Acrylic Binders: Mix high gloss, instant results weathering pastes and glazes!
Acrylics are fast curing binders that yield instant results. They have the highest solids amount and sealing capability therefore are best used for all these tasks that involve creating extensive structures with high gloss, for instance heavy wet mud deposits. Recommended for experienced modellers because once dried acrylics are irreversible unless you do a total paint stripping. VMS acrylic binders come along with a novelty - Acrylic Disperser a special agent that aids while dispersing pigments within the binders allowing you to create factory grade weathering pastes and glazes in your home!
MIX WEATHERING LIQUIDS
APPROPRIATE FOR ALL KINDS OF WET EFFECTS
MIX TEXTURED PASTES
CREATE HIGH CONTRAST WET ACCENTS
Typical Acrylic binders applications, you will easily find many more uses yourself! Please check out product FAQ for tips and guidelines.
Instant results!
Acrylics are the fastest of binders and have top sealing properties. Contrarily to ENML 2.0 and Alkyds acrylics allow for much faster work but lack the flexibility of other binders, their SFX capability is limited. Still you will greatly appreciate acrylic binders while creating high gloss wet effects and like fast-paced work.
Irreversible!
Please note that once dry acrylics based pigment jobs cannot be reversed, therefore we recommend first trying them out on a dummy model or a spare to get the hang of it.
Top quality product!
VMS acrylics are top of the line products with high solids amount (50%+), no water is added. Further more our acrylic resins contain foam suppressing agent that ensures that no nasty air bubbles are trapped in your acrylic pigment layers while they dry. When coupled with pigments mixed with VMS Acrylic Dipserser the resulting weathering paste or liquid quality is unparalleled.
Acrylic Binders capability roundup!
Acrylic binder "Wet FX" type is best for all kind of heavy, textured mud effects. It dries fast and gives pigments jobs glossy or matt finish, depending on your formulation. Apart from "on vehicle" presentations we also depicted binders capabilities the same way we present our pigments - on AFV wheels. Use this as a reference point to be able to better pair your spot-on pigment with particular binder type and achieve desired result.
MIX PASTES AND
HIGH OPACITY GLAZES
WET EFFECTS ORIENTED BINDERS
MIX TEXTURED PASTES
CREATE HIGH CONTRAST
WET ACCENTS
CREATE LOW OPACITY GLAZES
HIGH OPACITY
GLAZE
HIGH OPACITY
GLAZE TEXTURED
TEX PIGMENT HEAVY MUD
WET 100% OPAQUE
VMS Acrylic Binders
Acrylic binders ensure quick high gloss effects. This binder type is best for all kind of heavy, textured mud effects. It dries fast and gives pigments jobs glossy or matt finish, depending on your formulation. Does not crack even if coats are very thick. Premium acrylic product - very high solids amount (>60%), not diluted.
Combine with: Spot-on pigments, Acrylic disperser
Finish: gloss to matt formulation dependent
Open time: short
Recommended techniques: weathering paste, high and low opacity glaze, point wet effects
Reversibility: Not reversible, removable with Clean Slate rmvr 2.0
Available volumes: 30 ml dropper bottle
Product FAQ
How to produce even coverage effect?
“Even coverage” is a starting point for many other techniques + it imitates fine dry mud very well on it's own. Give it a try to familiarise yourself with VMS binders and step up to more advanced techniques. Mix and apply weathering liquid with a brush as if painting, use hair dryer for quicker results. Once dry this layer can be dusted over for what we call maximised dusting or left alone.
How do I create my own acrylic weathering liquid? (matt finish)
The ratios are as follows: 2 parts zero tex. pigment, 1 part Acrylic Disperser, 1 part “finishing” acrylic resin. Mix your spot-on pigments or equivalent (low quality pigments produce bad weathering liquids which spread badly) with Acrylic Disperser first, make sure all clumps are gone. Then pour resin to the mix and that's that, your matt acrylic weathering liquid is ready. You can alter the standard ratios, for instance add more pigments for better coverage.
How to create matt textured paste using acrylics?
The ratios are as follows: 1-2 parts textured pigments, 1 part Acrylic Disperser, 1 part “Wet FX” acrylic resin. Mix your spot-on pigments or equivalent (low quality pigments produce bad weathering liquids which spread badly) with Acrylic Disperser first. Then pour resin to the mix and the paste is ready. Rule of thumb: Adding more pigments increases thickness and reduces gloss, adding more resin increases gloss and flow. You can experiment using your own ratios!
How to create glossy textured paste using acrylics?
The ratio is the opposite of the one for matt paste: 1 part textured pigments, 1 part Acrylic Disperser, 2-3 part “Wet FX” acrylic resin. Mix your spot-on pigments or equivalent (low quality pigments produce bad weathering liquids which spread badly) with Acrylic Disperser first. Then pour resin to the mix and the paste is ready. Rule of thumb: Adding more pigments increases thickness and reduces gloss, adding more resin increases gloss and flow. You can experiment using your own ratios!
My pigment job turned out matt but the idea was wet finish!
To increase gloss of an already applied matt finish pigment job simply apply a thin coat of raw “finishing” acrylic resin over it.
I want to thicken my paste but I don't want to add more pigments so as to retain gloss.
You can thicken the paste using VMS SMART MUD XL activator auxiliary.
How to create point wet (wet accent) effects?
Simply apply the “finishing” binder type with a precision brush wherever you need them. Apply thin coats, and spread the resin thin, to keep the original detail!
What are low and high opacity wet glazes and how to create them?
Wet glazes are glossy fluids with low to moderate pigment percentage. Contrarily to gloss paints glazes offer a certain amount of transparency so as to show underlying coats. This means more authentic and better looking results. To prepare a low opacity glaze with mix some pigments with Acrylic Disperser first. Then introduce a tiny amount of them (about 5%) to “finishing” acrylic resin and a glaze is ready, remember to apply thin coats!
To create a high opacity glaze mix a bit more dispersed pigment (10-15% depending ho much opacity is your goal – more pigment equals higher coverage) with Acrylic binders “Wet FX” type and spread a thin layer over the target part. While making glazes always use minimal pigment amounts to retain gloss! If you overdose pigments and glazes turn matt you can always apply a thin coat of pure “finishing” binders over to increase gloss.
What do you mean by maximising dusting results and how do I do that?
Dusting is the basic way of working with pigments. You simply rub pigments with the brush wherever you want it to appear. It involves no binders. It often happens that you want the dusted pigments to have higher opacity and better coverage but their capabilities are limited as there are no binders involved. For instance you want to model a vehicle that has been rolling in the deserts. You dust some pigment over the wheels and hull but the base coat is still showing too much, the coverage is poor, raw pigment is not enough. To remedy that you can apply a layer of pigments using “even coverage” technique. Next do the dusting over this pigment coat - you will be amazed by how good and homogeneous the coverage is. Such pigment job will have maximum opacity and vibrancy. We refer to it as "even coverage + dusting on top" - check out the capability round-up.
My weathering liquid is not deep matt when it dries, it's glistening here and there.
This rarely happens but when it does simply add more pigments to the mix – the gloss will disappear.
How much Disperser should I add to my formulations?
Add just the amount to wet the entire pigment portion. Ratio of 1:1 is fine, you can even go lower with the disperser, just as long the pigments are wetted. Pigments shouldn't be overflowed with disperser! The pigment slurry you create with the Disperser can be then introduced to the resin, the amount you add depending on your goal. For instance glazes need just a bit of slurry to so that they retain transparency. Pastes can use more so as to have proper colour strength and covering capability.
How will I know if the Acrylic Disperser pigment slurry is ready?
The better you mix the pigments with the Disperser the better the final result. When the clumps are gone and the pigment has consistency of ready-made acrylic paint you are good to go and can add resin to the mix. With disperser it takes around 1 minute to prepare the pigments.
What's the best way to clean my brushes after working with Acrylics?
For regular clean up - between the jobs, regular tap water will suffice. Just have it ready in a spare jar, rinse the brushes and wipe clean using a paper towel or a cloth. For proper deep cleaning please use VMS Airbrush Cleaners Pro Acrylic type (label with green Acryl icon) which have maximum potency and will keep your brushes in top condition by freeing them of pigments and binders that accumulate at the base of the bristle. Brushes that are not deep cleaned regularly deteriorate faster overtime.
