What order do you do things for Weathering

I am new to modelling and I am building a Tamiya Stug 3 G and now at the stage where I am looking to weather the model.

So far I have primed, painted with a base colour (dark yellow), and added some camouflage (dark green and rust brown).

I am now not sure what to do next, after looking at YouTube videos I have worked out the following steps.

  1. Place Decals
  2. Apply a Varnish - Not sure whether it should be Gloss, Matte or Satin.
  3. Use Panel Liner to highlight areas on the model to create shadow
  4. Speckling to give the impression of paint wearing off
  5. Wash to show dirt, grime, rust etc
  6. Pigments to show mud, rust
  7. Finish with another coat of varnish, again not sure whether it should be Gloss, Matte or Satin.

I would appreciate any comments on the above steps, have I missed any, what should I add or take away? I am looking to establish a process that I can repeat and refine over time.

Thanks in Advance

2 Likes

Your list looks good. The varnish should go on before the decals. Decals always stick better to a shiny surface(less air trapped underneath). After decals seal with another coat of varnish. Then weather. Last coat should be a flat to show faded weathered look

1 Like

OK Gloss Varnish first then Decals then Varnish again. Finish with a Matte Varnish.

Thanks again very helpful.

Yep, you’re on the right track, @MacGeorge8035.

I find that pigments don’t work as well for me over a gloss varnish, so I’ll usually do them after the matte coat. If I’m worried about the pigments wearing off with handling, another matte coat will seal them in, but it will also tone them down quite a bit, so it’s always a balancing act.

With that said, one thing to consider as you go through the steps: you can add a varnish coat at any time to protect your work so far. Particularly say, after chipping (speckling), but before the grime wash. That way you can correct mistakes or adjust the wash without risking damaging the previous coats of paint.

Lastly, grab some plastic spoons or other scrap plastic pieces to test things out on. In particular I struggled for a long time with matte varnishes, learning how to thin them and spray them. Even a rattlecan matte can take a little practice, and you don’t want to be experimenting on an almost-done model!!

2 Likes

When you are applying decals you can use gloss varnish and it helps dark wash find all the cracks while protecting the paint.

My order

Apply a gloss varnish
Decal
Apply a second gloss varnish to seal in the decals

Apply enamels starting with a pin wash then working towards mud, dirt etc

Apply a flat varnish

I really disklike using pigments so I generally avoid them.

Also have done a flat varnish after applying the decals but it makes applying enamels a lot harder.

1 Like

This will be the first time I have used pigments so I will see how they turn our. I expect the next few models will all be about experimenting.

Here’s how we break it down at FSM:

Gloss clear—Decals/Dry transfers—Seal work with gloss clear—Pin washes—Seal work with flat/semigloss clear—Filters/washes/chipping/pigments/rust effects/grease and oil stains

The order of operations on that last bit depends on your desired outcome. For instance, some chipping may be old and covered by dust or dirt but some chipping may be new and look fresh, so it won’t be covered by dirt.

Also, you don’t want to put flat over the model after you’ve finished weathering. That will deaden any glossy stains you’ve added, and affect your dry weathering like pigments. Use pigment fixative to hold your pigments in place.

What about dusting? This is why if you go the whole hog with weathering, you’ll want a place to house and display your model that will protect it, otherwise, when you clean, you run the risk of affecting your weathering.

5 Likes

Thanks, just what I needed I will modify the process accordingly. Lets see how my first effort turns out. I will post pictures when I am finished

1 Like