water and drying retarder??

[BloodiedFangs]

i just had a quick question about drying retarder...specifically, any paint i add retarder to, should i add water as well?? cos when i add the retarder it tends to looks a bit gluggy, however, i\'m not sure if there\'ll be any negative side effects if i add water

 

[Naukhel]

Most drying retarders have instructions for what ratio of paint:retarder you should use. On the rare occasions that I use any retarder (forget the brand I use, offhand), if I\'m mixing, I add only one drop for every 20-25 drops of paint, and that seems to do the job.
Adding water won\'t usually cause a problem, but I\'d advise experimenting a bit on a discarded piece, first, just to play it safe. No sense in ruining what might be a fantastically painted mini with an accident. And stripping\'s a royal pain.

 

[Avelorn]

Do you use a gel retarder? In case you do there are liquid ones as well that IMO work better.

I thin my paints normally with water and in the process add the retarder, I do all that on my palette. You can also make a mix of water and retarted (and perhaps flow-improver) that you put in a sepparate container and use it to thin your paints. I haven\'t tried that yet.. but it seems easier.

 

[Ritual]

I use liquid retarder as well! You can use water to thin the paint as usual, but my retarder has a thinning effect on the paint so I usually don\'t need to thin it much further.

 

[BloodiedFangs]

i\'m using a liquid retarder. however, i\'m fairly careful with the amount of retarder i add, cos otherwise it\'ll be a million years before any given section dries...oh, and it does have a thinning effect...just the amount i use doen\'t thin enough for my taste

anyways, now i\'ve had my question answered, thanks to everyone who replied

 

[Ritual]

Yeah, it\'s good to be careful with the dose of retarder. Makes it hell to layer if you have too much of it.

I usually don\'t thin the paint on the pallette if I have retarder in it, but I load the brush with some water before dipping it in the paint if I need a thinner consistency for some purpose. That\'s a matter of personal preference though, and as I said before, thinning with water is no problem.

 

[Chrispy]

I\'ve mixed water, drying retarder and flow aid into paint, and aside from thinning it out when you add too much, nothing bad happens. You just have to learn what\'s the right amount. Usually, I just add a drop but it\'s important to know if you have to dilute anything (flow aid requires 20 parts water to one part chemical).

Hope this Helps!

 

[marineboy]

Anybody up for recommending a brand name?

 

[Ritual]

Liquitex is good stuff! That\'s what I use.

 

[marineboy]

...and Liquitex can be used for any acrylic based paint wihout problems?

 

[Ritual]

I suppose so! Works fine with Vallejo and GW paints and I know people who use Reaper paints have recommended it.

 

[marineboy]

Ritual, this stuff looks great, and what a range of products! Are you buying in Stockholm or off the web?

 

[Ritual]

I buy it here in Stockholm. A big art store called Kreatima has basically all the Liquitex range. I\'ve got the flow improver as well. Good stuff, but it makes the paint taste horribly. :|~

 

[marineboy]

....\"but it makes the paint taste horribly. :|~ \"

with my painting technique, that\'s a big minus...actually, with my drinking technique it\'s a big minus, too! lol

I\'ve got to find this stuff in Copenhagen, looks too good not to experiment with.

What\'re your experiences with the flow extender? Can you get a less-thinned mix to flow out more? How does it work?

 

[Ritual]

I use it for glazes, mainly. Or if I\'m shading fur or something heavily textured by using thinned paint. When glazing it works better than water, I think. The paint spreads better and doesn\'t \'pool up\' in certain areas as easily. When I have no specific needs for it I use plain water though, so I can lick my brushes properly!

 

[kmdl1066]

I have an pre-mix of 40% water, 40% Future, 20% Liquitex liquid retarder and mix it with paint on the pallet.

I mix this 50/50 with GW paint for base coat, thin further with the above mix for shadows, and thin further with water for highlights. I realize that good painters will use a better flow improver, but this works nicely for 3 - 5 layers of paint.

The Future makes everything a bit glossy though, so a flat varnish like Dullcoat is important.

Sean

 

[marineboy]

Oh, you lucky people that have Future floor wax! So many people have so much good to say about this product! (I used to use it over the spit shine on my combat boots when in the US ARmy, protected the oh-so-vulnerable shine...great stuff!)

Does anyone have a suggestion about another product similar to Future and available in Europe?

Or, is any kind soul willing to ship a small bottle of Future over here?

 

[QuietiManes]

Heh, it\'s not wax! Or so they make extreamely clear on the bottle...I think they\'re anti-wax or something.

Marineboy you\'ve been PM\'d.:flame:

 

[kmdl1066]

@marineboy

From Dr. Faust\'s Painting Clinic:

Future is available only in the United States. However it is sold under other names, or there are similar products, available in other countries.

Mexico: Glo-mosa or Clo-coat

United Kingdom: Klear or Krystal Klear

Netherlands: Pronto Wax for Wood Floors or Parket Plus

France: Klir

Germany: Erdal Glanzer

Australia: Pledge One Go

Xtracolour, which makes military hobby paints, make \"Acrylic Gloss Clear\" which seams to be repackaged Future.

If your country is not listed, check your local supermarket for a clear, acrylic-based floor polish.

 

[frenchkid]

I\'d advise against licking the brush if you used the liquidex stuff, it\'s just awfull :|~
And thanks for those translation of futur floor wax !! Now I can go out and try to find somthing called klir