Chipping medium working time?

[JefH]

Hi.

 

I've purchased some vallejo chipping medium a while back and was wondering if someone could help me out with the working time of the product?

 

For example if I follow these steps.

 

1/Chipping colour

2/Chipping medium

3/Camouflage colours 

4/Chip with water. 

 

How long do I have between step 3 and 4?  Could I leave it for a week before using it again? Does the chipping medium lose effectiveness over time, or will it just reactivate as soon as the water hits it?

 

Thanks for your time.

 

Jeff

[Out2gtcha]

Hi.

 

I've purchased some vallejo chipping medium a while back and was wondering if someone could help me out with the working time of the product?

 

For example if I follow these steps.

 

1/Chipping colour  (I usually like to use lacquer for this base metal or rust color as it is impervious to most stuff that removes the layer above it) 

2/Chipping medium 

3/Camouflage colours 

4/Chip with water. 

 

How long do I have between step 3 and 4?  - Normally it can depend on the type of paint used, but generally as that top camo/paint layer is going to be acrylic, you can usually let it dry overnight and you should be good.

Could I leave it for a week before using it again? - Yes. Ideally, you would probably want to the chipping process within a few days of the final paint layer, but I doubt it would be much of a problem to leave it for a week.

Does the chipping medium lose effectiveness over time, or will it just reactivate as soon as the water hits it? - No. It will react with water as a normal weaker water based acrylic would, so if you are starting the chipping process sometime within a matter of days after completing the layering process, it should look very effective when done. 

I would recommend putting some sort of NON-acrylic clear over it all once you are done to seal it all in, as sometimes the layered mix can be susceptible to damage from the weathering and/or decal process.

[LSP_K2]

OK, what, exactly, is the material used for this "chipping fluid"? Is it basically like the hairspray methods I've read about, or what?

[Out2gtcha]

OK, what, exactly, is the material used for this "chipping fluid"? Is it basically like the hairspray methods I've read about, or what?

Exactly. The chipping fluid does essentially the exact same thing as the hairspray does. It's just like the hairspray in that is highly susceptible to water which is what makes it come off in a more predictable manor.

[JefH]

Thanks, that clears up a lot of questions I had.

 

Jeff

[Out2gtcha]

Thanks, that clears up a lot of questions I had.

 

Jeff

NP at all Jeff.

I found that sometimes when you start to decal or weather the model after chipping, (especially if you are using a clay based wash) those processes will exadurate the chipping process, and you can end up with a LOT more chipping that you ever wanted. I found that putting a clear coat over the whole thing (any clear that works well for you that you can decal/weather over is fine) really will freeze frame the chipping where you want it.

[1to1scale]

Having some experience with chipping medium, I have learned a few lessons.

 

1. Try to do the chipping within 6-8 hours, waiting longer can make it more difficult to reactivate it.

 

2. You can only chip one layer at a time if you spray two layers, like camo, you might have a hard time getting any chipping.

 

3. Generally, the bottom layer is safe, spray the chipping on top, chip, seal, they spray another coat of chipping, then paint on top again.

 

4. I found that out of the bottle was generally too thick, I thinned it 50% to get a nice glossy finish.