Track Bluing, Painting, Weathering Questions

[Dutch13k]

I used Birchwood Casey Perma Blue on my Heng Long T-34 85 tracks. I wasn't thrilled with the results. Some areas didn't take the bluing. Wondering if I did something wrong. I cleaned the tracks thoroughly with hot soapy water, dried them and put them in a jar with the Perma Blue and shook it around for about a minute. Here's what the tracks looked like after.





I tried cleaning the unaffected areas with denatured alcohol, wire brushing them, and reapplying the Perma Blue. Still no effect. Wondering if the metal alloy of the tracks is preventing them from taking the bluing in different areas?

Moving on, I sprayed them with MIG Enamel Track Wash and ended up with this. Which I'm pretty happy with.




I'd appreciate any comments, suggestions, or ideas on how you all paint and weather metal tracks.

[quitcherbitchen]

I have had similar results with the gun blue. Some tracks take it and some don't. I just blued some tracks last night and after two attempts it wasn't getting any darker and had a few spots that looked light, but I have had tracks that it worked on. I think it depends on the metal tracks. Something about the pot metal blend that effects the blue absorption. I will basically paint the ones I just did with light rust as a wash and call it a day. They still look better then stock.

[Dutch13k]

Thanks for the response. I was thinking the same thing, That there is something about the pot metal blend that effects the blue absorption. For the next set of tracks I may just spray a light coat of black Rustoleum followed by a light dusting of redish brown Rustoleum.

[MrChef]

Thanks for the response. I was thinking the same thing, That there is something about the pot metal blend that effects the blue absorption. For the next set of tracks I may just spray a light coat of black Rustoleum followed by a light dusting of redish brown Rustoleum.

There is some truth to that about the potmetal. It definitely varies in quality. I've also received these tracks that had a minor haze corrosion. It took a good amount of cleaning with of all things soft scrub and a Ryobi plastic brush bristle head on my hand drill to remove the haze and get it about the same as the rest-



Suffice to say the gun blue worked but had some spots that needed reapplication that didn't turn totally black but more a dark gray.

I use Brownells Oxpho-blue. But I've also used Brownells 44/40.

OK, so The most important thing is to get the tracks completely clean of any oil or coating or anything. I personally use Undiluted Simple Green. You could also use Super Clean. These are 2 of the better cleaners and de-greasers without diving into stuff like brake cleaner.

Then I use a hairdryer to completely dry the tracks.

Then I put the tracks in a plastic container that fits both tracks. I pour about 8 oz. of the gun blue fluid in per set of tracks and let it all get covered with the fluid. I wear latex gloves and use an old toothbrush and brush both sides of all the tracks,and all the nooks and crannies. I don't let it just sit there. I rinse them with tap water then hang them to dry. You could also use the hair dryer but I let them dry naturally.

Here's the same tracks. You can notice they had a similar issue as yours. But this is just a starting point. I'm going to weather them next and the spots will disappear. The best part is Real tracks aren't 100% uniform.


So on to the next steps because we can fix this.


still more work to do

They came out pretty decently.






Orrrrrr...You could paint them. But that'll be a different post.

[Dutch13k]

MrChef, great post, thanks for all the info and details. Your Jagdpanther looks awesome, as do the tracks. Would like to get your take on painting the tracks, painting vs. bluing, and hybrid of bluing then painting or washing.
I read somewhere about light coating the tracks with Rustoleum black or brown and then weathering with pigments and washes. Was thinking for the next set of tracks to just spray a light coat of black Rustoleum followed by a light dusting of redish brown Rustoleum. Then weather with washes and pigments. Again, advice and suggestions are appreciated.

[MrChef]

MrChef, great post, thanks for all the info and details. Your Jagdpanther looks awesome, as do the tracks. Would like to get your take on painting the tracks, painting vs. bluing, and hybrid of bluing then painting or washing.
I read somewhere about light coating the tracks with Rustoleum black or brown and then weathering with pigments and washes. Was thinking for the next set of tracks to just spray a light coat of black Rustoleum followed by a light dusting of redish brown Rustoleum. Then weather with washes and pigments. Again, advice and suggestions are appreciated.

I will post and share what I can about the plastic track topic later today when I'm home from work. But you have the general idea. If you can't already tell, I love to do tracks. TTFN

[Dutch13k]

Thanks! I'm finding myself being pulled into the track obsession as well. Actually, it's really fun as I look forward to trying different techniques and finding out what works best for me. BTW, I don't have any plastic tracks, so mostly interested in the techniques for metal.

[Timbo68]

I have found that for metal tracks the burnishing fluids from, say, AK Interactive or Ammo Mig provide a good base, followed by one of the track washes and a very small amount of a rust wash. The burnishing fluids work fast, so experimenting with dilution allows more control - and is more economical!

[FullySemiAutomatic]

I wonder if the issue is that the tracks are not 100% steel. Would spray paint be a better option if the gun blue is going to wear off anyway?

[MrChef]

Ok so back on tracks.

Of Note many of the better modelers that work with metal tracks use these previously mentioned burnishing fluids by AK and Ammo/Mig. The reason they burnish them is that the finish works as a primer while also providing a base color. Many of the You tube modelers like Martin Kovac "Night Shift" will paint right over the burnished tracks to create the colors and finish they are looking for.

The reason that many of us caught on to the gun blue burnishing method is because it is usually readily available at a local Walmart or hunting or sporting goods shop and doesn't need to be ordered online. AS WELL, if you compare the prices of Gun Bluing solution, it is more cost effective per oz. fluid volume and affordable than the modeler specific burnishing fluids that most likely need to be ordered online from a hobby supply company+shipping costs etc.

Differences with Painting tracks and Burnishing. IMHO there isn't a better method comparing painting vs. burnishing. It's a choice and it's up to you. Some people forgo the burnishing, use spray paint then go run the tank and let nature run it's course of weathering and creating patina. This is another great option. For me, Every set of metal tracks that I have blued/burnished, I have Also painted and weathered.

My personal explanation of why I started using the modelers method of burnishing, painting and weathering the tracks is that I like the weathered, worn look But my wife was Not into letting me run my tanks outside and getting them all dirty and then letting me run them inside At All. Gee I wonder why??? So I picked the lesser of two evils and just started weathering them. Now is a different story. My wife has become more accepting of my obsession and I also have indoor and outdoor tanks. Go figure... FYI it's a great sales pitch to justify getting more tanks...

Back to painting.

Either Plastic or Metal tracks can be Just painted. I have had good luck with painting plastic tracks. I have done Just painting the black plastic tracks with Tamiya TS-1 Red brown spray paint as shown on my KV-1. There is minimal weathering on these.



Then there is the decision if you care to use a primer paint before you spray a color. You don't need to. You'll just have black plastic show through as the tack wears. And then you can just repaint if you like. Pretty easy really.

If you are looking for a specific color or finish on track you may Want to prime first. I personally use simple Rustoleum Primer, either Flat Black or Flat Grey depending on what I want. Here are plastic Heng Long tracks primed with Rustoleum flat grey-


These are Tiger I track that I am working on for a Tiger winter build. I am doing 3 sets. 2 plastic and 1 metal.

Next steps for the grey primed plastic tracks was painting with Tamiya TS-1 Red brown spray paint-


Next I wanted a metal look but not too shiny so I highlighted them with Tamiya TS-38 Gunmetal-



Next I used some AK dust deposits enamel-



Then for this project I wanted 1 set mud packed and 1 set snow packed.

Starting on the mud. I used the above AK terrains muddy ground acrylic product. I used to make my own with Elmer's glue, Tamiya XF paint and dirt from my yard. Which works. But this purpose made stuff is much easier to work with and dries ALOT faster.




Here is working with the snow product which I'm not terribly fond of but it's what I found on the cheap and will do.



The top are plastic painted snow packed.
The middle are plastic painted mud packed
The bottom are metal just gun blued with Brownells Oxpho-blue
The small section is metal that I was playing with pigments


Below are metal tracks, gun blued then painted and weathered up using AK Crusted Rust set. The top small section is still just blackened and pigments used. The Below tracks are painted by hand without any pigments-


This picture is of real Tiger I tracks that I was trying to emulate.

[Timbo68]

Re gun blue or burnishing fluids…there’s possibly a geographical issue for preference. Here in Europe, AK and Ammo products are, I suspect, cheaper to buy than in the US. Also, gun-related products such as gun blue are not sold in as many local outlets. I’ve treated the tracks on six tanks, and have only just opened my second bottle of burnishing. Dilution is the key to economy - I just had to wait a bit longer for the effect!

[tank_me]

I say this all the time, tanks never have a uniform color or coloring on pretty much any part of them. Tonal variations are common, runs in the paint are common, shiny spots, dull spots, chips, overspray...all good. The metal used by HL is not the highest quality. The bluing will not be uniform in most cases. Blue the tracks and run them on concrete or dirt and they will look the part just fine.

[Dutch13k]

Awesome responses, thanks so much for all the info.

[FullySemiAutomatic]

What do you guys think about using truck bedliner to paint tracks?

"Rustoleum Pro" https://www.amazon.com/Rust-Oleum-27...00N4IOX26?th=1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eL2kkj9YBjk

[cmdrcody]

What do you guys think about using truck bedliner to paint tracks?

"Rustoleum Pro" https://www.amazon.com/Rust-Oleum-27...00N4IOX26?th=1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eL2kkj9YBjk

Spray bedliner products leave a tough thick application that will cause the track links to stick together and will cause links to bind.
You can try it and regret it later. Trust me - I know!

[tank_me]

The stuff in the spray can is not very durable anyway. Bed liner works in truck beds because they scuff the bed with sandpaper and then put it on really thick. Not something I want to put on my tracks either.