Hi all, whats the best way to paint Fruil metal tracks ??
Thanks.

Hi Moss, With the fruils I dont paint them . I soak them in a product called Blacken It..then when set on the model touch them up with pastels. Im on my way out the door..If I get a chance later Ill try and find a link to Blacken It.

Hi mossieramm,
The best description of this method I have seen is by Michael Rinaldi. Check him out on Missing links. I think there is a recent link on their dio forum. I dont have the correct link here at work ... but will post it later this evening from home if nobody gets in before me!
He uses the the blacken it and pastels ... and the result is excellent ... well worth the effort. Actually, he makes it all sound, sort of effortLESS.

here is a link to the product, hoop it helps
http://www.hometown-hobbies.com/a_west_

DEFINITELY go the Blacken-It route. To be honest, that's one of my favorite reasons for using Friuls. It makes it a breeze to get a good base on which to proceed with weathering.

I never tried it but I have seen the results of someone who left it in too long without checking it. It looks like a wrecked ship decaying at the bottom of the ocean. I guess the lesson is just because it's virtually a no-brainer product you still have to monitor the progress.

Yep, you don't want to try the 'soak overnight' routine, that's for sure. I usually only let them soak a couple of minutes, then rinse them off. That is normally sufficient for that 'browned' (rather than black) look.
One more tip: After rinsing, make sure you blot them dry quite thoroughly. If not, your brown will be accented by bright orange spots (rust, of course). These aren't all that difficult to deal with (just scrape them off), but they are certainly better avoided.

The three part plan to the Michael Rinaldi articles on missing links. Method seems simple enough and the results are excellent. Good pictures to go along with text also.

Part 1: assembly
Part 2: using "Blacken it"
Part 3: weathering