Oil Stains

[wafu_vasco]

Stains. Now that's a positively disgusting word, Captain Blackadder.

 

I'm looking for some advice on how best to replicate the effect of old oil on scales models. Not dirty, black smokey smears but that glistening, brown orange stuff which drips down the sides of a lot if helicopters. Anybody who has ever closed to within visual range of a real life Sea King will know exactly what I mean. What's the best approach? Should j just mix some orange and brown, dab a bit on and then coat it in gloss varnish? Any suggestions would be fantastic! 

[Ade H]

You need a cunning plan.

I can't give a prescriptive answer because once you settle on what works for you, it may not be what works for me (or is beginning to) or anyone else. So your best options for materials to try out would be either:

A mix of oils, such as dark brown and dark orange shades; preferably translucent rather than opaque.

Similar acrylic wash colours (or make your own washes in a pinch) combined variously with gloss medium and satin varnish.

Thinned enamels, along the same lines.

Or ready-made enamel oil stains from, for example, Wilder or AK.

But in all cases, what matters for a natural appearance is to avoid using just one colour or product (they just disappointed me when I tried that) and just one level of sheen. And make sure to combine it (though not necessarily mix it) with pigments to represent the dirt which gets caught in grease/oil/fuel. It wasn't until I tried these two methods that I began to be reasonably happy with my experimentation for oil or fuel stains. There's no substitute for practising.

Edited September 1, 2017 by Ade H

[Phantome]

Enamel, being oil-based, probably looks the best even when dry. Whenever I miss wiping off a bit of enamel wash from an aircraft and later rediscover it after a matte coat, it still looks like an oil stain.

 

Humbrol has an oil colored wash which might come handy. Otherwise, Burnt Umber tends to give a red/orangy when thinned and streaked even if it looks brown in the tube.

[Seahawk]

Just thinking aloud: how about experimenting with Humbrol transparent orange paint as a base, thinned and/or with admixtures?  This advice offered completely without warranty..

[Gorby]

I have heard of people using Tamiya X-19 smoke. On its own for clean oil, or mixed with a little burnt umber for used.

[Pete in Lincs]

Tamiya Smoke, as above. Or, Tamiya clear red.*

Both are acrylic so if you do too much they're easy to remove.

I would thin both before application anyway.

 

*Hydraulic fluid is a clear red, but soon gets dirty as it spreads

and drips over the airframe.

 

Less, as with most things, is more. Too much and we're talking rotary trauma!

[dogsbody]

7 hours ago, Pete in Lincs said:

Tamiya Smoke, as above. Or, Tamiya clear red.*

Both are acrylic so if you do too much they're easy to remove.

I would thin both before application anyway.

 

*Hydraulic fluid is a clear red, but soon gets dirty as it spreads

and drips over the airframe.

 

Less, as with most things, is more. Too much and we're talking rotary trauma!

Most hydraulic fluid is reddish, but up here, in the Canadian North, we had to start using a more cold tolerant fluid that was quite clear.

 

 

Chris

[Pete in Lincs]

I should have said, generally it is red!

There was/is a fluid called Skydrol which was

used on VC10's and Concorde for instance.

I think that was clear, but it was rather nasty stuff. 

Thankfully I never came into contact with it.

[Shar2]

DTD 585, the standard hydraulic oil used goes a very dark dirty red/brown when exposed to air and dries to a sticky mess. I have some on my hanger/laboratory floor from the Learjet I look after at Uni. I'll take some pics when I get back to work before I clean both the floor and the under fuselage panels.

 

It was also a mess down the sides of the Sea King Mk4's I worked on in another life.