road dirt

[redzed]

how to apply road/exhaust dirt to a model car ? i've seen several on this forum and i'm guessing it's done with an airbrush, which i do not have.

thanks for any replys.

[Ace-Garageguy]

There are many techniques that don't require an airbrush, using dry pigment powders, pastels, chalks, acrylics, enamels, various applicators including makeup brushes, Q-tips, etc.

And there's no shortage of really good model weathering videos on youtube.

Any technique for train or military models will work on cars too.

No answers here can even come close to what's available if you do some searching and watching on YT.

Here's a start.

 

Edited January 2, 2024 by Ace-Garageguy

[Oldriginal86]

I like the color names.

[iBorg]

I've had great luck using real dried dirt. I got a used blender for $3 and use it to pulverize the dirt and apply it with a soft brush.

 

[stitchdup]

for a rust powder you could buy it from one of the model paints places but you can just as easily make your own. you will need a mortar and pestle (i use an old stone bowl and a marble egg) some soap filled wire scrubbing pads and white vinegar and a window that gets plenty of sun. First rinse all the soap out of the wire pads and then place into a a jar or container and cover with the vinegar. put the container in the window and give it a stir every couple of days. within 7 to 10 days you'll have a crusty rust in the bottom of the container and all the vinegar will be gone. now you can grind it up with the mortar and pestle into a nice powdered rust. if you feel adventurous you can add some dry dirt powder to the rust to give a dirtyor dusty rust look. the great thing about the rust dust is you can put metal filings from iron into the vinegar with the pads to get a redder rust

also further to @iBorg tip, get dirt from different areas. I've got jars of it ground up ready to use. I have various shades of browns, reds, oranges and almost blue (the blue is ground up rock dust)