Pendraken Miniatures Forum

Wider Wargaming => Painting & Modelling => Topic started by: hammurabi70 on 05 March 2020, 04:46:42 PM

Title: Paint volume for uniforms on figures
Post by: hammurabi70 on 05 March 2020, 04:46:42 PM
I have not painted 10mm figures before.  When painting standard twentieth century figure uniforms, how many figures will a single 17ml pot of paint cover?
Title: Re: Paint volume for uniforms on figures
Post by: Scorpio_Rocks on 05 March 2020, 05:13:07 PM
Surely this is impossible to answer!

It depends on how thick you apply the paint, how many coats, how much you water-down before application, colour of undercoat, manufacturer of paint, how much of the figure is that colour, etc.

As a VERY rough estimate a 10mm figure has approximately 1/6th the surface area of a 28mm one - so about 6 times the number of 28mm figures you can normally paint
Title: Re: Paint volume for uniforms on figures
Post by: Westmarcher on 05 March 2020, 05:25:46 PM
What an astonishing question!  :o  This is something that has never occurred to me. As Scorpio suggests, what is your experience in other scales?
Title: Re: Paint volume for uniforms on figures
Post by: hammurabi70 on 05 March 2020, 05:56:09 PM
Quote from: Westmarcher on 05 March 2020, 05:25:46 PM
What an astonishing question!  :o  This is something that has never occurred to me. As Scorpio suggests, what is your experience in other scales?

I am getting a feel for how frequently people have found it necessary to get another pot of paint.  At about 300 in 6mm I am guessing around 40 but what is the experience of people with WWII armies.
Title: Re: Paint volume for uniforms on figures
Post by: paulr on 05 March 2020, 06:16:22 PM
A while ago I painted almost 1,000 WWI 10mm figures using paints I had had for a while and I'm still using the same bottles for other projects

I've painted about 3,500 WWII 6mm infantry from 5 different nationalities and didn't use a full bottle on any of them
Title: Re: Paint volume for uniforms on figures
Post by: Matt J on 05 March 2020, 06:48:22 PM
The answer is around a 100
Title: Re: Paint volume for uniforms on figures
Post by: mollinary on 05 March 2020, 06:54:30 PM
From my experience, hundreds and hundreds and hundreds. The only things I really ever seem to run out  of in timescales that I notice are basing materials. Individual paint containers are replaced so rarely, they do not really count in any financial calculations I make. That said, I cannot see any way in which the figure would be as low as forty, even if you dipped the figures in the pot and left them there for a day before taking them out!
Title: Re: Paint volume for uniforms on figures
Post by: petercooman on 05 March 2020, 07:21:34 PM
I bought a specific tone of blue for my acw union force. About 350-400 figures. Army has been finished for a couple of years, and i'm still using that same paint pot. Must admit it's nearing it's end.

For ww 2, i bought a pot of wehrmacht uniform paint and have done an entire 10mm army with it, then a 28mm bolt action army and then 20 german zombies in 28mm. Stil half a pot left.

Really depends on how much you use and how much you squirt out.
Title: Re: Paint volume for uniforms on figures
Post by: jimduncanuk on 05 March 2020, 07:23:29 PM
I have paints which are at least a decade old, some even older and I have some which I bought at the end of last year and are near done.

I paint figures every day, some 6mm, a lot of 10mm, a few 15mm and a lot of 28mm. Then there are buildings and other terrain.

I probably spend around £10-£30 at every show on paint and I do about 9-10 shows a year.

Then there is brushes ...
Title: Re: Paint volume for uniforms on figures
Post by: mmcv on 05 March 2020, 07:31:12 PM
Quote from: petercooman on 05 March 2020, 07:21:34 PM
Really depends on how much you use and how much you squirt out.

Yeah it would be interesting to know how much you're typically squeezing out, I tend to be quite frugal with squeezing out just what I need and use a wet pallet to keep any leftover paint fresh for a while longer. While I'm nowhere near as prolific as many on here, I've yet to run out of a pot, though I've a couple of browns that are starting to run low . But that's after 2.5 years and a lot of spears and horses!
Title: Re: Paint volume for uniforms on figures
Post by: hammurabi70 on 05 March 2020, 08:31:36 PM
Many thanks to everyone, that was very helpful.  One pot per uniform should be more than adequate.  :D
Title: Re: Paint volume for uniforms on figures
Post by: petercooman on 05 March 2020, 08:35:48 PM
Quote from: mmcv on 05 March 2020, 07:31:12 PM
Yeah it would be interesting to know how much you're typically squeezing out, I tend to be quite frugal with squeezing out just what I need and use a wet pallet to keep any leftover paint fresh for a while longer. While I'm nowhere near as prolific as many on here, I've yet to run out of a pot, though I've a couple of browns that are starting to run low . But that's after 2.5 years and a lot of spears and horses!

I usually squeeze out a little bit at a time, about 3-5 models worth in 28mm, less in 10mm. Mind you i don't use a wet pallet, so squeezing out more just means its dry before i can use it.
Title: Re: Paint volume for uniforms on figures
Post by: mmcv on 05 March 2020, 09:15:52 PM
Quote from: petercooman on 05 March 2020, 08:35:48 PM
I usually squeeze out a little bit at a time, about 3-5 models worth in 28mm, less in 10mm. Mind you i don't use a wet pallet, so squeezing out more just means its dry before i can use it.

Yeah similar, though the wet is handy for when you go for a dab and end up with a splurge from squeezing a little too hard!
Title: Re: Paint volume for uniforms on figures
Post by: Duke Speedy of Leighton on 06 March 2020, 06:36:25 AM
Loud enough to annoy my wife to quiet enough to drown out Holby City on the TV...
Paint, sorry, thought it was music, right...
A quick squeeze from a Vallejo dropped onto an upturned coat d'arms pot. I also worked out with care you can loosen lids and return the majority of the spare paint to the bottle. I also use the nipple inverted as a pot if I only need a tiny amount.
Title: Re: Paint volume for uniforms on figures
Post by: Shedman on 06 March 2020, 07:40:24 AM
42
Title: Re: Paint volume for uniforms on figures
Post by: petercooman on 06 March 2020, 09:58:01 AM
Quote from: mad lemmey on 06 March 2020, 06:36:25 AM
Loud enough to annoy my wife to quiet enough to drown out Holby City on the TV...
Paint, sorry, thought it was music, right...
A quick squeeze from a Vallejo dropped onto an upturned coat d'arms pot. I also worked out with care you can loosen lids and return the majority of the spare paint to the bottle. I also use the nipple inverted as a pot if I only need a tiny amount.

Yup i do this as well!
Title: Re: Paint volume for uniforms on figures
Post by: hammurabi70 on 19 April 2020, 12:02:37 AM
Quote from: jimduncanuk on 05 March 2020, 07:23:29 PM
I have paints which are at least a decade old, some even older and I have some which I bought at the end of last year and are near done.

I paint figures every day, some 6mm, a lot of 10mm, a few 15mm and a lot of 28mm. Then there are buildings and other terrain.

I probably spend around £10-£30 at every show on paint and I do about 9-10 shows a year.

Then there is brushes ...

Most of mine that are a decade old seem to be solid and unusable!  Sadly, I rarely get to the bottom of a tin but at some point find the paint has solidified.  Spend for this round is £25 and rising.
Title: Re: Paint volume for uniforms on figures
Post by: Ithoriel on 19 April 2020, 12:23:02 AM
Quote from: hammurabi70 on 19 April 2020, 12:02:37 AM
Most of mine that are a decade old seem to be solid and unusable!  Sadly, I rarely get to the bottom of a tin but at some point find the paint has solidified.  Spend for this round is £25 and rising.

Tin???
Title: Re: Paint volume for uniforms on figures
Post by: Orcs on 19 April 2020, 08:31:04 AM
Quote from: mad lemmey on 06 March 2020, 06:36:25 AM
. I also use the nipple inverted as a pot if I only need a tiny amount.

I don't think the forum needs or wants to know you have inverted nipples.  :)

and before you think about it we certainly don't want a photo  ;D
Title: Re: Paint volume for uniforms on figures
Post by: Lord Kermit of Birkenhead on 19 April 2020, 09:36:32 AM
Don't we ?