may be a tad slow to fully dry. 

Good luck!

CT 

[R. Thorne]

Consider this acrylic version.

[moparfarmer]

Tamiya Smoke is my go to..

[Sandboarder]

On 5/28/2022 at 5:39 AM, Raoul Ross said:

Well now that you say that I guess I don't know the difference between a 'wash' and the Tamiya Black Panel accent, I thought they were the same thing. Maybe someone here can enlighten me.

As Tamiya panel line evaporates it pulls the black pigments into the recesses, I guess it’s an property design for panel lines.

 

I would suggest use thinned oil paint and clean up with enamel thinner. You could use something like 502’s starship filth for a aged appearance or Mr Weatherings washes.
 

 
 

 

you can use craft oil paints and acrylic paints are also suitable. The oil does take a long time to dry fully 

[hedotwo]

I'll add my 2 cents too....  After years of making my own washes including home brewed acrylics, enamels, Tamiya Panel Line color, and even The Detailer.  All have been ok to one extent or another but based on the vote for Vallejo Model Wash earlier in this thread I picked up a bottle of it over the weekend and just gave it a number of tries on various scrap grilles and wheel covers.  Super impressed!  Flowed really easy and required little or no rebrushing to fill low areas, and it dries nice and dark.  This will be my go to from now on.  

Happy camper ?

[jaymcminn]

I'll have to try the Vallejo. My go-to was a Model Master acrylic wash that I've just used the last of. I like the Tamiya panel line wash a lot as well, but it's at its best highlighting really crisply-molded details. 

[Dpate]

I used vallejos black wash for dark vehicles on this body.  This kit im working on is a test kit using everything. 

[carrucha]

I put a couple of drops of Tamiya acrylic flat black in a plastic paint palette and add enough water until it is the correct consistency.  I brush it onto the part and use a paper towel moistened with water to wipe off the excess.