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I noticed in another thread of some Crimson Fist pics that the author used pastel sticks crushed into powder as weathering. The result looked great, and seems like a cheap, easy alternative to usual weathering powders. Does anyone have additional experience with this technique, and does it work? If so, What are some best known practices for applying the stuff and making it look great? Thanks!

Basicly both are (afaik) just pigments, the stuff they use to give color to crayons, pencils etc are made from the same stuff. In pigments (for weathering etc) its just pure pigment, supposed to some pencils which might be mixed with a different solution to give it some strength.

Would simply brushing on crushed pastel be enough to adhere the substance to the model? Or is there a second substance to create the adherence? Seems to me it would just wear off after casual transportation

 OIF Knight wrote:
Would simply brushing on crushed pastel be enough to adhere the substance to the model? Or is there a second substance to create the adherence? Seems to me it would just wear off after casual transportation

Pretty sure you have to put a varnish over most weathering powders to keep them in place, they are just powder afterall.

 OIF Knight wrote:
Would simply brushing on crushed pastel be enough to adhere the substance to the model? Or is there a second substance to create the adherence? Seems to me it would just wear off after casual transportation

I use Isopropal alcohol as an adhesive. As the alcohol evaporates the pigments stick to the model. Than just use a matt varnish to seal them on to the model.

Pastel chalk is a mix of pigment and binging agents (carnuba wax is a popular one, it seems) that allow it to be pressed/extruded as sticks. Grinding them up allows them to be applied the same as weathering powders, but the binder mixed in can sometimes cause issues. Personally, I haven't experienced any in my limited tests, but others have reported "frosting" as the binder reacts to certain solvents, as well as weaker color intensity, when compared to pure pigment (the latter seems obvious, to me, but also easy enough to work around during color selection). They also behave slightly differently, whether dry or as a wash, due to the average hobbyist's inability to grind the chalk as finely as the pigment from commercial suppliers like Vallejo or MIG.

As far as setting powders is concerned, I always varnish over the top, since I want my models to be ready for the tabletop, should they ever be called into service. It does dull down the effect, somewhat, but this can be countered by controlled over-application before spraying. I use plain old rubbing alcohol (70% isopropyl) as a fixer for pigment applied dry (load up a brush with the iso and carefully dab around the model, allowing capillary action to spread it throughout the pigment) and use plain old tap water when applying it as a wash. The only time I would apply dry and leave it as-is would be for a display-only model going under glass (can't remove dust without removing pigment). Even then, it would need to be mounted on a base that I could handle, so as not to put big blank fingerprints on an otherwise dusty surface.

Chalks, since they're ground more coarsely and are reasonably inexpensive, do make for great mud and caked-on grime when mixed with gloss/matte medium a bit of fine grit, static grass, etc. (depending on the desired effect). I might actually choose them over dedicated weathering powders, in those instances.

People have used the ground-up artists pastel chalks for the last three decades in scale modelling.

Even Mig Jiminez started doing it this way.

Same techniques are used, the same binders and protective coats - but gaming pieces require a much stronger protective coat than static display pieces.

I tried it to do rust, and was really impressed with how it looked; but when I tried to varnish over it the effect was lost. So I ended up doing the effect again just using rust coloured paint, and the effect was even better, and I wished I'd just done that in the first place...

With varnishing, you really need to OVERDO the effect with the powders, for it to show.

Display models don't get played with, so they don't have to protect the end result as well and hairspray will often hold it in place for them.