Working on my PzKpw IIC from Alan, panzergrau has been laid down, salt has been HEAVILY applied and is almost dry. I’ll blow off the excess with the airbrush and soon lay down the ModelMaster Afrika Braun '42, and post pics before and after!
God I love this hobby! I love it more than my life. (Not really, a play on one of my favorite quotes from Patton.)
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e129/brumbar/PzIIwsalt1.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e129/brumbar/PzIIwsaltturret1.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e129/brumbar/Toomuchsaltperhaps.jpg
The beauty part of the salt method is that you can go back and “fix it” if, like I may have done, you use too much the first time!
Keep your fingers crossed…
Looks like alot of salt there. Hope it works out for you. Looking forward to more pictures of the finished product.
SST
Let us know how the experiment works out. Part of the fun of the hobby is getting the chance to try out new things and pushing the envelope to learn. [;)]
Thanks for the encouragement, gentlemen.
The results are not perfect, though parts came out well, I think. I intend to redo the really bad parts (engine deck and turret, and the box plate is not satisfactory), but over all I’m pleased with the potential this represents.
Let me know what you think:
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e129/brumbar/PzIIsternafter1.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e129/brumbar/PzIIstarboardafter3.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e129/brumbar/PzIIportafter.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e129/brumbar/PzIIbowafter.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e129/brumbar/PzIIaboveafter.jpg
And as an added bonus, here’s my Italerei VW Typ 82, still incomplete after several months!
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e129/brumbar/Typ82starboard.jpg
what kind of salt did you use? i like the look you got out of it kind of like it has been to hell and back.
Plain ol Morton’s table salt. I think I shoulda ground it down some, if possible.
And thanks! I’ll rework it some tomorrow.
I think it had a good effect on the final look of the kit but it may have been a little too much salt to begin with. Its just a personal preference though.
To ensure the salt stuck to the body, what adhesive did you use?
I dunno, I’m just going to be honest here, not trying to offend, but what the heck?
Any Panzer with that much chipping would be in the junk yard IMHO. I feel the effect is completely out of scale. I’m sorry, and again, not trying to personally grind you at all, but I think this experiment failed. Respectfully, I would strip this finish and start over. I mean this with all due courtesy, and I don’t mean to be mean spirited at all.
Do a forum search and look at some of the work by Ron Goins (Biffa) and Bill Plunk (wild bill76), these chaps really have the technique down that you are looking for, and hey’ve been kind enough to post full builds showing the step by step (salt free).
regards,
Steve
I agree: too much and out of scale, but it was fun and it can be corrected, so what the hell?
No offense taken; I appreciate the input very much.
No adhesive, Jazza, just water and salt. And where it was really on thick, and had dried an hour or so, it was hard to get off: I had assumed an old toothbrush would be sufficient, but I ended up prying it off with a bamboo shish-ke-bab skewer, using the point for tight spots and the blunt end for the rest.
If one wanted to portray a derilict vehicle then it would be hard to overdo the effect. For a vehicle still in service, IMHO it would not be that beaten up. The effect with salt does have its place, maybe not so much salt with a vehicle still in service.
It is fun to play around and experiment. Thank you for posting your “playing around”. It stirred the waters for me to try out a couple of things on some upcoming projects of mine.
Cheers
Dave
Recovery from the less-successful aspects of The Salt Experiment seem to be going well. I’ll post some more pics soon with the road wheels in place. Don’t expect completion for a time, it promises to be a busy week at work!
As someone who has read a lot about the technique, but never tried it, thanks for posting - I learned a lot!!
Me too: what NOT to do! But I think it may look presentable, in time.
I’v been eperimenting with this technique as well. I’m using an old Tamiya TigerI. My results have been improving. After seeing your pictures and my own results it’s my opinion that the hardest aspect of this technique is scale.
After getting past the basics (to much water creating sodium stains and etc.) I still find myself easily overdoing it.My next practice attempt I think I’m going to try a mixture of Kosher salt and standard table salt. I’m hoping that the use of the larger grain Kosher will help keep my eye in better perspective. I’ll let you all know.
Looking good, there a article in FSM about salt weathing, for a moment I wanted to add some on the tiger, but that would just add another layer. But I have two very important question
(important)2. if paint peel is common then why doesn’t all models in dio’s have the effect and are just Clean?
ABTW the proble with your first try was there was too much salt applie at the same spot, apply it lightly around the spot where paint would most likely peel off, to make the slat stay, just apply water to stick to the surface of the model.
It is NOT that common when you go to original photographs.
This is one of those techniques when used in extreme moderationmay result in increased realism. the problem is when the next builder uses the first model as a reference and decides to make his model more realilstic by adding more chipping. Modeler #3 looks at model #2 and wants to make his even more realistic, while not taking the time to do any real research.
Others use earth moving and construction equipment as a reference for how a tank gets used. That bulldozer might be 10 years old and have been pushing dirt around 5 days a week for all taht time to get that beat up. That’s about as logical as saying the cars at the finish line at Le Mans are what a typical car looks like after a drive to pick up the groceries.
I see your point. However I look at it as a matter of taste. Some seem to build their models as if they were in showroom quality where others weather them almost to derilect proportions.
As to were you would want chips I’d say that low would be fine. Thow I’d say the lower reqions would be more subject to scratches and gouges(spelling?). I’d say the comon places you would fade would also be candidates for chipping as the paint is being thinned by wear. Like maybe around hatches. The climbing in and out and the walking etc would put much more wear on the paint then areas rarely touched like say hull sides or directly under the barrel. Also region would play a factor. Constant sand blasting in north africa would wear paint much more and more quickly than say … snow! Anyway just my opinions.
So, not all modeler want there models completly cover of weather, even if it makes it more realistique, but cleaner and see the true model.
Like some model that aren’t in a dio, like just display is mostly always clean, like the commander gave it a good clean, but models in dio must blend in with the scene, if its winter, make it cover of snow, if its desert, made sand make, even one straight out of the factorie have that welt making on the corner and the captain says “I love the smell of a new tank in the morning[(-D]”, or any other scene there always a heed of paint peel, dirt look, rust etc. get it ?
Monday’s progress: some parts repainted, wheels added. Tracks coming along s l o o w l y!
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e129/brumbar/PzIIafterwheelsstarboardrear2.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e129/brumbar/PzIIafterwheelsabove.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e129/brumbar/PzIIafterwheelsstarboard.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e129/brumbar/PzIIafterwheelsport.jpg
And BTW, in the North African deserts, in '41 and '42, this kind of sand-blasted look was fairly common. German supply lines had enough trouble bringing food and gasoline, paint was a rather low priority!
Not that I didn’t go overboard.