Craft Tip: Create Your Own Weathering Powders

Weathering powders are a great way to add effects—like soot, heat distress, dirt, etcetera—to your models and crafts. Creating your own weathering powders is inexpensive, fast, and customizable.

Creating weathering powders is as simple as scraping the surface of chalk pastels with a sharp blade. X-Acto knives work very well. If you’re a crafter or model builder, chances are good that you already have one. But, you can use anything with a sharp edge—use a scissor blade if you need to.

Scrape the pastels over a clean piece of paper. When you are done (make as much as you need), carefully fold the paper to gather and pour the powder into a container. Small screw-lid containers are a good storage option.

Don’t forget to mix powders to create your own custom colors. Be sure to label your collection so that you know what each color is. Use an ultra fine tip marker or a label maker.

Note that when you spray the applied powders with a protective clear coat (recommended), some colors may dull. Simply apply more layers of powder.

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