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WEATHERING with an AIRBRUSH by Mac McCalla

Weathering is an art used mostly in the model building hobby. It is probably one of the easiest methods of airbrushing that you will encounter in your painting process. Weathering generally consists of making things appear old, rusty, weathered and beat up. I always use four basic colors to achieve the affect I am looking for, thus eliminating the need for a whole stable of colors to deal with. Badger makes the four colors under the name of "ModelFlex™". The four basic colors I use are: RUST, ROOF BROWN, ENGINE BLACK and EARTH. My modeling is centered around large scale trains and fixtures. The application I use will also apply to model airplanes, cars, boats, buildings and whatever else you may want to weather.

I begin by spraying the object with RUST in each place I want the rust to appear. Afterwards, I go over it lightly in some places and heavier in other places with ROOF BROWN. This will give the appearance of old and new rust that has run together to give the affect you normally see on old and rusty objects, ie: automobile fenders and bodies, hulls of ships or boats where rust has bled down the sides from cleats and other metal objects, wheels and trucks on trains where mother nature has taken her toll over a period of time, and any other objects made of metal that would have a tendancy to rust and weather.

To represent old and aged wood, you can use a mixture of rubbing alcohol and India ink, mixed to your liking by adding a few drops of ink into the alcohol until the desired color is obtained, then spray it onto the wood, it will immediately stain the wood into a grayish color which will represent old, weather-beaten wood. You may also use household wood stain in the color of your choice if you just want to stain the wood. To weather wood that has already been stained, a light wash of ModelFlex™ WHITE, or EARTH colored paint can be sprayed in a downward motion from any point and achieve the affect of rain washed paint that has weathered and run down the sides of a building or a rail road box car.

I have found that the perfect airbrush for my applications is a Badger Model 100LG, gravity feed, double action brush with a medium needle and crown regulator. This will allow me to get to within 1/4" or even less of an object such as nuts and bolts, hinges, grab irons, wheels, etc. This is possible due to the fact that it is a gravity feed brush which has a permanent cup built onto the brush on the top, thus eliminating the use of a jar underneath the brush, which will restrict the distance you can get to an object. I have found that a medium tip and needle will cover all phases of weathering and that a small or large needle is not necessary in my application. You can experiment with all sizes and decide on which best suits your style and requirements.

Weathering, in its application, is almost impossible to make a mistake with, if you feel you have botched the job, simply paint over it and start again until you achieve the look you want. REMEMBER, you are not painting a Rembrant, you are trying to make something look old and beat up so it doesn't have to be perfect, just weathered!!! With a little practice you can make anything appear old. For practice, you can use any beer or soda can and paint it to appear old and rusty. You will have an unlimited supply of practice material and can paint them over and over until you get the proceedure down pat. Weathering is a fun and productive hobby, try it and I am sure you will like it. ModelFlex™ is a non toxic, water based paint and is easily cleaned or thinned with regular tap water. Mac :)

Mac McCalla
mackers@ptconnect.infi.net