OK guys, this isn't a lazy question. I searched all the old posts and attempted to finish my Friuli Jagdtiger tracks accordingly. I scrubbed them in acetone. I soaked overnight in white vinegar, even scrubbed some with Purple Power - a very strong detergent. The final result? The Blacken It rolls off of them like a ball point pen on wax paper. What's going on here? What sort of toxic, nuclear waste do I have to treat these with to get the mold release or whatever off of them? It's really only on the face of the tracks, in the recesses of the "waffle" pattern where the stuff won't affect it at all. I'll likely weather this kit somewhat so there'll be mud covering the silver spots but for the next kit - any ideas how to defeat this?

Having had the same problem you're dealing with, I'm not sure the fault lay in the Fruil tracks, but rather in the surface tension in the Blacken It. My only solution in the past has been to gently tap the container with the tracks submerged in the fluid to try to loosen the air bubbles. I've even tried scrubbing the blacken it into the recesses. nothing gets all the crannies filled.

The drop back and punt plan has always been to weather my track pretty heavily, which i always do. A couple of thin dark oil and pastel washes will work wonders down in the recesses. A swift pass with a fine grade sanding stick and voila! metal track nirvana.

Kip

Call me next week and bring them by the studio-we'll see if we can figure something out
best bobC

Even after buying the Blacken-It at Niagara and not from 3 Guyz? (I heard that Collignon was beneficent; even magnanimous...) Actually I could use a new bottle: I burnt through the first one, then grabbed another off the rack, hastily, and not realizing it was in fact "Patina-It - verde." So my second attempt yielded copper-colored tracks!!! Call Martha Stewart!!!

Everything is out again so come by

I have soaked the tracks in laquer thinner, vinegar, and also Super Clean. The Blacken it just forms bubbles over the deep detail in the tracks. I try working the Blacken it into the tracks with a brush but it doesn't work very well. I have tried tapping or vibrating the plastic tray with the tracks and solution and that didn't work noticably better.

I do not use detergents as these soak into the surface and will act as a chemical barrier, same with thinners, use water and a brush to clean (or a good "panel wipe" liquid), just ask any car sprayer about detergents, they hate them !

PUT ON GLOVES, NO food! Clean hands and wash surfaces after, not nice powdered oxides of unknown alloys!

Wash them then 1st dip for a few secs to get them wet with Blacken-it, take them out, Using the blacken-it neat from the tub, wet scrub with a small brush into all areas then without washing let them dry naturally for 1 hour or so (do not apply heat).
Then replace into the blacken-it and leave for about 20 mins.
Take out and allow to dry, only then rinse in running water without scrubbing, then allow to dry again.
(I now use a narrow plastic tube to soak the tracks now as I need less to cover the tracks when soaking, less surface area and if you seal the top you can shake and bake

Apply a black wash of oils using a turps type thinner which is less aggressive to the oxidised surface. This seems to soak into the surface coating which is (as the metal is some form of monkey-metal) just an oxidised layer with little adhesion so needs some help "setting".

For the track pins, I use a hard copper or brass wire which darkens better than the supplied wire.

Remember Blacken-it is intended for a close grained alloy such as brass. You are in fact just getting a (?Lead)oxide powder on the surface with the alloy used in the tracks and this is easily removed with harsh treatment. (Think about lead and how soft the oxide layer is on that and treat it gently)


Hope it works for you

Aj

Alasdair (AJ) Johnston

this is pretty normal. (I suspect some residual alloys maybe that settle in there that are not affected by the Blacken-it.) And I also mention the following washes and pigments will cover these up.

It's nothing to get too excited about, continue with your weathering processes to finish them off. You should be fine. I've never had a problem once I do so.

HTH,

Mike

Ie a mini-sandblaster? I know Micro Mark sells one. I have one in my office that I use with glass beads. I spray they tracks to remove the outer slag, then into the ultrasonic to clean and a 10 sec dip in blacken it is all that is needed.

- John

My wife used to work in a dental lab and they had a little sand-blasting booth for freeing crowns from the molding. I used it to clean up some metal figures. That would work for these I'm sure. But wait, it gets better. I got the color pretty much down with Bob's help but having soaked them so long in Blacken-It, the wires all dissolved and I had to go back and RE-ASSEMBLE most of the (5-piece!!) links all over again! Quick dip is all one needs.