Whats the best way to dry brush very fine grain aluminium ?

Question

Hi,I am wondering which paint type and perhaps additive to use so as to dry brush very fine grain aluminium onto cockpit parts worn edges and and a brighter effect (silver perhaps) onto nut and bolt heads on e.g Vectra super quality cast resin engines and not find that the effect doesnt happen as what little paint there is on the brush has fully dried out !Perhaps even at 1/32 scale a light grey is better than silver, but I think that would be too dead as I would expect a glint of metal from well worn edges and polished edges, so perhaps at 1/32 and 1/24 a metallic paint is better ? Artists oil paints would have to be mixed to such if they are best for this.We have Acrylics, both in pots of colour for modellers and artists tubes, gouaches (art shops), enamels, artists fine grain professional oil colours, Alclad and crayons...and printers silver paste, very fine grain and used by figure modellers. I have a pot of that following advice from a figure modeller but it dries quick, given its original purpose.As one is about to leave the brush with hardly any paint on it, before starting the dry brush action,  is it best to have a paint that dries quick on the brush as I would imagine an acrylic silver would, or something a little slower but still having wiped off almost all of it, it would still be dry when using enamels or something like Windsor and Newton Professional (finer than Students grade) oil paint, 617 silver for example, that normally takes 3 days to dry if painted on, and that would give more dry brushing time without the user finding that nothing was happening at all.If following up with a second or third colour application, e.g. greyish silver for the base coat of peak cap cording on a figure, then neat silver for second stage highlights and then white for final highlights, are such done in one session or best left for each dry brushing to set fully ? The choice of oil paints then extends the build time  I presume.Finally flat brush and artificial or flat...

Don Stauffer · Accepted Answer

It has been my observation that bolt heads and nuts (which are usually steel, are not real shiny, but worn and heavily oxidized. I mix black and greys with testors "steel" color for these.

For cockpit edges, my modeling friends have just introduced me to pastel "pencils." There are silver colored pencils, and you can run the "lead" over corners and get a perfectly defined "aluminum" edge, much easier than with dry brushing.

chuck ryan · Answer

For just corners, edges and the like on just about everything, I like Berolsilver pencils. First used them in hoist assembly plant, nothing (for meanyway) works as easy on models.

Rufus · Answer

Actually, I find straight silver works much better than gray...

What I like to used is dried out bottled Testors Metallizer...yup - completely dried out, like from a spare cap or something. I have a bottle or two that dried out on me that I keep just for such. I apply with a completely dry brush - I use a stiff flat brush for larger areas, and a smaller round (like a #1) for finer details.

Once Metallizer dries out, it leaves a metallic powder that will stick very nicely to flat painted parts if you apply it dry-brush fashion. The more you build the more silver it looks - a very light application over flat black can look more grayish. You can get Metallizers in all manner of shades, so experiment to taste.

If you're going to apply a flat cote over it, airbrush very lightly or you'll kill the effect. I usually don't overcoat my cockpit treatments.

...artist's colored pencils work nicely, too.

Whats the best way to dry brush very fine grain aluminium ?

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