Making your army painter

[Fenton]

Just a quick question to see what anybody thinks

AP seems to be getting a bit expensive now, so I was wondering if you could make you own with a tin of B&Q clear varnish and a bottle of AP strong tone ink ( or any other ink) , If I used the AP ink least I would get close to the strongtone ...
Do you think it would work?

[Colonel White]

If you must make your own then I think Woodstains would be they way to go. I don't think the cost saving when you have finished would be really that worth it. But thats just my opinion. At around £20.00 per can it is still one of the most economical products to use as long as you look after it ( not allowing skin to form etc) .I have used the can can now for nearly a year and I would rather used a tried and tested product than something that may or may not do the job.

[Fenton]

I would rather used a tried and tested product than something that may or may not do the job.

Fair point...Just an idea I had ..I think you are right though

[grant]

I would second that - my mid tone is nearly three years old, my strong tone is just running out as I use it more.

[t-hawk]

The viscosity of AP dip is at least double that of Minwax poly stain. The AP not only does a great job of washing, but protects a lot better. Ya, it's expensive when compared to stain, but my time painting is worth a lot also. I've had several minis dropped at demo games and no chipped paint so far...

[Colonel White]

Yes thats a very good point and often overlooked about the protective qualities of the AP dip

[Centurion Dan]

Vellejo also do a dip - and it's a helluva lot cheaper than the AP stuff. I bought 3 large pots of the sepia stuff last year for about £15 in a bundle. I can see these pots lasting me for years to come.
It's worth looking around as there are cheaper alternatives on the market that are equally as good as the more expensive ones.

[Colonel White]

Not tried it myself but i havn't had much in the way of favourable feedback on ther Vallegio dip by others in the club who have used it. I don't think it protects very well either so I have heard.

[Fenton]

I use the black one on my 6mm figures sprayed grey then washed in the Vajello black to highlight the detail, makes painting them a lot easier ( Not that it wasnt easy already)

[Psykostevo]

I have Army Painter dips, but is still prefer good old wood stain.

If you live in the US you should be able to go to an Ace Hardware and find Minwax Polyshades Tudor Satin.

I haven't had any luck finding it at Home Depot or Walmart.

You can either dip, or brush it on. I still prefer using some dirty old brushes to get it pooled up where I need it. Then I let it dry for 24-48 hours. And then spray it with Testors Dullcote spray. If you dont let the minwax fully dry you will get a shriveled raisin finish anywhere it was still moist, so don't rush any of the dips. Even army painter will do this if you don't let it dry properly before spraying a varnish.