With "Hairspray" chipping, we can achieve a wide variety of very pleasing effects.

Here is an example of how we can repeat the "Hairspray" technique several times to create a convincing base of rust & steel. This is the effect that will show through our base colors which will also be treated to the "Hairspray" technique.
We begin with a base color of NATO Black to show steel. We can use many different shades of grey to create a convincing steel look.

After sealing our base steal color with a laquer clear, several different rust tones from Tamiya have been applied.

The same process of sealing with a clear laquer, apply the desired color(s), & scrubing with warm water will be repeated several times to create a mottled rusty look.


When we have achieved a convincing rusty appearance, we can seal with clear laquer, apply a final layer of Hairspray, and move on to the top colors. Subtle "Color Modulation" -or- Lightening our base color to fade some panels can add some depth & visual interest. Keep in mind that at this point, we can further enhance the rusty look with oils, pigments, & enamels.

Once these top colors have been scrubed with warm water, a stiff brush, tooth brush, or tooth pic, we can more on to more conventional methods of weathering. Here, Chipping using the "mapping technique" has been applied & a panel wash was applied using a fine point brush and AK Interactive's "Streaking Grime"Enamel.

Any access can easily be cleaned away and the effect can be refined using "White Spirit" & a flat brush.

To add the the depth of the over all appearance and show exposure to the elements & maintanence, the same "Streaking Grime" is used to paint small uneaven streaks.

This effect can and should be refined using "White Spirit" & a chisel brush. Once the Enamel effect has been allowed to sit for 3 - 5 minutes, we can use a chisel humid with "White Spirit" to stump the streaking. This should be done moving in one pass and one dirrection at a time, cleaning the brush frequently. This will prevent us from moving the "Streaking Effects' from one place to the other.

The final effect of these few simple steps can give us a pleasant and convincing look!




I hope you guys will forgive the subject....this shell has been used for tests. However, the possibilities with Trains is endless & very fun!

Excellent results Iain, and a great subject to show it on. Let's see if I have the first part correct:

1-base coat steel
2-clear sealant
3-hairspray
4-rust tones
5-scrub
6-clear sealant
7-hairspray
8-top coat
9-scrub

That sound right?

Nice tutorial Iain and a very convincing final effect. Thanks for posting this up.

Iain - Thank you for posting this example. I'm trying the hairspray method on my current build, so the timing is perfect. Some questions that came to mind (and might be on others' minds as well):

1. How long did you allow each of the hairspray and paint layers to dry?
2. Is a sealant coat between layers an absolute necessity or more of an insurance policy against scrubbing away the layers underneath? Would Future or Vallejo varnish work as well as lacquer?
3. What is stumping? A gentle stabbing motion with the brush to achieve a blending effect?

James,
That is exactly the order that I use. Now, as for other barriers such as Future or Vallejo products, this will most likely NOT work because they are acrylic. The barrier is used to seal and protect the previous steps from being effected by repeating the process. I have made the mistake of skipping this step and you will find that you continue to effect the previous steps....usually in a negatative or undesireable way.
I usually use Tsetors Dull Coat straight from a rattle can. However, there must be other ways. It is worth a little experimentation. However, the prinsiple here is to apply a ;aquer based clear barrier between effects.