Valentine Mk I build – Part 12:Tracks

3/7/2013

For this one I used 0.4 mm brass rod obtained separately rather than the thinner wire supplied with the tracks. I thought that having more robust pins would remove the need for sealing them in with super glue, which in the past I have found to make the subsequent burnishing harder on that part of the metal in contact with the glue. I was a little concerned that not glueing them in would result in the pins falling out at a later stage, but this turned out not to be a problem.
I gave the assembled tracks a soaking in vinegar – this has been reported as a preparatory step when using a similar product to the Blacken-It solution I use.
The tracks were then soaked in Blacken-It for five minutes, washed with water and the process repeated a second time. Any parts of the metal missed by the fluid were got at with the aid of an old toothbrush.
Various washes with solutions of Winsor and Newton “Lamp Black”, “Raw Umber” and “Burnt Umber” oil paints in white spirit (single mix or a mix of two oils) were applied next.
To simulate dried on mud, AK Interactive “European Earth” pigment was applied with a brush and then swept away until the bulk of the pigment was located in the recessed parts of the tracks. Once I was happy with the coverage, Tamiya X20-A thinner was applied and left to dry.
Finally, AK Interactive “Dark Steel” pigment was applied by finger tip to the parts of the track in contact with the ground to give a subtler appearance of bare metal.