To Rust or Not to Rust?

Modern Masters metal paints and activator.

Painting convincing looking rust is difficult. There's good quality rust paint available that appears the right color, and when adding more layers, darken the paint and looks convincingly like rust. There's also the challenge of rusting a large surface, but sometimes using traditional paint just doesn't look right. Sometimes rust paint looks great for the seams -- where a pipe joins another pipe, for instance -- but doesn't look good for a larger surface. Fortunately there's real metal paint that can solve this challenge.


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Metal paint works like the real thing because it's real metal -- it is the real thing. Bronze, copper, or iron particles are suspended in paint. When the paint dries the metal particles are exposed to the elements and oxidation begins. Some brands of metal paint make use of an activator that increases the rate of oxidation in case you can't wait for the natural oxidation process.

At DioWarriors we use the Modern Masters brand of metal paints and their rust activator. The process is simple: paint an object like you would normally paint, wait for it to dry, then apply the rust activator. The activator will begin working immediately, but the results might not be noticeable until a few minutes or an hour or more later.

How to Use:

​Let's say you want to paint up one of the DioWarriors generic machines to look abandoned (these machines are great for an old factory look or for being abandoned out in the jungle.) First prepare the object's surface with any sanding or painting using regular paints. Apply the Modern Masters paint using a regular brush. The paint may not grab very well to bare plastic. Slight sanding or pre-painting should be enough for the first layer to adhere. Else, wait for the first layer to dry and re-paint.

The Modern Masters metal paint is water soluble, so it can be thinned. Never use the main jar as your primary paint source. Instead, put a little bit of it into a little cup or artist pallet. Keeping the main jar exposed to the air can cause some of the paint to dry and begin oxidizing.

​Some points to keep in mind:

• These paints have real metal, so they start oxidizing as soon as they start to dry, or even when opening the jar. Storing the paints in an airtight and temperature consistent place is important.
• Use multiple brushes -- avoid accidentally using the same brush for the rust activator into the metal paint as even a small amount of rust activator can start to activate the entire jar of paint.
• The paints don't need the rust activator to begin oxidizing. Just that without the activator it will take time to see the full weathering effect.
• Be aware that after the paint and rust activator are dry, the surface will continue to oxidize. Don't be too amazed that when you look at a part you rusted one day, to come back a day later and see it's still rusting.

When Done:

Clean up is easy and the paint is very thick so passing a cloth can remove much of the paint from a surface when it hasn't dried. Using regular brushes are not harmed through any chemical clean up -- just water. Like the paint, the rust activator is also water soluble -- simply rinsing the brush will clean it. ​

Working with metal paints are a lot of fun and they add a lot to realism. Using other weathering effects, such as paint chipping, can really add to the sense of realism. There's all sorts of various techniques you can use to further your weathering effect -- oil stains, soot, mud and grease build up -- that when used together with oxidizing metal paint can achieve a truly stunning look. But even without any other technique, the effect using metal paints can be just as stunning.

However, some caution: be aware that other paints that use metal particles will also react with the rust activator. Many metallic paints use inexpensive metals to achieve a metallic luster. Some brands use the actual metal -- real gold, real nickel or copper, etc. And some of those will react through ionisation when placed next to another metal. Even in paint where the amount of metal is small, there still can be an effect.

Some Ideas

There's all sorts of reasons to want a heavily rusted machine. A rusted machine or object can really enhance the story of a diorama. Here are a few ideas:

• A large steam engine rusting in the jungles.
• An old weapon from WWII or Vietnam.
• An unexploded bomb.
• An abandoned factory.