Realistic Looking Rust

[Marcus M. Jones]

in this tutorial we are going to use a brine solution to create texture where Doc. Cranky method is more about chipping paint away...

if you do not know about Doc Cranky method look him up on youtube to see his videos. used together they compliment each other

the 3 main products you will be using are

brine water (regular table salt with hot tap water works fine)
flat clear (lacquer is recommended)
pastels

Step 1) prepping the service. - this is the easiest part of the whole method. basically you need to make sure there is no grease or wax on the area you will be applying this too. i do recommend applying this to a flat surface over a gloss but it can be done over gloss if you desire to do so.

Step 2) applying your brine solution. - 3 ways of putting brine solution on your model.
dipping (works but not the greatest results.)

paint brush (gets better results than dipping.)

misting (best results)

i prefer misting with an airbrush but a spray bottle can work just as good.

(Note of importance - if using an airbrush to apply your brine make sure to wash it good before putting it away)

basically with this step all you do is put a light mist coat on let it dry (crystallize) and repeat intill you get the desire texture.

it may or will take several coats to get the texture you're looking for.

Step 3) Sealing your texture - you will have to seal your texture in with a dull clear once it is fully dried.

I recommend a good 24 hours drying before sealing this with your dull coat.

(Note of importance - if you don't seal in the brine coating it could continue to crystallize.)

Step 4) Coloring your texture - art pastels work great. they're cheap and easy to use.

with as many different color variations out there chances are you will probably find the right color if not then you'll have to mix it yourself. i didn't have the right color in my set so i mixed black, bright red and a darkish brown to get the shade of color shown below. a little burgundy and extra black should give you a rust color closer to what a more humid climate would show.

(If your pastels are not already in a powder then you will have to sand them into a powder.)

because your salt texture has been sealed in you can be a little aggressive with adding your pastels so don't be afraid to rub it in.

once you get your pastels on you can either leave it like it is or seal it in with a flat clear coat. i used a flat lacquer on the model below and it doesn't rub off.

Edited March 2, 2014 by Marcus M. Jones

[alangarber]

Interesting. Thanks for the step by step guide. How much water and salt would you mix?

[Jantrix]

Sealing salt under the paint. Won't that leach out over time?

[Marcus M. Jones]

Interesting. Thanks for the step by step guide. How much water and salt would you mix?

completely saturate your water with salt. as for how much water 1 ounce of your brine solution should be plenty to do the job and then some unless you are working in large scale.

Sealing salt under the paint. Won't that leach out over time?

i don't think it would...

[Dexter7713]

Hey Marcus I just read this and saw the pics and I love it. I have a couple questions though if you don't mind. How much salt to how much water? Can I use this technique over what I already have to add more character? And is this your method or someone else's? And I keep hearing about pastels and chalks, being new I'm not sure I know exactly what everyone is talking about? Help! LoL

[Dexter7713]

Ignore a couple of those questions as I see you already answered them.

[Marcus M. Jones]

Hey Marcus I just read this and saw the pics and I love it. I have a couple questions though if you don't mind. How much salt to how much water? Can I use this technique over what I already have to add more character? And is this your method or someone else's? And I keep hearing about pastels and chalks, being new I'm not sure I know exactly what everyone is talking about? Help! LoL

as far as i know this is my method. i tried this in the early 90's a few times but never could get the salt to stick when dusting it with pastel. last year was the 1st time since the early 90's of trying and i only tried it because it just popped in my head one day on how to seal it. i don't know why it took so many years for me to figure it out but it did.

pastels are another type of media used in art. they have many uses in the scale modeling world from rust to just plain old dirty grime. you can even use it on seats and such to add depth. you will find them in a Hobby Lobby type store or they could be purchased on ebay. when searching make sure you're looking in the art department and look for a cheap set that runs less than $15. you may even find a set for as little as $5.

[GoatGuy]

Good info. Thanks.

[Baugher Garage]

Excellent tutorial and method! I plan to give this a try on my next project! The results look amazing! THANKS MARCUS!