Can anyone remember what the formula is for weathering with India Ink? I know it contains rubbing alcohol, water and possibly a drop or two of detergent to break the surface tension when sprayed. Help would be appreciated.
There are several recipes on Dave Frary’s web site such as this one for rock coloring
Either the alcohol OR the detergent, and the vast, vast majority would use alcohol. Use the detergent as a penetrant for your ballast and scenic glue.
How patient are you? Do you mind several successive iterations of wet, let dry, wet, let dry to get the effect you want, or do you want to get the effect in two or three applications only?
I think if you use a 50/50 methyl or isopropyl alcohol mix with water (alcohols are all water miscible), and add three drops of india ink per pint, you will get a nice wash effect in about four applications, give or take…depending on the material that you are weathering…how absorptive it is and how much shadowing or staining you want.
Thank you all.
Larry
a little achoal works good for me or spray paint.
I mix my ink much much stronger, like 4 to 6 drops per 2 oz of 70% rubbing alcohol. I can then weather in one swipe. You can brush it out to lighten it up and leave it heavy to be dark dirty spots. This barn was weathered with it. It can also be lightened later by brushing on rubbing alcohol and wiping with a towel. . It’s only permanant if it’s used for staining wood or other really porus things, and then it can still be lightened quite a bit with alcohol brushings even then. Fred
