An easy way to make rust..real, genuine..rust.

[SpreadAxle]

I discovered this trick by accident. I had a metal can sitting in my bedroom that filled part way with water to apply some decals. It was a small tin can that contained candy originally. I forgot to dump the water out, and it was in a corner, so I forgot about it. After about 2 weeks, I went to dump the can. The water had rusted the can somewhat, so when I picked the can up, the water sloshed and I could see the powder portion of the rust, :idea: and the idea hit me. :idea: I was 13 at the time and just getting started building models of trucks. I had read about weathering models to look rusty, and I knew that exhaust manifolds and pipes would be the first items to rust, so I took a brush, dipped it in the rusty water, and took it to the exhaust manifold of a recently completed truck model. When the water dried, I had a rusty manifold, with real rust. So find a can you don't need, but I don't believe a soda can will do it, and put a little water in. Let the can sit a little while. The longer you leave it, the darker it should be. Not bad for finding out accidentally. :shock: 8)

I hope it helps.

[RyanSilva]

You can use plain steel wool also.

[SpreadAxle]

Oh ok. That would work.

[flatheadgary]

you know it just amazes me the things you learn on this site. i have seen rust in cans all the time but i never thought about using it for this. great idea. thanks ray

i am not sure how to use the steel. do you rub it on the part or get it soaked with water after it rust and then use a brush to apply the rusty water on the part?

please help us talent challenged modelers.

[SpreadAxle]

I'm not sure how to do it with the steel wool. Ryan Silva suggested that one, but I would assume you would soak it. Either way, I figure it's a simple enough trick that should save a few dollars on weathering powders, and Rustall kits. The rustall does work nicely though.

[Roggan]

I usually sprinkle dried rust that i make from steelwool over the wet paint. Have been doing it for many years.

I accidentally made the rust this way once. I had some steelwool for rubbing plastic before painting. Another tip! After spilling some water over it I left it for a couple of weeks and Voila, there were real rust. I usually grind it a bit to make it finer.

[Modelmartin]

I have heard of taping or tying steel wool to the area you want to rust and watering it. Leave it for a few days and presto!

[woogum]

Ok I know this is a long done discussion, but it seems to me if you rust like that it will wipe off. Is there really an easy way to get the rust to stick without laying on wet paint. I wanted to rust my 32 chopped ford rat rod I am working on and I thought of the steel wool but I dont know how to get it to stick... Not to mention, I really appreciate the work you guys do, but I cant see me spending too much on a plastic model car. Just want to have fun and create neat little cars... Any suggestions???

[RyanSilva]

laquer thinner and dullcoat in the bottle by testors. grab a metal dish, something small, and just brush 1 dab of thinner and 1 dab of dullcoat, sometimes 2, you need to play with it to see whats right for you, but it doesnt affect paint that much, besides it covers up by the rust anyways, i paint the spots i want coated, then fold a piece of paper and scoop some rust and cover the area completly, then dust it off and let it dry a bit, you can coat it with the same mixture (1 dab each this time) and it should affect the rust highlights at all. make sure you dust it off ina container to reuse the particles.

[woogum]

Well I'm sure it wont matter since all of you here are far more advanced than me. I was in the process of making rust when I wrote this question. I painted my 32 ford with silver paint and dusted it with flat black paint and sanded with 100 grit sand paper. Afterward I had made rust and added water and elmers glue. Made it runny and fairly permanant. So if anyone cares it beats expensive stuff...

[VW Dave]

So if anyone cares it beats expensive stuff...

I care, but talk is indeed cheap - any pics?

Until something better comes along, I'm gonna stick with my Modern Options/Sophisticated Finishes "Instant Rust" kit. It's not expensive**, as easy as paint to apply, and it makes real rust.

*Used here on the frame rail & cab corners; the wheel was done with primer:

**Michaels stores regularly run 40-50% off coupons in the Sunday papers, so the kit can cost less than a can of Tamiya spray paint.

[RyanSilva]

I use that prduct myself, only i let the paint harden into chunky rocks, then let it sit in the solution, i then let the solution evaporatetill very little is left and use that solution as a concentrated rust for water marks etc. the rocks that were rusted from sitting in the solution are filed down into a powder, from there i can sprinkle it anywhere i want rather than using the paint, to me, its much more realistic, but thats just my opinion

One thing i do wanna try is spraying the iron paint in a OLD airbrush, thinned down, to get a nice even coat, shoot il even strain the paint to get the chunks out

Edited October 24, 2007 by RyanSilva

[Jairus]

Yeah, you can use real rust.... and real mud... and real grease... and real oil... and real gas.... and..... then, why are we playing with toys and not the real thing?

I hope I am not taking the wind out of Ray's tip because it really is a good one! But.... it is not as stable as paint and never will be. And you still need to paint on some sort of stabilizer to keep the "rust" in place because it is in actuality a dust. Once dry it will eventually fall off. The key to a good model is to create an illusion that it is a real car.... not use real materials unless it actually is better!

One thing I have noticed about rust is that it is comprised of many tones depending on a lot of factors, not the least of which is depth, moisture and base material.

I have found that the use of both Model Master and Floquil "Rust", because one is darker than the other, dry brushing the light over the dark... and used in conjunction with a little corn starch for depth... gives a very realistic appearance to sheet metal.

However, cast iron looks better if a light airbrushed dusting of the light over the dark looks more realistic. One must remember, that cast iron exhaust manifolds don't usually get wet but they still rust due to moisture in the air. Then there is the rust you see around bolts under the bonnet that have had the paint rubbed off from tool use... this rust color is usually very light because it neither gets hot nor wet.

But that is just me....

By the way VW Dave, that is some mightyfine work there you just posted!

[James W]

One thing I have noticed about rust is that it is comprised of many tones...

But that is just me....

I have noticed the different tones as well, so I use lots of brown, orange and yellow paints, few of which have the word 'rust' in the name.

Reference photos help.

For a base color I use red oxide primer. From there I build a finish by assembling many layers. Try starting with oil base colors washed over the base, then move to water base finishes. Finally use pastel chalks and if you like, real rust. If you have a flat finish the powders hold up well even when handling. You can use a fixative made for chalk art, but I've never used them. A clear coat of paint over powders will erase them, voice of experience.

Have reference photos in front of you as you work

If problems arise along the way, you can wash off the water base work and the oil base finsh will still be there. But usually you can salvage the job by cleaning portions of it and building more layers following your references.

I had a can of nails that I let sit for a long time, adding water occasionally. I stirred it up and poured it into a clear jar and let the rust settle. Then I poured off the clear water until I only had mud. This I put in a pan to evaporate and then scrapped the rust into a container

[Jairus]

... and?

Are you going to finish the story? Don't keep us hanging on the nails....

[James W]

... and?

I stored away the container of real rust to use on my models. Still have it. A little goes a long way.

Sorry it was getting late and

[Jairus]

you crack me up James....

[VW Dave]

By the way VW Dave, that is some mightyfine work there you just posted!

Thanks, Jairus.

I'm a big fan of weathering models, and it's great to hear new and different methods for making it happen. It's kinda weird how, after decades of striving to make my models 'pretty,' I'm really enjoying making them look awful.

Edited October 26, 2007 by VW Dave