Aging Metal: part 1, patina and rust
Here is a tutorial I hope you will all find useful! It is also a Procustomizers Exclusive!!
I've been working on quite a few projects where it required a look of age and use. I have been using a lot of different tricks that I have learned over the years, and this tutorial covers a few of them. My current project has a brass, steel, and aluminum make-up (at least I am pretending it does,) which are all metals that show age a little differently.
Shown here are the materials you will need to do this project.
Rustall: a liquid that you can use with brushes or airbrushes to give the appearance of "rust" on any finish. You can make your own if you cant find it in your hobby shop, by mixing very low percentage Isopropyl alcohol, brown ink, and dust scraped off of brown chalk.
Rub 'n Buff: You can find this at most craft stores in the framing section. It is a wax that you rub on to achieve different finishes. It works great over a flat primer and is nearly bulletproof once sealed under a clear coat. Do not use it on an exceptionally smooth surface however! It will dry like turtle wax and buff right off. I first discovered this stuff when I wanted to age some statues in a diorama I did WAY back in the day! The 2 colors I have here are Autumn Gold, and Patina.
2 Stiff bristled brushes. These are for the Rub 'n Buff. It will not apply with a smooth hair brush.
Make-up applicators. If you don't have these in your arsenal, go get them now. Not only do they work great for the Buff 'n Rub, they are awesome for blending powders and enamel paints. Don't spend $7 on the Tamiya 3 pack at your hobby store: go to your local drug store and pick up 12 for a buck in their make-up section.
Black ink. This is great for adding depth on any project. Make sure you check the opacity of your ink on a test piece, as some inks are a little different in that regard. If it is too dark, just add water until you get the desired result.
Your "metals" paints. In this case chrome silver, and gun metal.
Your project! As you can see in the photo, I have already applied a brushed on coat of the Autumn Gold Rub 'n Buff.
Continue with a small amount of the Patina Rub 'n Buff on a clean surface.
Apply a small amount to your surface, and...
blend with your brush or make-up applicator.
Continue on all of your exposed "brass" or "copper" parts. These are the metals that would naturally build a "patina" with age in the elements. The important thing to remember, is that this is a natural aging. There should be no strict uniformity to your paint applications. The only pattern that should be implied is the natural direction and weathering caused by the sun, wind and rain. Do an image search for "rust" or "old statues." A little real world reference can really help the ideas pop in your head. I then go in and paint in all of the other metal finishes that I want to age with the Rust-All.
This shows the piece ready for "rusting."
I come in with a new detail brush. Shake the Rustall mixture well. You then want to load your brush with a good amount of it, and trail it along the recesses and edges of your piece. Let cappillary action pull the mixture into the hidden areas. Use the tip of your brush to "pull" some of the mixture out to represent runs or wind blown rusty rainwater.
You can also use your Rustall to add some depth to the patina that you previously appiled. Again, you want to show variation, and not follow a definitive pattern. This will give the ageing a natural look. I also run the Rust all over the "steel" and "aluminum" parts of the project. I let it build up on the corners and flat areas of the "steel" parts. On the "aluminum" parts, I just try to show that "rust water" has been running over it while stting in the rain. Aluminum doesn't really rust, but it will get dirty if attached to a rusting base.
I then come in with the black ink, and brush it into the deeper recesses of the piece. This adds a depth of shadow that the normal paint and drybrushing doesn't achieve.
Once I am done picking out the details with the black ink, I finish up with a small amount of the Patina Rub 'n Buff on the tip of a brush. I use a very little bit just on the bristle tips to tap on "flakes" of the patina at the higher edges and corners of the aged areas. This adds one more level of "depth" to the piece. You can go as far as you want with this, but I am happy at this level for my project.
Here is the piece, ready for decals (that will get a little aging as well,) and then some clear coat. I will be doing another tutorial soon that will show some techniques that you can use to show very severe rust damage and aging, using such things as your air brush, sand, and a little toilet paper!
I hope you found this one useful! -SB
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Originally Posted by frenzy_rumble
Many thanks.
