2 replies to this topic

[Derek B]

This is not my own technique, but one I have borrowed from another source (I think is was first described by a German modeller in Scale Aircraft Modelling magazine many years ago...so much Kudos to him).

This technique works very well for those modellers who wish to produce aircraft exhaust panels that exhibit either bluing or burnt metal effects. First of all, decide to have boiled eggs for breakfast.

The fresher the eggs, the better (good excuse for all those fresh organic ones). Boil your eggs and enjoy them as perscribed, but keep the egg shells. Refill the pan with water and bring to the boil with the egg shells in it.

Once boiling (simmering), very carefully place a handy sized sheet (or handy sized strips) of everyday kitchen foil into the water (you may need a proding stick and large blunt tweezers or tongs with which to handle the foil, as they tend to stick together if you use multiple sheets). The longer you leave the foil in the boiling water, the shiny aluminium becomes grayer and darker, then bluer and finally, it becomes black. Remove it when you obtain the effect you're looking for. Let the darkened foil dry and cool naturally on some tissue paper, which it will very quickly.

Cut the panel to size for your aircraft, and apply as you would normal foil with Microfoil adhesive, the effect will look quite stunning. Additionally, as the darkened areas can actually be scrubbed off the foil with micromesh type materials, some interesting effects can be achieved. If you very lightly remove most, if not all of the burned material, a nice burnt bronze-brown and aluminium finish results, giving a nice darker, burnt metal panel to the rest of the airframe aluminium...perfect for P-51 exhaust panels and P-47 turbo-exhaust panels (I used this method to good effect on my 1/72 foiled P-47 Thunderbolt - there may still be a picture of it knocking around somewhere in the general discussion forum way back when).

Have fun and good luck

Derek Bradshaw

[Ironwing]

Hi Derek,

Interesting idea. Sounds like it has good use on the back end of and F$ or F-15 .

Geoff

[Rob_Clements]

It does indeed work ... tried it many years ago on something not model related and I can confirm it does work a treat and you can get some amazing effects.