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Just as the topic says, every time I oil wash, my models end up sticky. If I leave the model to dry until the oil has cured, hitting it again with thinner makes the model sticky again.

This creates a whole new problem -- my Q-tips leave tiny fibers behind, and I have to go back over the model with tweezers to clean THAT up.

So, I'm wondering if there are better alternatives to Q-tips for cleaning up my oil wash.

Also, if I move to water color washes (I haven't had good luck with my thinner NOT cutting through multiple layers of varnish and acrylic paint -- almost every model I've washed has at least one spot where plastic is showing through (luckily, on all but one or two of them, it's been in the armpit or somewhere equally unnoticeable), will I have the same sticky problem?

I'm new to oil washes myself and have also struggled with the lint left behind from a Q-tip so interested in other options. But I havent really had a problem with sticky models. Do you varnish after you do the oil wash? I also thin my oil quite a bit to the point where I will get capillary action the oil will go vertical on a surface to hug a crevice etc.

Have you tried using a clean brush rather than a Q-tip? "Dry" oil paint can still be manipulated and really should be varnished over in order to protect it once you have finished painting. Clean up should also be done, wherever possible, at the time of painting so you don't have to keep adding thinner to the model and potentially eat through to lower levels of paint.

Also make sure you varnish the model before you use oils on it to give some added protection.

Edit: We do have an oil paint article - I've not added anything regards cleaning up so please feel free to add anything you feel might be useful (ie potential problems, ways round them, etc).