Out of Cranky's Lab-RAT-ory–Endlessly Rocking

[Dr. Cranky]

Greetings my fellow Model Car Magazine Forum-ites!

Old D. Cranky here with some new experiments . . .

The bug to build another beather bit me once again, and this time I thought I'd try a new technique that's been the rage in the military vehicle forums . . . and which can easily be adapted to our needs as model car builders . . . that is if you are as crazy as Cranky about building beaters, junkers, and rats.

Also this time, I had gotten my hands on a set of Vallejo Acrylic Primers which I had been meaning to try (those of you who know me know that I am crazy about Plastikote primers) but these acrylic primers clean up with water. My first reservation was that they would not stick to the raw plastic, but it does. The trick is to let it dry well for a day or so . . .

The hairspray I used is cheap, uncented hairspray you can pick up at the grocery store. Not spray, but pump mister, so you can pour it into your airbrush.

You will need a tooth pick, a stiff brush and plain water.

Oh, and the model, of course . . . and my subject this time is a 37/38 Ford built box stock, nothing fancy.

Edited November 28, 2012 by Harry P.

[Dr. Cranky]

So the basic hairspray technique works using the following steps:

1. apply primer, allow to dry

2. apply rust-color basecoat, allow to dry

3. apply a dusting of dullcoat to seal and protect the rust coat, allow to dry

4. airbrush a dusting (light coat) of hairspray, allow to dry

5. apply an acrylic color (and this is important for it to work) of paint, allow it to dry

6. With a soft brush moisten the acrylic top coat, allow the water to be absorbed by the paint

7. with a toothpick cut into a chisel point begin to scratch slowly until the chipping begins

8. GO SLOW, TAKE YOUR TIME, and use more water to keep the area you are chipping clean.

9. Do not handle the body too much.

10. Do the chipping to your taste . . .

I started with the wheels to get my practice in before moving on to other parts of the model . . .

11. Do not panic if you cut down to the bare plastic . . . these little accidents can be fixed later.

[Dr. Cranky]

The whole process of painting is your usual, or my usual in this case . . . I built all the sub-assemblies and glued everything, then masked, and then sprayed the primer and the rust coat of paint . . .

Once that dried, I used dullcoat to seal in the basecoat of rust, and then applied the hairspray.

Again, it is very important to allow everything to dry well . . . preferably over night . . .

The objective is to apply a smooth coat of primer, paint, dullcoat, and hairspray . . .

[Dr. Cranky]

Oh, and I forgot to mention that whatever modifications to the body you want to make in terms of how junky and beat-up you want your build to look, then you do that before everything else, including using a blade to cut some dings and dents, and the Dremel tool to do rust-throughs on individual panels . . . I went for a mild worn look . . .

But you can see I removed some of the trim and added some holes here and there . . .

[Dr. Cranky]

Here are some preliminary results with the painting process . . .

Oh, I used liquid mask on the grill and bumbers.

[Custom Mike]

I saw this on your Fotki page Virgil, and was hoping you'd post it and tell us what you were up to. Thanks for the tip, now if I ever get the nerve up I'll know how to do some really cool weathering!

[Dr. Cranky]

You can see in this picture that I used a bit of color modulation technique which is just a fancy term for using paint to highlight and shadow individual panels . . . for example, you spray a lighter color toward the center of a door panel, over the tops of the hoods and fenders, etc . . .

You can also use different colors to add interest to the paint. I used dirty linen whit, sand, yellow ochre, and a little bit of brown/black . . .

You see better results here:

[Dr. Cranky]

Thanks, Mike, and it's always great to hear that folks like you lurk the Fotki Archives!

[Dr. Cranky]

There's nothing difficult about assembling and painting this 38 Ford kit (Revell) but you have to get used to fitting the parts before you primer and paint, otherwise, you will end up chipping the paint in the tight spots, but it's okay, again you can go back and fix it with more paint . . .

Here are some basic results using the technique . . .

[Dr. Cranky]

I wanted to add variety to the model, so I painted a replaced door on one side and then some previous color change on the other . . .

Just for more interest . ..

The chipping of the paint over the hairspray is a slow, tideous process, but watching the easy and wonderful results will help keep you inspired . . .

[Dr. Cranky]

For the last few years I have been in a constant search to find a paint that would do crackle effects, and I wanted to do something different and special on the bed of this truck, so I finally struck gold . . . while browsing the isles at Michael's Craft Stores . . . I came across a paint product from RANGER INDUSTRIES called "Distressed Crackle Paint," and I decided to give it a try . . .I used a sponge to apply the paint to the real wood planks I cut to size . . .

The paint can be thinned with water and the thinner you apply it the smaller the crackling . . . but the results are amazing . . .you be the judge . . .

[Dr. Cranky]

Here are the planks in place . . . they help transform the bed of the vehicle . . .

You can combine several techniques, including salt and other weathering elements like washes and pastels to add even more touches to the vehicle. I am looking forward to continuing to add to this one and see where it goes . . .

For me the difference between using the "salt" technique versus the "hairspray" technique has to do with speed and accuracy. If you want to finish a model faster, than masking with salt is pretty good, but the hairspray technique allows for surgical precision and accuracy to where you want to place your rust spots and scratches . . . you can be as subtle as you want and still get good results . . .

The possibilities are endless and I think the results are extremely realistic depending on the look you are after . . .

Give it a try . . . and post your results . . .

[charlie8575]

Interesting, and quite useful, Virgil. I could see this working quite well for buildings, too.

Thanks for the tips.

Charlie Larkin

[Foxer]

That crackle paint is amazing!

I like this hairspray technique. As you say, it allows much more precision to get the rusting as you want it.

Now, my only question is, how unkempt is your beard after using all your hairspray on the truck?

[bad0210]

wow that really looks good!

[GrandpaMcGurk]

Great tutorial Virgil......mind if I stick it in my favorites for later reference?

[Dr. Cranky]

Thanks everyone. Not at all, buddy. Reference away.

Speaking of reference, here's a handy site for the Crackle Paint information and colors available:

http://www.rangerink.com/products/prod_paint_distresscrackle.htm

[Dr. Cranky]

Here's more information from the original source of Crackle Paint, Mr. Tim Holtz, who is well known in crafting circles. Come to find out the paint can also be used as a resist product . . .

http://www.rangerink.com/videos/videos_timcrackleresist.htm

[Dr. Cranky]

Here's a bit more progress . . . I am layering in more details as I continue to weather this mildly-rusted beauty:

[Harold]

Awesome job, Cranky . Looks like it was rescued from an old barn after forty years of storage.

[Terror]

You never cease to amaze.Very cool technique I gotta try.How to make the chrome look old seem to be the hard part.Can this be done the same way .?I was thinking get it to the painted rust stage,bmf the part then do the scuffin and tearing?Whats you take on the chrome Crank?

[LAone]

wow, these are some great tips. great work by the way. i like the way its looking.

[Dr. Cranky]

Hey, Terry, good question. Chrome is easy to weather by simply dusting (from at least 18 inches away) a few spritz of black, ruddy brown, and gray primer or paint, then follow it up with a dusting of dull coat.

With this grill on the 38 Ford I am going to apply a dark wash into the ribs of the grill and that will help . . .stay tuned in.

[Chuck Most]

At least its not from your la-VOR-otory!

[Dr. Cranky]

Ha! That would have made it extra gunky!