Lets talk scatches! Chips, Bumps, knocks and DAMAGE

[slupanter]

I have been painting my scatches with a brush but now I hear you can use sponge. I beleve to put a spot on the body and paint the scatch with a sponge brush or a packing sponge?

What do we all think?

[Guest]

One of the best ways I have seen described on here would be to paint he areas where chips would be in the colour you wanted the chips to be. then using a piece of ripped sponge, ripped to give it random high spots, very gently dab small amounts of masking fluid, the rubbery type. Then spray over the finish coat and let it harden. The tiny flecks of masking fluid can them be rubbed off using a pencil rubber to reveal the under colour paint.

I like the sound of this method as it truly represents chipping, showing the colour under the paint rather than painting it on top which loses that 3D quality. Certainly the way I will be going when I have a shot at chipping. remember though that the tiny drops of masking fluid must have some sense of scale, too big and they will not really be chips as such but scale large unpainted areas.

[slupanter]

Yeah I like the sound of that. Red primer base then mask, then Nato Black then mask, then light base spatter mask over body and then ture colour with camo on GAS mark 6 your done.

[Guest]

I haven't tried it yet but I like the idea of using salt and intend having a go when I have a suitable subject. Make up a saturated brine solution and brush it roughly onto the areas you want to generate chips on. When the brine dries it will form salt crystals on the surface. Spray your top colour over the salt and wait for it to dry. All you need to do then is gently brush the salt crystals away and you will be left with the visible undercoat showing through the topcoat.

I'm a great believer in creating an effect in as close to a real manner as possible so painting a primer coat then a top coat and finally selectively removing it is far more effective and realistic, as Fenlander says, tha painting primer over the top coat.

[Guest]

I haven't tried it yet but I like the idea of using salt and intend having a go when I have a suitable subject. Make up a saturated brine solution and brush it roughly onto the areas you want to generate chips on. When the brine dries it will form salt crystals on the surface. Spray your top colour over the salt and wait for it to dry. All you need to do then is gently brush the salt crystals away and you will be left with the visible undercoat showing through the topcoat.I'm a great believer in creating an effect in as close to a real manner as possible so painting a primer coat then a top coat and finally selectively removing it is far more effective and realistic, as Fenlander says, tha painting primer over the top coat.

Richard, I have done the salt method, and although not as easy in its execution as the masking fluid method, it does behold a good result. However, I just wet the model then sprinkle salt on, then when dry, one may brush off as much or as little as needed. I don't know if this holds any advantages over the saturated solution method, except maybe time spent mixing the salt water...

HTH

Stuart

[Ian M]

One of the bonuses with the grains of salt method is you get little tiny high edges where the paint rises over the salt. It really gives the chips a lift.

And as I alway say if you want good chips, put salt on 'em!!

Ian M