Time to take that cape to the cleaners, Seeker...

I’m a big proponent of the technique known far and wide as The Dip. I use it a lot on minis I review here at The Alpha because I have a constant need for painted minis and can’t afford to take weeks to produce them. I’ve even produced a well-regarded video tutorial on the subject.

But I’ve discovered a serious problem with The Dip, or rather with my preferred medium for it, Minwax Polyshade Satin Tudor. You see, the lid for the Polyshade can (at least the half-pint size I have) is not designed very well. Over time dried sealer tends to collect along the edge and makes it basically impossible to get a proper air-tight seal when closing the can.

The result is a slow but steady thickening of the Minwax and intensification of its color as the volatile thinner evaporates. It’s been so gradual that I hadn’t really noticed that my minis were getting darker and darker as time went on until I tried to do a light coat on a Superfig I had intended to review this week.

As you can see from the pics, what was intended to be a light shading of his cape looks like he’s been rolling around in sewage. Worse, the coat ended up too thick, obscuring some of the details. It was late at night when I applied the Minwax, and since I was eager to get to bed I didn’t notice the problems as I should have. I’ll try to repaint or strip the mini, but the Minwax is so tough I’m not sure I’ll be able to save him.

Once I discovered the problem, I stirred in some mineral spirits and thinned out the Polyshade quite a bit. I don’t know if its quite back to the original color density and viscosity, but it’s a heck of a lot better than the milkshake-like consistency it was before.

The lessons I’ve learned (and wish to pass on) are:

• Carefully monitor the consistency of your Dip media
• Make sure to get as tight a seal on the media can as possible
• Consider transferring Polyshade to a better container, or at least periodically scrape the dried stuff off the edge of the lid

If I can save just one mini from sharing the fate of poor Seeker then this experience will have been worthwhile. Remember, dip responsibly. The figs you save may be your own…

Popularity: 21% [?]

Related posts:

1. Video Interview with Cary Parris of Dark Age Games Dark Age's line developer gives us an overview of the...