The reason why the metallic paints get weird results is because the wetting agent in the paint is getting absorbed into the sponge so you need to have a premixed solution of distilled/deionized water, ammonia, and wetting agent for your wet palette for optimal results. There are a ton of different wetting agents you can use for this too like alcohol ethoxylate which is fairly easy to get. You can get the same weirdness as you call it from any pigment with a heavy mass or one that forms agglomerates easily. The Ammonia is for pH stabilization as acrylics are very pH sensitive and do not like being in non high alkaline environments hence why you can see cracking on your miniatures within a decade if you use tap water as the tab water can cause some problems with the carbamate links due to the acidity of it. It also works better as a biocide than copper does. Been using the same sponge for 6 years and no mold.
@@alexpaintstinythings I have tons of info like this. I'm an MSA within the coatings industry in the regulatory side so I have direct contact to the formulators from dozens of paint companies. I cant say a lot of it due to trade secret stuff but I have resources that can help that arent trade secret that most dont have. The only trick is you need to know organic chemistry to understand half of them.
@@MrPigments I really feel like if I can get a few more videos under my belt and build the channel up, we should do an episode where I interview you and we deep-dive into the world of coatings and how they apply to hobby tips!
@@alexpaintstinythings We can do that even now. I collab with a few youtubers. I just care about getting information out there as word of mouth is powerful, even more about safety. Do you have a discord?
The reason why the metallic paints get weird results is because the wetting agent in the paint is getting absorbed into the sponge so you need to have a premixed solution of distilled/deionized water, ammonia, and wetting agent for your wet palette for optimal results. There are a ton of different wetting agents you can use for this too like alcohol ethoxylate which is fairly easy to get.
You can get the same weirdness as you call it from any pigment with a heavy mass or one that forms agglomerates easily.
The Ammonia is for pH stabilization as acrylics are very pH sensitive and do not like being in non high alkaline environments hence why you can see cracking on your miniatures within a decade if you use tap water as the tab water can cause some problems with the carbamate links due to the acidity of it. It also works better as a biocide than copper does. Been using the same sponge for 6 years and no mold.
Oh my this is amazing information, thank you!! I knew someone would have a better answer than me :) - definitely taking a note of this!
@@alexpaintstinythings I have tons of info like this. I'm an MSA within the coatings industry in the regulatory side so I have direct contact to the formulators from dozens of paint companies.
I cant say a lot of it due to trade secret stuff but I have resources that can help that arent trade secret that most dont have.
The only trick is you need to know organic chemistry to understand half of them.
@@MrPigments I really feel like if I can get a few more videos under my belt and build the channel up, we should do an episode where I interview you and we deep-dive into the world of coatings and how they apply to hobby tips!
@@alexpaintstinythings We can do that even now. I collab with a few youtubers. I just care about getting information out there as word of mouth is powerful, even more about safety.
Do you have a discord?
@@MrPigments I do - a very small one, there's a link at alexpaints.co.uk :)
A wet palette and dropper bottles were a game changer for me. Now I just need to make the brush upgrade.
It’ll make a big difference for sure!