# Painting Realistic Rust And Other Goodies



## BobC

Hello all, I was wondering if anyone has any information on painting realistic rust for metal doors, hinges etc? Also any other of your favorite ways of realisticly painting weathered props? tombstones,moss,etc what works best for you? Thanks for the help Im sure everyone can benifit from a topic like this. Alot of us make quality props and lack painting skills to make the prop a true horror. Thanks again BobC :jol:


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## Vlad

Hi Bob, no pics, but I do have a method. I like to spray with flat black paint first. Then I use a rustoleum type brownish red paint as an overspray. You can pry out the end of the spray can nozzle, and that will make the paint come out more in a splatter, or rust spot effect.


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## krypt

another idea i havent tried this but....maybe sprinkle down some dirt then paint it to the target im thinking it would have a rust texture......worth a shot


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## BobC

Well after some research over the last hour I have found a few ways online used by model car and train guys for creating a realistic rust effect. 

#1 Easy way - go to Wal-mart and pick up the two part paint put out by Rust-oleam in the spray paint section American Accents "Natural Rust".

#2 Medium amount of effort- put a steel wool in a cup of water for a few days wetting it every once in awhile once completely rusted crush into a powder and sprinkle over wet light grey paint. (side note) I think if rusty powder is mixed in a small amount of off white paint you might get a nice rusty color.

#3 Harder way - mix your own paints white and a small amount of black makes a base coat that is "Light Grey" then Black and red makes a rust color use more red then black. 

Other then that I have to make tons of tomb stones for my yard this year my old ones are going in the back and I want to make really detailed stones for the front any one with painting infomation for realistic stones would be greatly appreciated Thanks BobC


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## heresjohnny

Hey BobC, I have some links I have collected:

http://hauntershangout.com/home/wallsconce.asp has what I think is realistic rust, the howto describes spongeing it on.

Some links I have for tombstone painting include
http://www.mourningcemetery.com/Projects/crane/

keeba describes wet warping and other techniques
http://www.hedstorm.net/HAUNT/instructions/tombstones/index.html

and painting rocks
http://www.horrorseek.com/halloween/juggernaut/spkr19.html

For general prop painting I want to try the techniques of our very own krough
http://www.grimvisions.com/painting.htm

Hope this helps!


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## Bone Dancer

thanks for the list of links. I was wondering if there is a list of such links divided by subject matter or is everybody on there own. A master list of links would seem to be a good idea.


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## strange1

I made a chandelier (?) with skulls and plastic chain.
I sprayed flat black on the chain and used a cotton ball to apply NUTMEG craft paint on it.
It does look like rust, and cheap too. 
I like cheap.


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## SpectreTTM

Great Props Strange1.

I loved the Pirate plaque

Where did you get the dagers/Knives/swords?

Very cool Prop


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## Frighteners Entertainment

I used some acyrlic craft paint (rust color) I picked up at Micheals for my lanterns. Applied it with a a sponge.


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## strange1

I thank you SpectreTTM for the compliment.(he says while blushing)
They are 18 inches long and I got them for about 50.00 with shipping.
I had wanted to do one of those for a while, and then I saw the swords on Ebay and thought they would look right.


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## bolt

*blisters*

My approach to rusting is quite different. i mix white glue, sawdust, and paint to create an texturing material that is about the consistency of oatmeal and the colour of tomato soup. This is dabbed fairly thickly on the area that is to be rusted, then left overnight to dry. Once dry, I give a light dusting of black gloss spray paint.


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## DeathTouch

Kind of hard to see with this picture but I just used kind of a brownish metal paint and dry brushed on to my lights on my front of my crypt. I thought it looked ok.


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## Sickie Ickie

I start with a back base and then paint certain spots a brown orange where water would/may collect. Then I drybrush/dab on bright orange to give an active rusting effect.


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## scream1973

I used a gloss black spray paint a little bit of sand and then red oxide primer overspray with a lil bit of bronze overspray to create a rust look / texture.. Thought it turned out pretty good


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## BRAinDead

That's paint? Wow!


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## NoahFentz

I have tried copper spray paint which looked fine for my fences. A touch here and there. No close up pics. Here is a sample of mold on tombstones. I cut out a round shape on a sponge and used light blue paint.









The front two tombstones have a moss color sponged on the edges. I wanted an old realistic graveyard that has been neglected.


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## TommaHawk

It's already been mentioned, but Drybrushing is the way to go - either with a brush or piece of sponge (or whatever you have laying around, old clothes, etc.). Most know this, and the name is pretty obvious - but drybrushing describes the technique of texturing with paint that is already "almost dry" (you have so little on your applicator that it's almost "dry"). It's a fun thing to do and the results are fantastic.

- Get a little paint on your sponge (my applicator of choice) and dab it off on a piece of scrap. Keep dabbing until you almost have no piant left on the applicator. Seriously.

- Now dab/streak/scrub very light amounts of this on your prop. Try to localize. Not much will be there at first, so it's fine to go back over the area a bit at a time - less is more. Go too far/heavy and you've lost the point of drybrushing (providing accents). If you think "one more coat/application will do it", STOP. Come back to it in a couple of days if you really have to.

- A lot of it is the "power of suggestion". Drybrush a little rust color in places on your stuff and peoples' minds will tell them "it's definitely rust". Spectators won't necessarily be scrutinizing your rust detail up close.

- Colorwise, since these props are meant to be seen in darker environments, I go for brighter rust colors (reds leaning to almost orange). Rust too dark disappears or looks more like dirt.

- Drybrushing is easy to fix, too. If you think you put too much on, you can lightly drybrush a little of the base coat (like black in this case) over the rust, or recover the whole thing and start over. Piece of cake.

-Try it! Get crazy - I layered different drybrushings of progressively lighter rust colors and they looked great, but some of that detail was fairly lost in the dim light. Still looked really good...


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## tonguesandwich

Went to a pro seminar on this... haven't tried. They said don't use paint, use pigments. Home depot has it behind the paint counter and you need to tell them that you want to buy it. If they say its not for sale tell them to scan the bar code and it will show that it is for sale.
The haunt used pigment instead of paint on most things and it was the best (detail) I have seen. Realistic.


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## Bethene

scream1973, your hinges looked great, can't believe it is paint! They look like they are really rusted!


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## scream1973

Thanks Bethene.. they turned out far better than i had ever hoped..


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## BobC

TongueSandwich, Can you tell us alittle more about the work shop you attended what color pigments were used to pull off rust and other effects etc? Thanks :jol:


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## JohnnyL

I did a test with some drywall mixture and dyed it a brownish/orange, then just sponged it onto areas. It looked great and had a nice bumpy/rigid texture. It's brittle though, so it tends to chip off during storage/weather.


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## Sickie Ickie

found pigments for sale at ACE.


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## tonguesandwich

I will see if I can find those old notes. Pigments of non rusting stuff to make it look rusty, But for many metals they didn't paint they just used muratic acid for pools (caution). They put it on the metal and the next day it looked like it was a hundred years old.


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## BobC

*Bring on the Rust*

muratic acid huh?.. hold on one second while I do a evil laugh..lol alittle dangerous but natural I like it. Can anyone buy this acid and where? :jol: In the meantime if you find those notes I would love to know more about the pigments. Thanks all.


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## scream1973

Muratic acid can be had at pretty much any hardware store or pool supply place. Typically its used for etching concrete or lets see if i remember this.. Lowering the Ph in a pool..
You have to be careful with it as the fumes can be toxic.. Bubbles like a so of a ..


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## krough

Sculpt Nouveau makes very good patinas.
http://www.sculptnouveau.com/
Using Iron B coating, vista black, tan patina, tiffany green and vista rust patina for very good effects.

Usually. I use Tan and tiffany green together. or black and vista rust together.

Both on top of Iron B.

Yes it looks expensive. But a little goes a very long way.


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## Otaku

Be careful about storing the muriatic acid. If kept indoors, like in your garage, you'll need a fairly airtight cabinet or other container. If the fumes get around in an enclosed area they will attack and rust most metal surfaces, such as your tools, car etc.


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## scream1973

Now theres a cruel trick for those neighbours you dont care for.. Put some muratic acid into thier garage without them knowing..


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## The_Caretaker

Wonder what would happen if left in a house made of metal studs?


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## Bloodhound

I had to post this: Patina Green and Rust Antiquing Kits
Everything you need to create either a true copper finish and authentic green verdigris patina, or an iron metallic finish and a beautiful, real rust surface. Each kit covers approximately 8 square feet, and contains:
4 oz of Copper or Iron Metallic Surfacer
4 oz of Patina Green or Rust Antiquing Solution
4 oz of Primer and Clear Sealer
2 bristle brushes, 2 foam brushes, latex gloves and utility cups
Heres the link Real Rust Surface


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## KimilyTheStrange

I was wondering if anyone was going to mention the rusting kits. I have used this product on several small items. It tends to be expensive, running at $13.99 for the 4oz kit at Michaels (I'm in Alaska), so that is why I use it for smaller items. 
The kewl thing about it, you can make even wood, plastic, possibly even glass, look like rusted metal. 
The first part is a dark grey iron paint, the second part is a rust accelerator that is the consistency of water. The more coats of the accelerator that you put on the more rusty it gets, but you should do it in layers, waiting for the rust to appear for about an hour before each coat of accelerator.

The lanterns, that I bought on clearance last year at Joann's for $4.99, are wood with a metal cap with glass panes, they were a light sky blue except for the caps, which were painted black. The basic steps I took to rust them were:

1. Tape off the outside glass panes and spray paint all of the outside wood with flat black exterior paint. Let dry.
2. Spray the inside glass panes with frosted glass spray paint. I also left the inside the light sky blue to help with making the lighting brighter. I use battery operated LED mini xmas lights. Let dry, and let the light headed'ness from the paint wear off. phew
3. Dab on the iron paint with a sponge, and let dry. I was going for the surface rust look.
4. Dab on the accelerator over the iron paint and let sit for at least an hour before dabbing on more.

The whitish areas you can see on the lanterns is actual oxidisation.

This accelerator will rust anything metal, including the metal ring in your sink, so make sure you run the water while rinsing out the brushes.

Lantern Pics below:
lanterns with rusting liquid on Flickr - Photo [email protected]@[email protected]@http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3112/[email protected]@[email protected]@[email protected]@[email protected]@89d64f23d6
Triple the rustiness on Flickr - Photo [email protected]@[email protected]@http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3158/[email protected]@[email protected]@[email protected]@[email protected]@ab0fafa83f


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## Offwhiteknight

What I do with my modelling kits is just use paint.

I start with a black base, then do a heavy drybrush of a deep bronze or copper (or something similar), the a lighter drybrush of a steel or something like that.

Or, start with black, heavy drybrush of an orange color, then go over it with the steel metallic.

Want an aged bronze? Start black, then heavy drybrush on a green shade (anything not neon green), then a lighter shade of brass/bronze/copper over that to your taste.

Hope that helps.


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