Greetings guys. Yet another newbie to the forum. Also one who is just getting back into the hobby after many years away.
I’m building a 1/32 Spitfire and would like to have something on the exhaust manifold other than just a rust “Color”. Is there a good way to create a realistic looking heat and rust effect?
Thanks!
Had to come back and edit this because I wanted to thank everyone. I’ve been lurking around here for about a week and have found an enormous amount of great info. It is very much appreciated.
Welcome to the forum MusicCity! For your exhaust manifolds you could try brushing on some some artist’s pastel chalks. Try colours like black, red-brown and maybe some light grey on the very tips. You can get them from any art store in a range of colours, they are just like sticks of chalk (NOT the greasy oil based ones). Make a little pile of dust by rubbing them on a sheet of sandpaper and use a dry paint brush to brush the dust onto your exhausts. They give a dry, slightly textured and worn look, just wash them off if you don’t like it. Be aware if you varnish over the top you will kill the effect so apply them as one of the finishing touches. They also work great for the general weathering of tyres, gun smoke stains on wings, exhaust smoke stains on the fuselage etc. Hope this helps you some.
Cheers…Snowy
Thanks for the input, that’s a great idea. I guess it’s safe to ******ume that they would behave like any other chalk and tend to rub off during handling. Would starting with a flat finish give them a bit of texture to settle into and make them more permanent?
Thanks again, I appreciate the help.
They do behave like normal chalk so you have to keep handling to a minimum, they will stay on a protected model until something or someone rubs them off (darker shades like black are actually quite difficult to remove). You’re right about the flat finish as a starting point, they don’t seem to stick or grab very well on a gloss surface.
Cheers…Snowy.
Way back when, Polly-S made a paint shade called RUST that I used with a drybrush technique. One little bottle lasted me a few years. Once it’s dry, it doesn’t rub off. However, the effect of painted on rust is quite different from dusted on chalk. The rust paint was especially good for simulating the way metal parts on armor vehicles have rust marks that drip down the side of the vehicle after a rain. That was not dry brushed, rather, I dabbed a spot where the rivet was, waited a minute or two, then streaked it down in the direction of gravity with a dry paper towel. The paint dries almost immediately, though, making touchup or re-do’s of this effect almost impossible.
Thanks for the help guys. I started to get a bottle of Model Master “Rust” Saturday, but when I pulled it out of the tray it was a bottle of blue in the “Rust” slot. Naturally that was the only bottle in the slot to!
I’ve got to run by another store this weekend so I’ll see if they have some rust paint. I’ll also grab some pastel chalks and give them both a try on some scrap and see what looks best.
You could always try em both together. Paint the manifold the rust colour and weather it up a bit with the pastels to give it some texture and different shadings. Good luck with it.
Cheers…Snowy.
Two tips. Grate the chalks with a nutmeg grater, available in any kitchen tools section of a good hardware store. Second: Put the powder on with a disposable womans makeup foam applicator. Finish with an overspray of gloss or dull coat, being careful not to blow away the chalk powder.
Randy
Thanks, Randy. The grater I can pick up. The makeup applicator I can get if my wife will just turn her back for a couple of seconds 
Scott
Scott-sometimes you need to do several applications of pastels and dull coat to get the colour you want. And remember, the make-up applicator is for the model not you.
Yeah, same old story, go slow, take it easy, don’t get impatient. Goes against my instincts. I want it NOW!!
Maybe I could use it for both if I clean it in between!
Thanks for the help!