No, not THAT kind of alcohol! I have one pint bottle of 99% alcohol with 2 teaspoons of Higgins waterproof black ink in it, and I have it labeled "Medium". Would you consider another bottle with 1 teaspoon ink to the alcohol as "Light" and another bottle with 3 teaspoons ink to the alcohol as "Dark"? Or do you guys and gals go further apart or closer together, ratio wise, in your recipes of ink stains?
Randy,
I haven't tried the Higgins. I use a cheap black ink I picked up at Staples that's used to refill ink pads. I mixed up two teaspoon of that into a bottle of 90% alcohol and I consider that to be too dark to use as is. I pour it into smaller jars I keep on my work bench and lighten it up by mixing it with some clear alcohol as I fill those jars. No formula though, I just wing it. I keep two bottles on my work bench. One light and one dark. I also keep a third bottle with clear alcohol in on the workbench as well. If I feel that even the light mix is too dark (especially when I'm toning down whites, yellows, tans, etc.) I first dip my brush in the clear alcohol and then the light alcohol. If I didn't realize it was too dark until after I started brushing it on something I brush the clear on while it's still wet to cut it. Basically I just wing it. :D
Randee,
Like Bob, I use to mix my own but over the past several years I've gotten lazy. Ok, very lazy in that I now use the Hunter Line Weathering Mix (A&I).
www.hunterline.com (http://www.hunterline.com)
I use the Creosote black(heavy) and the Light Gray(light). If I want a medium I pour some of the Creosote Black into a spare bottle and add some rubbing alcohol to make it lighter.
Hunterline is usually at the EXPO's.
Often I'll start with the light and if I don't like the results I'll apply a second coat. Much easier to add the A&I vs. removing it once applied.
Tom ;D
I just checked the Hunter Line schedule and they will be at this years EXPO.
Quote from: Randee on January 21, 2015, 06:56:33 AM
No, not THAT kind of alcohol! I have one pint bottle of 99% alcohol with 2 teaspoons of Higgins waterproof black ink in it, and I have it labeled "Medium". Would you consider another bottle with 1 teaspoon ink to the alcohol as "Light" and another bottle with 3 teaspoons ink to the alcohol as "Dark"? Or do you guys and gals go further apart or closer together, ratio wise, in your recipes of ink stains?
Randy
I have 4 different bottles of A&I labeled 2, 3, and 4 for the number of teaspoons of ink to the pint of alcohol. The forth bottle is labeled trestle and is a mixture of 4 teaspoons of black and 2 teaspoons of brown Higgins Ink. For most weathering applications I use the 2. The trestle mixture was the result of some experimentation looking for the combination I liked the best.
Where did you find 99% alcohol?
I follow Sellios' recipe. I don't have an instruction abbet handy so I cannot quote it.
I only make one kind. If I want darker stain I just leave the wood in the A&I jar longer.
Jaime
I get 99% from the pharmacist. They can order a big container for you (litre?) or give you a couple of pints if you bring some empty containers. You don't get much warping with it.
Quote from: Mike Engler on January 21, 2015, 09:07:09 AM
I get 99% from the pharmacist. They can order a big container for you (litre?) or give you a couple of pints if you bring some empty containers. You don't get much warping with it.
Thanks.
I think I'll order the large container and transfer that to empty pint jars of the stuff you find on the shelf.
Jaime
99%? Nice. I'll have to check that out. I use 91% which I get at the local CVS pharmacy. I have 2 strengths of A&I: 1 or 2 tbs per pint (light or medium), but I also have a bunch of the Hunterline bottles in different colors/shades. I swop back and forth depending on my mood. Hunter line will be at Springfield this weekend, so I need to check my stock.
Randy...
Recall from previous conversations I use aniline dye. These work very much like A&I so I can answer here. I have used A&I in the past but the black is too stark for me.
Neither of these methods us a sealer like Minwax or other commercial stain sealer products. Therefore you can put multiple applications to get what you want as far as darkness. I don't soak strip wood for several reasons: no control over darkness and warping.
I use a wide brush that carries a lot of liquid. I stain on a plastic baggie sheet that is later disposable and once I have rolled the pieces around I move them to another location on the plastic so as to not soak up stain on the bottom that I might not know about until later.
Repeated applications do not need to be done on completely dry wood so repeat applications can happen over a short period of time. The alcohol goes off pretty fast so dry times are shorter than water or oil based stains.
I like quick...
see ya
Bob
Quote from: ReadingBob on January 21, 2015, 07:33:26 AM
Randy,
I haven't tried the Higgins. I use a cheap black ink I picked up at Staples that's used to refill ink pads. I mixed up two teaspoon of that into a bottle of 90% alcohol and I consider that to be too dark to use as is. I pour it into smaller jars I keep on my work bench and lighten it up by mixing it with some clear alcohol as I fill those jars. No formula though, I just wing it. I keep two bottles on my work bench. One light and one dark. I also keep a third bottle with clear alcohol in on the workbench as well. If I feel that even the light mix is too dark (especially when I'm toning down whites, yellows, tans, etc.) I first dip my brush in the clear alcohol and then the light alcohol. If I didn't realize it was too dark until after I started brushing it on something I brush the clear on while it's still wet to cut it. Basically I just wing it. :D
The Higgins was something I picked up at the Pearl Art store down the street here in Alexandria, before they went out of business. A little ink goes a LONG way. I still have some Rapidograph around, from my college days when I was a draftsman in 1965...
Quote from: ACL1504 on January 21, 2015, 08:05:55 AM
Randee,
Like Bob, I use to mix my own but over the past several years I've gotten lazy. Ok, very lazy in that I now use the Hunter Line Weathering Mix (A&I).
www.hunterline.com (http://www.hunterline.com)
I use the Creosote black(heavy) and the Light Gray(light). If I want a medium I pour some of the Creosote Black into a spare bottle and add some rubbing alcohol to make it lighter.
Hunterline is usually at the EXPO's.
Often I'll start with the light and if I don't like the results I'll apply a second coat. Much easier to add the A&I vs. removing it once applied.
Tom ;D
I have lots of the Hunterline stuff here.
Quote from: S&S RR on January 21, 2015, 08:51:24 AM
Quote from: Randee on January 21, 2015, 06:56:33 AM
No, not THAT kind of alcohol! I have one pint bottle of 99% alcohol with 2 teaspoons of Higgins waterproof black ink in it, and I have it labeled "Medium". Would you consider another bottle with 1 teaspoon ink to the alcohol as "Light" and another bottle with 3 teaspoons ink to the alcohol as "Dark"? Or do you guys and gals go further apart or closer together, ratio wise, in your recipes of ink stains?
Randy
I have 4 different bottles of A&I labeled 2, 3, and 4 for the number of table spoons of ink to the pint of alcohol. The forth bottle is labeled trestle and is a mixture of 4 table spoons of black and 2 table spoons of brown Higgins Ink. For most weathering applications I use the 2. The trestle mixture was the result of some experimentation looking for the combination I liked the best.
TABLEspoons, or TEAspoons? Big difference...
Quote from: NEMMRRC on January 21, 2015, 08:55:06 AM
Where did you find 99% alcohol?
I follow Sellios' recipe. I don't have an instruction abbet handy so I cannot quote it.
I only make one kind. If I want darker stain I just leave the wood in the A&I jar longer.
Jaime
My local Safeway grocery store carries 71%, 91%, and 99%, in the pharmacy department. I think the only difference is the added inert ingredient of water.
Quote from: MAP on January 21, 2015, 09:23:10 AM
99%? Nice. I'll have to check that out. I use 91% which I get at the local CVS pharmacy. I have 2 strengths of A&I: 1 or 2 tbs per pint (light or medium), but I also have a bunch of the Hunterline bottles in different colors/shades. I swop back and forth depending on my mood. Hunter line will be at Springfield this weekend, so I need to check my stock.
Again, I'm curious...TABLEspoons, or TEAspoons?
t not T. Like Jaime most of the time I use just one strength, 2 teaspoons per pt. bottle. For a darker stain on stripwood I just leave it in longer. Since I often try to peel or fade some of the paint on siding boards, I A/I all of them before I paint or apply a wash topcoat.
By the time the pint bottle is half full, it is considerably darker than when I started even though I shake well before each use.
I will soak a bunch of eight-inch pieces of stripwood for 3-4 minutes, then turn them upside-down and soak them for another few minutes. I sometimes use my phone timer if I want uniform staining.
I use Higgins ink because it is very cheap with a Michaels 50% coupon, and I also use brown and sepia inks for variety.
Quote from: Randee on January 21, 2015, 02:00:13 PM
Quote from: MAP on January 21, 2015, 09:23:10 AM
99%? Nice. I'll have to check that out. I use 91% which I get at the local CVS pharmacy. I have 2 strengths of A&I: 1 or 2 tbs per pint (light or medium), but I also have a bunch of the Hunterline bottles in different colors/shades. I swop back and forth depending on my mood. Hunter line will be at Springfield this weekend, so I need to check my stock.
Again, I'm curious...TABLEspoons, or TEAspoons?
Sorry, Teaspoon - the spoon I use is in the picture. I used Amy's measuring spoons and it holds about 1 TSP (teaspoon)
I will change my post to read teaspoons.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-210115163322.jpeg)
My question is at what point in the project do you use A&I. Thanks. Jim
Jim...
For me it is usually last but it depends on what I'm doing.
For rock features, whether scenic or stone work on buildings, it's last.
For timber related structures, trestles, ties and mine stuff it is first. On mining stuff I'll add dust and detritus fall after.
For trestles the only thing that comes later is running rust from NBW stuff.
I will on scenic stuff however I will seal it again with a flat lacquer. Structures, generally no.
see ya
Bob
Just to throw another option out there - I've sort of moved away from ink in alcohol and moved to leather dye (NOT shoe dye) - same approximate ratios. You can find a wide variety of leather dyes at shoe repair shops. Fiebing's (sp?) is one brand that comes to mind.
Al Carter
Quote from: tabooma county rwy on January 21, 2015, 07:58:40 PM
Just to throw another option out there - I've sort of moved away from ink in alcohol and moved to leather dye (NOT shoe dye) - same approximate ratios. You can find a wide variety of leather dyes at shoe repair shops. Fiebing's (sp?) is one brand that comes to mind.
Al Carter
Thanks Al, AND everyone else...this feedback has been a great help! I'll post pictures later.
I use A&I depending on the finish I want the wood to have , using the A&I before painting give the paint a very dull worn look , using it after painting gives me a filthy/grimy but well painted look, hope you know what I mean.
Quote from: jrmueller on January 21, 2015, 06:06:49 PM
My question is at what point in the project do you use A&I. Thanks. Jim
I primarily use A&I for my painted castings, doors, windows, figures and non-wood stuff. For those my sequence is generally prime them, paint the finish color of choice, if peeling paint effect is desired 'dry sponge' a primer color over the finish color, dip 'em in A&I and then dry brush them with a light color to highlight the edges. I want the A&I to settle down in the cracks, crevices, what not to create a shadow effect and the dry brushing to highlight the edges to the make them sharper (a light effect).
For walls and wood I primarily use Hunterline stains these days or, on occasion, Weather-It as the base stain. If the walls are painted (most of mine are) then I follow a similar sequence as above and use the A&I only after the walls have been painted and the peeling paint effect has been applied.
But that's just me. Great thing about this hobby is there are so many different ways to get some nice effects. :D