PG103 - Lebanon Dust Powder Pigment

Lebanon Dust Powder Pigment from Lifecolor

A dry pigment from the Lifecolor branded powder range in a light dust tone. It is applied with a dry brush onto a finished, fully painted model and serves to stop the surface looking like a freshly painted piece of plastic and to start it looking like something that has stood out in the field.

To fix or not to fix

This is the main decision you will make with dry pigments. Unfixed pigment holds purely mechanically, that is by catching in the roughness of the surface and in the recesses. The advantage is fundamental: you can add to it, move it or take it all off at any time, and above all it keeps that velvety matte, genuinely dusty look. The disadvantage is just as fundamental: the model must not be picked up or wiped, or the weathering will disappear.

How to fix it if you decide to

Apply the fixative only at the end, when you are happy with the distribution of the deposit. Let it run in from the edge or from below so that it wicks under the pigment; a direct jet from above will blow the powder away before it can be bound. Expect a fixed surface usually to darken slightly and to lose some of that powdery cast, so it pays to fix in sections and check as you go. A proven compromise is to fix the lower areas that touch the base during handling and to leave the upper surfaces free.

Who the pigment is for

• modelers who want full control over the weathering until the last moment
• display models that are not handled
• dioramas where the lower part of the model blends into the base

A dry pigment is a loose powder. Do not work with it in a draft, do not inhale it, do not blow the excess away with your mouth and wash your hands after work. Keep out of the reach of children.