If you apply dull cote the work you did with the pastels fades. Do you guys do pastels at the end or do you dull cote then reapply. If I chose to do my pastel weathering at the end will the lack of dull cote prevent the pastels from staying on the model?

Godfather, while you can apply pastels without covering them with a flat coat, I don't reccomend it. Without the flat coat, which acts as a sealant, everytime you pick up or move the model, a little but of weathering is going to be rubbed off. (when you pick it up where it has pastels applied, that is) The only time I wouldn't use a flat coat over weathering powders is if I was going to put a model inside of a display case an I knew it would never be touched. You may not have that much trouble with powders rubbing off, but me; I'll choose to apply multiple coats of pastels with a little flat coat sealer. Reason: Easier to transport and there's less to worry about.
That's my opinion. No one has to use a dullcoat. Also, keep in mind that some powders will fade more than others. Maybe some of the otther guys will pop up here and share thier experince with pastels, the Bragdon Weathering system, and whatever else is out there..

YodaMan

My method for pastels is to get my paint done first. Then apply the pastels completely. Once that is done I will typically (there are always exceptions) seal it with a light coat of Testors Dull Coat. I will then reapply pastels where I think they have lost their crispness or 'dustiness' If I am not going to handle the model or if I can keep it relativly free of household dust I wont seal the pastels. I will seal the paint first then add pastels.

I've used both methods - before and after. While the later could cause problems with removing the pastels if you handle it too much, the former loses some of the "color" of the pastels applied.
I just finished using "Liquitex Acrylic Slow-Dri Medium" mixed with Testors Dull Cote at about a ratio of 75% Testors/25% Liquitex. I sprayed it at only 12psi and sort of let it just "rain" on the model so as not to harm the pastels. It worked wonderfully. Because the extender retarded the drying of the dull coat, it did not dry before it reached the model. The pastels nearly remained as close to the way when they were originally applied...and they're sealed in. I was very pleased with the results. :-)

Hi

I don't dullcoat after using pastels. In general, I dust the kit pretty heavily, then I always mount the kit to a base. Weathering the base and kit together provides a final coat of pastel dust. I don't touch the model after that, just the base.

And, perhaps its the amount of dust I use, but I haven't had much trouble with fingerprints or the dust coming off. I use a really flat finish before dusting, perhaps that helps.

Andy

I finish the same way as Kencelot does - I dull cote throughout the process over pastel weathering - and finish off with a dull coting. I go through five or six weathering stages, and sometimes layering of pastel colors. I don't have any problems with blowing away a lot of pastels because I don't use a lot of pastels in the first place. If I'm trying to recreate an effect, like road dust, over large areas of a model I don't opt for pastels. Airbrushes are better suited for this effect.

Gunnie