bonehead
A Fixture
It is funny how the same misconceptions are repeated over and over ad infinitum. I cannot speak for anything but the old Rose powders and the original printer's ink sold by Phil Kessling. I have used them both over the years. Many years ago (in a past life) I worked for the American model paint company Testor. It was while working there that the head chemist explained metallic paints to me.
First off, the use of "white spirits" (called 'paint thinner' here in the U.S.) as a "medium" for printer's ink is dead wrong. White spirits are NOT a paint medium! They are a solvent for oil based paint and paint mediums. If you mix paint thinner with the old printer's ink, you will only end up with a dull finish that will rub off without any provocation whatsoever. If that is the result you are after, then you have missed the point of the stuff completely.
The beauty of printer's ink is that it CAN result in a brilliant smooth and reflective finish. But this will only happen if you use a proper paint medium as a carrier for the metallic powders. That is what the rose powders are. The printer's ink is simply a powder suspended in a neutral medium. It is not paint, nor is it a proper carrier for suspension of the fine metallic powder. That is why thinner will neither bind it nor suspend the powder to release its brilliance. For that to happen, you need to suspend the paste in a proper clear glossy paint medium. Liquin may work for this. I do not know because I cannot paint a lick with oils and have never used the stuff. Whatever you do, DO NOT use matte clear paint unless you want a dull finish!
Rose did produce a medium for use with their metallic powders. It was nothing magical. It was simply a clear enamel paint. You can get the same stuff by buying a tin of Humbrol clear gloss paint. This will work fine for a paint medium for both powders and printer's ink. It's only disadvantage is that clear enamel is prone to oxidization and will yellow and turn to a carmel color over time. That is why the Testor metallic paints used a lacquer based medium - no yellowing. When I use the Rose powder or printer's ink, I use the clear medium in a bottle of Testor gold paint. With the powder settled to the bottom of the jar, you simply wick the medium off the top of the bottle with a paint brush. This resulting PAINT, can then be thinned with paint thinner if needed.
The overall brilliance of the final paint finish with metallic paints is due to a process called "leafing". Leafing occurs when the powder in a paint medium migrates to the surface of the paint film. This happens readily with clear paint mediums that are slow drying. That is why oil based mediums work better than acrylic ones. Acrylic paint dries so fast that it does not allow much leafing to occur.
I hope this helps...
First off, the use of "white spirits" (called 'paint thinner' here in the U.S.) as a "medium" for printer's ink is dead wrong. White spirits are NOT a paint medium! They are a solvent for oil based paint and paint mediums. If you mix paint thinner with the old printer's ink, you will only end up with a dull finish that will rub off without any provocation whatsoever. If that is the result you are after, then you have missed the point of the stuff completely.
The beauty of printer's ink is that it CAN result in a brilliant smooth and reflective finish. But this will only happen if you use a proper paint medium as a carrier for the metallic powders. That is what the rose powders are. The printer's ink is simply a powder suspended in a neutral medium. It is not paint, nor is it a proper carrier for suspension of the fine metallic powder. That is why thinner will neither bind it nor suspend the powder to release its brilliance. For that to happen, you need to suspend the paste in a proper clear glossy paint medium. Liquin may work for this. I do not know because I cannot paint a lick with oils and have never used the stuff. Whatever you do, DO NOT use matte clear paint unless you want a dull finish!
Rose did produce a medium for use with their metallic powders. It was nothing magical. It was simply a clear enamel paint. You can get the same stuff by buying a tin of Humbrol clear gloss paint. This will work fine for a paint medium for both powders and printer's ink. It's only disadvantage is that clear enamel is prone to oxidization and will yellow and turn to a carmel color over time. That is why the Testor metallic paints used a lacquer based medium - no yellowing. When I use the Rose powder or printer's ink, I use the clear medium in a bottle of Testor gold paint. With the powder settled to the bottom of the jar, you simply wick the medium off the top of the bottle with a paint brush. This resulting PAINT, can then be thinned with paint thinner if needed.
The overall brilliance of the final paint finish with metallic paints is due to a process called "leafing". Leafing occurs when the powder in a paint medium migrates to the surface of the paint film. This happens readily with clear paint mediums that are slow drying. That is why oil based mediums work better than acrylic ones. Acrylic paint dries so fast that it does not allow much leafing to occur.
I hope this helps...
