Examples of the "Salt Technique"

[Hector Bell]

Seems a damned shame that the skills exhibited on that sci-fi forum, which I take it is English, aren't
displayed in the British model railway world or even just the non military (fantasy or otherwise) world.

I'm sure some keen sociology PhD student could make an interesting study of that fact!

Martin

[JohnP]

Oh and I did read that long thread. My gosh- the porcelain style finish and that tapestry!!!! What a wonderful combination of imagination and talent. The work seems to flow off his fingers like he has some gene most mortals didn't get.

John

[gin sot]

I'm not sure how I feel about the use of alternating layers of hairspray and acrylic, I find myself wondering about the longevity of a paint job with multiple layers of incompatible varnish-- I don't want my paintwork to slowly dissolve like an Albert Pinkham Ryder.  I also recall all the cracking issues with first-generation hobby acrylics and the incompatibilities between brands and different thinners. 

The first time I ever saw salt used as a resist was in a Finescale Modeler some years back, as I recall, the author used a simple mist of water, which held the salt grains well enough between the solubility of the salt and the surface tension of the water.  The water evaporates away after a short time, then you can shoot the next color coat.  No weird chemicals beyong NaCl and DHMO.

Does hairspray simply speed up the process, since there's no wait for the mist of water to dry?

[marc_reusser]

No, The hairspray has nothing to do with the salt.

Somehow through repetative postings on the net by less skilled modelers or people that don't grasp the concepts (think of the kids game of "telephone" or the propensity of some modelers to copy others like sheep without thought or understanding), the "Hairspray Method" and the "Salt Method" have, primarily on RR forums, been grouped into one "Hairspray & Salt Method" .

These were and are two distinctly different methods, and they provide distinctively different results and weathering opportunities. They can be used individually, or can be used subsequently.....and yes, if done correctly they can be used combined......but that is not the way the methods originated or were developed.  IMO 80% of the people that I have seen that try these methods individualy fail at them...because of lack of understanding and skill.......and of those that combine the methods into one 99.9% fail. Primarily because they are just plain ignorant, unskilled, don't know what they are doing, and don't understand the principles, intent and purpose of the INDIVIDUAL methods.


You are correct about the "salt Method"....a slightly damp surface, is what is/should be, used to make the salt adhere, any more and the salt begins to disolve and potentially adversely affect the paint and surface finish in that area/around each grain.  Equally it should be noted that most peole that try to use this method (at least in RR forums) also apply the subsequent paint far too heavy (again lack of knowledge/skill), which will cause the grains to disolve and the surface finish, effect, and appearance to be very poor or mediocre at best.

These are not tricky methods.....it really just takes a moment to understand them, some patience to think and visualize the end result, and then see which one (or both), is best suited, applied and executed, to achieve and create the necessary finish.

Marc

[JohnP]

The salt and H20 makes sense while the addition of the hairspray did not. Marc your clarification was helpful.

Could you point us to the definitive (or most understandable) thread on the hairspray method?

Is it similar to the rubber cement technique?

Thanks, John

[gin sot]

Thanks for the clarification, Marc.  Glad I was sort of on the right track.  I'm still not grokking the hairspray thing fully, but I've made it this far okay, so I suppose I'll live.   

Off to do more reading . . . .

[RoughboyModelworks]

I use a small very fine spray bottle that I purloined from my wife's hair-care collection, to spray a very fine mist of water on the object to receive the salt. Distilled water seems to work best, especially if, like here in the mountains, your water is rich in iron and other minerals which can leave their own unwanted deposits.

I also grind up the salt crystals in a basic mortar & pestle to vary the size and shape. For the Heywood wheel http://www.finescalerr.com/smf/index.php?topic=1086.15 I used two salt treatments: the first after spraying the base rust coat. Then I sprayed a thin, lighter rust tone glaze over the base coat and the salt. Once dry, I removed the salt. Then I applied another layer of salt and sprayed a third thin glaze, a slightly different rust tone. After removing the second salt treatment, I finished up the weathering with assorted powders and rust particles.

Marc is right... a major factor is keeping the over-salt coats very thin. I spray mine like translucent glazes, keeping the end result subtle. Otherwise, it ends up looking like a dog's breakfast...

Paul

[gin sot]

Thanks for the hints-- I'd like to avoid the dreaded California Roundover as much as possible.

[RoughboyModelworks]

This is a California Roundover Free Zone... no namby-pamby design or construction allowed... 

Paul

[Bexley]

Seems a damned shame that the skills exhibited on that sci-fi forum, which I take it is English, aren't
displayed in the British model railway world or even just the non military (fantasy or otherwise) world.

Nope. CMON is based in Georgia. (I even have a few things there!)  (Space Marines, however. are the product of an English company.)

[Chuck Doan]

John the hairspray method is very much like the rubber cement method. Just a different resist material and removal technique.
Here is what I have done hairspray wise:

Testor's flat black primer (spraycan) dry overnite min.
Coat of Treseme Tres 2 extra hold aerosol hairspray dry 5 min.
Coat of Dullcoat sealer dry 5 min *
Polly Scale acrylic white mix airbrushed on
Quick dry with hair dryer-can create crackle effect.*
Chip about 15 min after airbrushing with damp toothpick, short stiff brush dipped in water... paint softens and can be removed at will.

I added some times to this. All approx. and not super critical. You do need to start chipping fairly soon after the paint is applied.

I use the flat black as a base since it is one paint that sprays nice from the can and sets up fast. The only downside is the need to color the chips afterwards (powders N gwosh), but the black is a good starting point. Really most any undercoat will work if you let it dry thoroughly. If you airbrush the undercoat, you can choose a more brown color if you like.

I would do a test piece to get a feel for the hairspray technique. It takes some patience to do the chipping-it takes a bit of time for the water to soften the paint enough so it chips. But if it gets too wet, a lot of paint will come off, so keep the water local to the chipping area.

*optional steps

In brief:
Undercoat (color that will be exposed)
Hairspray coat
Overcoat (color that will be chipped)
Chips Ahoy


There are of course, many alternate methods to try.

[JohnP]

Thanks Chuck. It seems like the salt method is kind of automatic in that you get the basic effect immediately upon the water rinse.  With hairspray one has to work at it but the results are very controllable.

I will try all this soon.

John

[Philip Smith]

Good info Chuck!

As a rookie i may give it a try!

thanks for sharing..........

philip