I dont have an airbrush yet (saveing up for one) so I was in a tight spot when it came time to weather my M2 Bradly.
The spay paint was applyed, deatial work all done, and deacals put on. . . Im ready to weather it so I thought to my-self "What would look good for weathering?"
Dry brushing came into my mind, but then I reailze im not that good at it. I want a realy good looking model, not some crudy 2 year old's toy.
Then I rememberd about an old techniqe my dad said worked on one of his models (built about 35 years ago)
He said to use a candel and let the smoke from it "stain" the model with black soot. I lighted up the candel and held my model about 5 inches from the flame directly above it (dont hold it to close or the tracks will melt OOPS ) and like he said the model started to look realy good (in my eyes)
I contuined with the process eventualy weathing the whole model with soot... I think it turned out great! :-) (pics coming soon) Also it works good for "greaseing" up the wheels and track.
Try it some time, you will like it

Hey thats a new one to me...........Anyway it sounds like something i wouldn t want to try myself.......Im so clumsy that ill probably end up with a burning tank haha. Can't wait for the pictures!

I did a similar thing before when I was in first year high. Instead of just candle soot, though, I used the black floating residue of burning styrene. I got a sprue, let it burn, and placed it some ways below the model (it was at that time an 1:144 F-14). Result was a dark, sooty appearance on the model's exhaust, thanks to the burning styrene. Needless to say, the ceiling had a black stain, too. :-D

i tried that too and had a similar effect, but that was an accident. I was making a stand out of old sprues by heating it and i ended up burning the sprue. The soot coated at the right place.
What other weathering methods are there?
I recently mixed a whole lot of paints with substantial amounts of rust and a drop of black enamel , used an old brush, dipped into the mixture and basically started rubbing the brush against some waste paper until the fibres are dry and tangy. Then i started brushing the underside of the wheels and the mudguards with it. Turned out alright. Hope to get pics soon though.. #:-)

I've been thinking of trying that soot method on the muzzle break of a tank. Probably just use a piece of styrene sprue to burn. Or else I'll get some darned pastel chalk one of these days!

The soot sounds like a great way to weather barrels. i will have a go at it soon. My favorite weathering medium write now is pastels, and even crayola chalk. shave some chalk or pastel off, mix different colours till you have the right colour, then i dust it on to the model. it looks great. I had a problem finding artists pastels that werent expensive, so i originally went out and got a pack of coloured crayola chalk and that worked well enough.

Cheers,
Paul

just a note on the burning of plastic,if clumsy like me,it leads to sore finger tips.OWWW

I'm a poor man too...Those airbrushes are friggin' darn expensive...

I use spray paint and brush paint instead...^_^

Hmm..Soots from candles? Could try that...

I used charcoal and drybrushing to simulate soot and dirt...But I think that candle technique would look more natural...I gotta try that....

Thanks!

Thanks for the tip! That makes so much sense!

~Chip :-)

Hi!, I too am some what poor, but, I stumble upon this setup for
airbrush, I send this article here, but, somehow or rather it didn't get
posted. Check this link out, and then click on search and scroll down
to the budget modeler at the end it will say " Inexpensive way to have
an airbrush setup". It cost less than $100.00 USD
http://starshipmodeler.com/tech/techmain.htm.

I can understand this technique but why dont you hold the candle under a piece of tin or metal, let the soot build up and then paint on your model cuts out any risk of melting the model. all thebest.

Timberwolf,

Ever tried pastels for weathering? I think you could grind up some black pastel and brush them on and get much the same effect. You want the chalk kind, NOT oil pastels. Anyway, pastle sets are on sale this week at Hobby Lobby stores for 1/3rd off so you could pick up a set for about six bucks if there is a store near you.

I've never thought of doing that...ever! That technique might also be good accumulated soot in an interior scene like a church (from the candles) or for the soot buildup from a fireplace or stove. I've gotta try that sometime.

Prowler:
That's almost the exact same airbrush setup I've been using for about two years now. I had to go this route when my son was born since it's very quiet and the compressor would wake him up. I can fill up the tank in the garage to about 120 or 130 PSI in about 10 minutes and get 30-40 minutes of spray time out of a 7 gallon tank...which is more than ample for what I typically need. I originally got the information on this setup from a car detailing web site, and the only thing they suggested was to empty out the tank when you're done so the inside wouldn't rust. You can get the tank at Walmart or a DIY store for about $21, an auto air pump for about $25, and all of the connectors for next to nothing.

Greg B.

That's pretty new. Got to try that trick

try mixing up a large bottle of weathering solution. large quantities of paint thinner, put in a few drops each of some brown and black paint . maybe a metal paint like steel or aluminium and a few drops of a rust colored paint. You acn liberally brush this on, when it dries it weathers fairly well. It's a lot safer then the flame method you know what happened to the guy with the wax wings and the sun. Flaming tanks are grat for one time dioramas though......be sure to take plenty of pictures....FAST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! #:-)

As far as chalk pastels go, you don't even have to go to a hobby shop per say, just hit the Arts and Crafts section in your local Wal Mart (if you have one). You would not belive the cool stuff you can find there. I found a brush holder thingy that my hobby shop was selling for around $10 for $4. Pastel chalk, oil paints, cutting mat (the cool self healing ones for way cheaper than a hobby shop). Hey, when in doubt, check it out!!

Jason

While a whole set of pastels might be expensive, try going to a true artists' supply store. You should be able to get a stick for a buck or two. That will last you way longer than the equivalent money's worth of ModelMaster. Also, don't be afraid to cruise garage/yard sales/flea markets. I've gotten oil paint sets, pastel sets, and a box of little Testor's paints with a cheapo airbrush for a a dollar or so each. I found my Badger 150 set for about $25. Look at the costume jewelry, good oval or round chain (necklaces in their former lives) sell for a quarter a strand. Occasionally, you'll even come across a good deal on a model somneone didn't want to build or barely started. Reference material shows up from time to time, too.

And even though I think we all should buy from our traditional brick and mortar stores as often as we can, for those of us on a tight budget you can use Google's beta Internet shopping search engine for some good online prices.

Greg B.

[Edit: Because words are hard.]

Hey ! I did that candle soot thing too when I was a young modeler. Apart from the risk of burning/melting the model, there's another glitch : don't touch the model once the sooting is done. Merely touching is enough to leave a huge fingerprint mark in the blackened area, ruining the whole setup.