Fire Weathering for rusted and damaged paint

traingeekboy Oct 22, 2020

  1. traingeekboy

    traingeekboy TrainBoard Member

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    I have been playing with a cheap old HO scale hopper I am converting to 1/55 for my narrow gauge layout.

    My attempt at doing Hair Spray Chipped Paint Effect went sideways and I wasn't sure what to do. That was when I got the strange idea of using heat to make my paint job bubble and crack like it's rusting out from underneath.

    I used a highly prized fine tool for this job known as a Bic Lighter.

    Sure enough the paint layers started to get an amazing texture.

    I slightly melted my car. I think the technique can be refined with practice. I have already added a bunch of alcohol and rust particle on top of it and now it really looks beat to crap. I will get a photo of that soon.

    [​IMG]
     
  2. traingeekboy

    traingeekboy TrainBoard Member

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    A little more detail. It shows how the paint bubbled and added more texture. I added some liquid rust product and that seemed to really finish off the effect nicely.

    [​IMG]
     
  3. Mike VE2TRV

    Mike VE2TRV TrainBoard Member

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    Nice!:cool:

    I used a similar technique to "distress" a gondola, putting some dings and bumps in the sides to make it look like it worked hard for a living. I used a cheap trainset Bachmann gondola as a guinea pig and it turned out rather well. Then I dirtied it up.

    So don't worry about the slight melting. That prized Bic lighter did the job of years of mistreatment in just a few minutes!

    I'll keep your paint-bubbling application in mind for my next mangling victim.:sneaky:
     
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  4. Shortround

    Shortround TrainBoard Member

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    That look like the equipment I see at the yard near me. Very well done and gives me another use for the long bic I have for lighting my camp fires. (y)
     
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  5. traingeekboy

    traingeekboy TrainBoard Member

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    I was trying to do hair spray chipped paint effect. You need a lot of layers of paint first. I have 2x brown, 1x dull coat, 1 x hair spray, 1 x poster paint, 1x dull coat on there. Then you can use the lighter to both darken and bubble the paint.

    Then I globbed on bottle #1 from a Rust All weathering kit.

    Best to go real slow as the car can melt. Maybe do it while standing near the freezer and keep popping it in and out of the freezer to cool.

    Good luck!
     
  6. traingeekboy

    traingeekboy TrainBoard Member

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    I am really pleased with it. I am going to do parts of my little loco with this effect and make it look like it earns a living. :p
     
  7. Shortround

    Shortround TrainBoard Member

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    Hay! A new idea of what to do with my little freezer. It would only take a little space an it will fit under a new layout and keep my ice cream available. :D
     
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