Heat discoloration on real metal?

[DeltaVee]

I'm looking to "weather" the real metal engine/thruster bells for the 1/48 Space 1999 Eagle. Has anyone tried that? Ideas how to do it? Yes, I could put a candle under it and it would wind up with black soot on it. Not sure how to do heat discoloration short of a small torch. Ideas welcome.

[Rogviler]

It depends on the metal. If it's pot metal of some kind then forget it, you'll just end up melting it. If it's aluminum then you won't hurt it but I'm not sure you can get it to change color. I can't recall ever seeing that happen to aluminum. Steel or titanium, on the other hand, are really easy to do but you would need a torch.

Best bet I think is to simulate it with transparent paints.

[DeltaVee]

What kind of transparent paint will stick to aluminum bells?

[Rogviler]

Duplicolor Metalcast sprays will for sure. You can definitely decant them for use in an airbrush.

I would imagine the Tamiya clear colors will as well, but I haven't tried them personally.

[Kylwell]

IIRC the engine bells are turned aluminum. Heat coloring them won't quite right and it'll need more heat than a candle will provide.

Pick up Tamiya's Weathering Master D Set, Item No：87088. Use the pastel like stuff to heat color the metal then seal with a matte finish.

[Bellerophon]

Here is a trick I just found out about yesterday, so I haven't tried it yet: boiling aluminum with eggshells. The fellow responsible for this excellent F-101 says he used this technique: http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com/G ... tt/00.shtm

[jpolacchi]

There are some really good metallic paints out there now that simulate burned and heat stressed metal.

[DeltaVee]

Thanks. I picked up a can of the blue Metalcast to try. I figure it might have a better effect if it were thinned and diluted some someone's clear coat. Any ideas what's compatible?

[jpolacchi]

No idea.Depends what kind of paint it is,but typically paint manufactures suggest that you don't mix their paints with a different manufacturer's paint.

[TurkeyVolumeGuessingMan]

I may be a noob, but I think giving them a coat of Mr. Metal Primer first (it's a clear primer), then using Tamiya Clear Blue and Clear Red in variation (maybe some Smoke too) might produce some good heat discoloration effect.

[jpolacchi]

AK has some killer paints that simulate burned and stressed metal