Several years ago, I was exploring in the Bradsaw Mountains and came across some heavily rusted iron in a wash that was left there from the bygone mining days. I took it home for an example for modeling the rust texture and color. Another time, I was hiking in the ravine of the Upper Verde River near where we live and saw remnants of very old passenger car frames and bolsters caught in some huge rocks. This equipment must have derailed from the bridge that was a mile back up stream on the Old Santa Fe line between Ashfork and Prescott. There was this plastic toy steam engine in the kids toy box that didn't work anymore. This became my experiment for modeling heavy rust. I coated it with a mixture of #1020 Kaibab Limestone Powder, water and white glue and let it dry. This became the base for the heavy rust texture and the lightest color you see. For the deeper tones of rust, I used #1400 Desert Varnish and the #1410 Orange pigments randomly. This technique will work for any other rusted equipment on the layout. |
 |