Painting styrene to look like corrageted metal

[tblack007]

Has anyone had any luck painting white styrene to look like old, rusty, corrugated metal roofing? I'm not getting very close on the colors.

Tim

[wjstix]

I'd be tempted to start with something like Testor's chrome spray for the shiny "like new" silvery look, then use chalk, powdered charcoal, or other weathering agents to make it look old. At least in my experience it seems to work better to start with the "like new" appearance and then add weathering from there, rather than trying to paint something directly to look old.

[tblack007]

Will chalk and powdered charcoal hold up for outdoor structures?

[Ray Dunakin]

There are a couple ways to do it... 1. You can use the flat, Apple Barrel brand, craft acrylic paints. These hold up very well outdoors. I'm using them now on my figures, and on buildings, and have been very pleased with them. 2. You can use Sophisticated Finishes two-part product, available from Michael's and other craft stores. Part one is "Iron Metallic Surfacer". It's made of real iron particles in an acrylic base. Then use their "Rust Antiquing Solution" to give it a rust finish that is extremely realistic because it's real rust. The only downside is that the iron coat is very thick, and you really have to work it a bit to get it smooth enough. And if you use it on anything with fine detail, it tends to obscure the details.

[Ray Dunakin]

Here are three photos of buildings I made. All of the "wood" is styrene, scribed and painted with Apple Barrel paints. The corrugated roofing and the stamped metal "brick" siding is made from thin brass. I painted these with the Sophisticated Finishes products described in my previous post. . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... ... .. . . . . . . . . . . Enjoy!

[Bill C.]

The base coat was white outdoor latex house paint with some black craft paint from Walmart to tint it gray.  This was touched up with red and brown outdoor craft paint from Walmart to make it look like rust had begun.  Just brush it on.

[altterrain]

 Here are some results of the two part instant iron/instant rust systems ( and follow the directions on letting it dry 1 to 2 days between steps). I get it at my local Micheals or online here - http://www.dickblick.com/products/instant-iron-and-instant-rust/

on Bachmann tip cars -

 

on wheels trucks and couplers -

 

on  Dick Weatherby's mine buildings (corrugated soda can base) -

 

 

-Brian

[dwbeckett]

Brian, That's some nice looking rust, look's just like the rusty non-conductive B-Mann rail jointers I removed from my dead spot today.

Dave