Hey all!
How to…
get that nice burnt exhaust like on a spitfire ix . Not just paint colour, but varied texture/colour you see that some people get.
Best methods for stenciling roundels and other large markings… I know stencils are the answer, but would love some experienced advice on getting equal sizes, concentric, etc, etc. Any advice really. Share your roundel techniques please.
As far as stencils go, I don’t know about other folks, but I purchase die cut stencils from a manufacturer, such as Montex or Maketar.
For getting some texture on burnt exhaust something you can try is using flat clear coat from a bottle(either enamel or acrylic) and dry weathering pigments or pastel sticks. Use whatever colors you need to use to get that burnt look…it’s whatever colors you have in mind. I did this with a King Tiger to apply mud but you could do it for your exhaust as well. You’ll want two brushes, one to apply the clear coat and the other to apply the dry pigment. It’s simple: when you are ready to apply the pigment, first brush on some clear coat. Using enamel might be easier at first because it will dry slower giving you more time to work the pigment in. Once you’ve applied some clear coat use the other brush to apply the pigment. The clear coat acts as the glue for the pigment. If you apply the pigment liberally enough it should give you some texture. It may take a little practice to get the desired effect but it isn’t very hard to do at all. I used the same technique on the exhausts for that King Tiger to give the texture of deep rust on the exhausts. I think it works pretty good.
I forgot to mention that if you use pastel sticks you’ll need to use a knife or some other tool to scrape some of the pastel off so you can dip the brush in it.
Jim, that was exactly the advice I was looking for 
!! I have all those materials but never thought of putting them together like that. Andrew, I did indeed find the Maketar stencils and I’ll probably order them.
For exhausts other than the burnt chrome look, I use a base of a dark to medium flat gray. In fact, I typically just use my normal Krylon primer- it is an appropriate shade of gray. Then, I dry brush colors on that base. I usually brush on just a bit of Testors “steel”, a very thin coat just emphasizing highlights, and then a couple of shades of rust color. I may sometimes add just a tiny amount of flat black to local area around the actual outlet. Of course, if the end is not hollow I also use flat black, a thicker coat, to the end.
For the shiny chrome exhaust- racing planes and the like- that requires airbrush work.
These two photos show the effects you can get from that technique.
Not only did I use this technique on the exhausts but I also used it to simulate mud around the tank as
well. So, you can make the texture pretty heavy or subtle…whichever you prefer.
Well, my photos didn’t upload. Oh well.
Remember to build up the stains in thin layers.