Hello, I'm new to modelling and have just applied MIG pigments to a 48th Tamiya 'Grief'. I got it looking really good with 'Thinners for washes', then applied 'Pigment Fixative' to hold it all in place and it ruined it! The pigments disappeared and the finish went gloss! I'd read somewhere to shake the bottle well, which I did, but the finish is terrible! Should the fixative be thinned or should I just avoid it? I'm going to go over it with the pigments and thinners again to hopefully flatten it off, but I'd like to know what I'm doing wrong?
Cheers, Martin

You are to shake the bottle real well. Pigment fixer dries much slower and does make a the pigments a bit darker than thinner for washes. As for the glossy look use very little at a time and allow it to soak into the pigments, I use an eye dropper and use just a small amout at a time. The Key is also speed up the drying time, Iuse a hairdryer. You want to dry the pigments not warp the kit. As for the pigments disappearing, It might be caused by using too much Fixer and you literaly washed away the pigments

The above described It Perfectly. Personally I use Mona Lisa odorless paint thinner from michaels arts and crafts sores because the thinner for washes is more expensive and can leave water marks if you don't excellerate it's drying. It will cling to the model but can he rubbed off to be careful

I paint the model with Acrylics and then use an Enamel Testor thinner for the pigment wash. If you paint with an enamel, maybe you need to use the layer of future to protect the base paint when weathering with pigments, etc HTH

Martin,
Unless I misunderstood, you applied the pigments as a wash using "Thinner for Washes"? If so, you didn't necessarily need a fixative. The solvent in the TforW could well have been enough to hold the pigments in place. It has been my experience that the only time you really need to apply a fixative is when you are using pigments dry. Then, all I do is use full brushfuls of Tamiya X-20A Thinner, gently touching the tip of the brush to the model and allowing the capillary action to seep under the pigments. In this fashion you won't disrupt or disturb the pigments' effect. I have also used Humbrol enamel thinner as a fixative, but it has a tendency to dissolve Tmaiya Extra Thin cement glue joints In any event, I have yet to find any kind of fixative that will protect pigment finishes to any great degree. Care should still be taken when handling afterwards.

Kirchoff

Excellent! Thanks for the advice guys. I'll try not to cock it up this time!
Cheers, Martin

Hi

What I do with mine is

If over an Acrylic base I Mineral spirit (White Spirit in UK) as a thinner and then fix it in place with an Acrylic Flat coat.

If used on an Enamel base I use IPA as a thinner and then fix in place with either acrylic or spirit flat coat. Ulthough the IPA will also fix it but I like to make sure.

Paul

Hi Martin,

I've come to this conversation late, but I gotta say the Mike has shared some good advice about using the Fixer. Thanks Mike!

Fixer, like most products, can be used in a number of ways to achieve different effects. The capillary method that Mike describes is very useful for Setting the pigments in place once you have them applied as you wish. Careful not to disturb the pigments - let the wash flow.

You can also apply the pigments to the surface and then taking a Fixer moistened brush stir everything around on the surface and let it was wash into the cracks and corners. This is very similar to using pigments "wet" (having been mixed with thinner) but will permanently fix them. You don't end up with a lot of definition, but this method works well for producing a base layer over which you can apply more layers of pigments (more carefully).

The Fixer can also be misted over the surfaces using an airbrush, just be careful with your pressure so as not to disturb the pigments.

One suggestion is to make the Fixer drying process as quick as possible, as this seems to reduce the chances of tide marks. Best suggestion is to not go overboard with the application in the first place. I also have been known to use a hairdryer to speed the process.

I will be happy to discuss this further with you here or feel free to contact me directly at:

[email protected]

Rickj