In the rare instances where I’ve used water based products, I add a tiny drop of dish soap. It reduces the surface tension of the water to help it flow better.
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My favorite washes are all homemade.
Quality oil paint like Winsor Newton. To the colors mentioned above I’d add Raw Umber as a color thst works well with many different vehicle color. I like to thin with Mineral spirits or cigarette lighter fluid (naptha).
Enamel paints also work very well. I like to thin those with Mr Color Leveling Thinner. It’s important the paint on the model is fully cured.
Dislike acrylic washes in general as they tend to dry quickly and allow less working time. They’re much easier to get ugly tide marks with than oils or enamels.
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Humm, I never thought of adding Future!!!
Oil paints and naptha lighter fluid.
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Not homemade, but these water based black and brown transparent shaders from Citadel will take you a long way. My son and I call these “experience in a bottle.”
But you will have to look for them in the DnD, World of Warcraft type hobby stores.
And those two colors are almost always out because everyone and their mom knows about them now.
They are usually in stock but the larger bottles may not always be available!
My first ever “wash” was the thin, runny black thinner left in the bottom of my brush wash-out bottle.
Thanks for making me feel old , now I shall pass on to you the knowledge of the ancient times …
When buying a oil/aquarel colour , to make you own wash , take a note of the following :
on the tube you will find a little square (usually near the number / name of the line) it works as follows…
White square : the paint coverage is low
Half white/black : the paint coverage is medium
Black square : the paint coverage is high
For example if you want a brown wash for your model , take a ‘pinch’ Raw Umber (with the white square) and dilute it to a milky substance.
After some experiments and experience you will find your own formula as we all did back in the olden days …
Grz,
Sam.
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I think you mean Warhammer — WoW is a computer game 
You are no doubt correct. However I model the REAL world, portralying real soldiers and real equipment and real history. So I have zero interest in these fantasy worlds that never existed and have no bearing on actual reality. The one thing I can tell you though; Citadel makes a great range of paints and special affects coatings that sadly are often not available thru the regular hobbyshops that many modelers will frequent.
Sam, that’s an excellent information about the label and coverage. A+++
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True, but paint is paint, regardless of whose models it was made for! My son had a spell doing Warhammer so I discovered their washes and the dreadfully expensive cans of Chaos Black. Some (but not all) of their weird colours have a use on my tanks…
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I’ve also used oils thinned with turpenoid,not as harsh,as was mentioned burnt umber and raw umber work well
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You want your work time in the 5 to 10 minute range. Less than that and you can end up with areas you can’t blend.
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