How do you get that Scratched-Paint look?

[adam_weiler]

I read about this technique where you put down a coat of steel or silver paint and then another colour paint and then scratch off the second paint to see the steel underneath. Which kinds of paints would work best for this type of thing? How do I keep the steel from scratching off at the same time? Should I use spraypaint, or water-based, or oil-based?

Also when is it best to use a spraypaint? I recently used a spray can trying to coat the larger pieces of a model (AT-ST) but there were so many angles I emptied the can and still wasn't finished. I don't fancy the colour too much because it's very dark so I think I might paint over it, which seems like a waste too.

And weathering, how do you do this without making the model look dirty or junky?

[southwestforests]

That's a bunch of questions and most having more than one answer.
On the steel then color then scratch, one thing which would help is to put a clear coat over the steel before the color coat, giving an extra layer of safety.

As for enamel or acrylic, there are a whole lot of "that depends on ..." variables.
For example, don't want to use enamels on vinyl kits, the paint chemistry reacts with the vinyl; making that answer depend on what your subject model is manufactured from.
And it seems different people often have an inherent "feel" for either enamel or acrylic and get better results with the one they seem to be in tune with.
One of the "that depends" is which order different types of paint are being used in - for example, acrylics will paint fine over enamels (although painting over gloss might be an issue) but you mostly don't want to use enamels over acrylic.
Airbrushes lay down a very thin layer of paint, mere molecules thick, making them great for putting on the color coat you are going to scratch off.

Also when is it best to use a spraypaint?

That's another one where there are a bunch of "that depends on ..." in the answers.
As for me, my health is now a mess and a lot of days I just can't focus enough to do a good job of airbrushing, so, use a spray can and go on.
As you found with the Star Wars model, spray cans have their advantage and some limitations.
An airbrush with its tightly controlled spray pattern would work grandly on that model.
And if you wish to take the time, it can be tackled the "old fashioned" way with the classic hairy stick.

Acrylics are low toxicity and set fast, sometimes even too fast to make a second brush stroke over. and often, water is a perfectly serviceable solvent. Enamels have noxious solvents but have the advantage of being blendable on-model for a small bit of time. Which is why a lot of large scale figure painters use artist's oils.
Most acrylics give a hard and durable finish, a plus in gaming miniatures for example.
Speaking of solvents, somewhere back in the 1980s I discovered that Tamiya acrylics can be stripped off with isopropyl, "rubbing" alcohol which pretty much does nothing to plastic or filler.

And that's about all the thoughts which will spill out coherently here at 10:30pm, 22:30, whichever format is used wherever you are.

[dizzyfugu]

Really depends on the scale and the topic, IMHO.

On small scales you can achieve good results through dry-brushed paint, for larger scales (say, 1:35 and up) you can use the hairspray or salt masking technique to achive a truly flaked look.

For the latter I'd recommend an airbrush - hairspray is very delicate to paint over, and the salt method can end up pretty messy if you use a brush.

It works, though, I experimented with it on 1:72 aircraft:

A (real) Indonesian P-51D:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dizzyfugu/ ... 9084685616


A whiffy Spitfire F.22 in RoC use:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dizzyfugu/ ... 2110876063


Check the description, you can find more pics and WiP pics of single steps in the photostream close by.

Hope it helps?

[Bellerophon]

Hairspray works great. It remains water-soluble after it's dry. You paint over it with acrylic, which remains porous for a while after it dries until it's well cured. This armor model was my first use of the technique, applying acrylic white winter camo using a brush and an airbrush, then wetting it and scrubbing some of it off with a toothbrush. How much of the paint comes off depends on how long you let it dry, how much you wet it, and how hard you scrub.

[Richard Baker]

On prepaints like the ARC-170 I used rough sandpaper and an Xacto to score/chip the paint, then a silver leaded pencil to add the metal showing through the scratches...

[Tankmodeler]

I read about this technique where you put down a coat of steel or silver paint and then another colour paint and then scratch off the second paint to see the steel underneath. Which kinds of paints would work best for this type of thing? How do I keep the steel from scratching off at the same time? Should I use spraypaint, or water-based, or oil-based?

Simply scratching off the top layer is extremely "not recommended". Some might like to do it, but from your questions you are new at weatheing and literally scratching off the paint withuot causing damage is a really skilled operation.

As was said, look up "Hairspray Chipping Techniques" and "Salt Chipping Techniques" on model building forums, primarily military vehicle ones.

Also when is it best to use a spraypaint?

Some will disagree with me, but I say "Never". Use an airbrush.

If you can't afford an airbrush, use a really nice standard brush, thin the paint and put down multiple coats to get coverage.

I have yet to see a modelling application where a spray bomb really provides the right answer.

An airbrush provides near infinite control of what paint you use, how much coverage you get, exactly where you put down the paint and how much paint is sprayed at any instant in time. Spray bombs are just awful. Some get good results, but again, they have a LOT of practice and are doing relatively specific things (like covering large areas with one colour)

And weathering, how do you do this without making the model look dirty or junky?

Well, you're trying to make it look dirty, no? Otherwise you don't weather.

If you are asking how do you know when to stop before it looks like crap, that's both an experience and a "critical eye" thing.

If you are replicating a real vehicle or something where you can find an analog as a real vehicle, i.e. building a Sci Fi tank or truck, then look for images of real tanks or trucks that appeal to you and then follow the photos and stop when you've achived what you see in the photos. If you are just starting out, this is preferable.

If the whole thing is imaginary, then you have to go by your own instincts of when enough is enough. Danger, danger, Will Robinson!

Don't take this the wrong way, but your questions are, in essence, asking "How do I, a newbie, recreate the effects of guys with 20+ years' experience?" and the only real answer is acquire 20 years of experience, i.e. practice. Search for techniques in forums or Youtube, try what they do and expect to not quite be happy with, or even hate, a bunch of your models as you get that experience.

Experience is the act of learning lessons from when unwanted things happen. When possible, gain your experience from when unwanted things happen to others, but always expect that there will be lots and lots of bad things happening to _your_ nmodels for _you_ to get experience from.

It is the way of the univese and, ultimately, we all go through it.

If you have specific questions on techniqes, we'll all be happy to answer them and you will get a bunch of answers that reflect how each of us have gained our "experience". There are almost always many ways to skin each cat.

HTH

Paul

[Glorfindel]

With all due respect boys what I think Adam is asking for is the effect for making scratched steel, not chipping which everyone is telling him. A look like this:
http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/xx22 ... 945089.jpg
Salt, Maskol, Liquid Mask, hair spray alone with the right brush all will give you a great chipping effect. It's that wiped down streaking effect of steel it looks like he's looking for. Sort of worn polished aluminum like this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wt70alyJsyQ

Hey Bellerophon that tank looks sweet!

[Tankmodeler]

With all due respect boys what I think Adam is asking for is the effect for making scratched steel, not chipping which everyone is telling him.

No, he talks about putting a colour coat over a steel basecoat. That's not a burnished steel effect, that's worn or chipped paint. At least it sounds so to me.

Mr. Weiler? WHich effect were you looking for?

Paul

[Bellerophon]

Thanks Glorfindel!

That Rub-n-Buff technique in the youtube video is pretty neat.

Adam raises a good point in the OP about the problem of scratching off the metallic basecoat. Depending how much metal is exposed will probably determine whether it's a product like Alclad or Metallizer, or metallic paint. If I wanted most of the paint worn off I'd use Alclad with no sealer, but then will the hairspray technique damage the metal finish? Maybe not if you're careful.

[Tankmodeler]

[quote="Bellerophon"]then will the hairspray technique damage the metal finish? [\quote]
Not unless your scrubbing like some sort of demon. The hairspray (or chipping solution) acts as a layer between the undercoat and the top coat.

[dizzyfugu]

Simply scratching off the top layer is extremely "not recommended". Some might like to do it, but from your questions you are new at weatheing and literally scratching off the paint withuot causing damage is a really skilled operation.

Second that - it works, but is a delicate measure. You need very fine wet sandpaper, and patience. While it bears certain risks you can create unique effects thorugh this, though. Not only with a metal paint underneath, but also with lighter tones of the upper paint, or primer paint that shimmers thorugh.

For a flaky effect, some cover medium like hair spray is recommended. I recently also realized (by accident) that dried-up black ink (which I use for weathering washes) can also create a masking layer that can later be rubbed/scratched away to reveal the paint layer below.

[Rocketeer]

I've used the hairspray technique pretty successfully. I used Tamiya spray gloss aluminum as the base coat; Tamiya spray paint, when dry, is very durable. Then a layer of hairspray, then an airbrushed coat of green enamel. Since I used enamel, and not acrylic, I had to do the scrubbing under warm water before the enamel had completely hardened.

The end result was a very nice effect of paint coming off an aluminum surface:

http://kitbash.net/wf2009/DSC06689.JPG

[aussie muscle]

I have yet to see a modelling application where a spray bomb really provides the right answer.

I use spray cans because of the quick clean up. it's something no one mentioned before i bought an airbrush is I have to completely pull it apart and clean it thorougly for every use and every color.

Oh, and the application is automotive modelling. I need a high gloss coverage. a spray can isn't ideal, but it's the next best thing to an airbrush.