TV Sci-Fi in 28mm

[mikedemana]

The HB pencil is a handy tool if you are looking at making scratch marks and nicks to paint.

What is this HB pencil...? Never heard of that. And I echo the thanks for tips on distressing die casts. I am an absolute newbie on that and appreciate all advice.

Sorry for the threadjacking, btw... 

Mike Demana

[carlos marighela]

An HB is  your standard lead (graphite) pencil.  The sort of thing we were all required to use in prep school prior to being trusted with a pen. Middish grey in colour.

Rather than an average modeller like myself prognosticating on technique, try this article:

https://www.scalemodellingnow.com/weathering-paintchips-and-scuffs/2

For other applications like simulating aluminium (or whatever bizarre spelling and pronouncitaion you chaps use  ) some prefer silver artists pencils. Similar technique.

https://jonbius.com/2018/09/26/paint-chipping-made-easy-prismacolor-pencils/comment-page-1/

Just for contrast you have the reidiculously over the top chipping methods so beloved of your Fantasy modellers.



That said the basic techniques are sound, just over applied.

[Ultravanillasmurf]

What is this HB pencil...? .

Most manufacturers, and almost all in Europe, designate their pencils with the letters H (commonly interpreted as "hardness") to B (commonly "blackness"), as well as F (usually taken to mean "fineness", although F pencils are no more fine or more easily sharpened than any other grade. Also known as "firm" in Japan[63]). The standard writing pencil is graded HB.[64] This designation, in the form "H. B.", was in use at least as early as 1814.[65] Softer or harder pencil grades were described by a sequence or successive Bs or Hs such as BB and BBB for successively softer leads, and HH and HHH for successively harder ones.[66] The Koh-i-Noor Hardtmuth pencil manufacturers claim to have first used the HB designations, with H standing for Hardtmuth, B for the company's location of Budějovice, and F for Franz Hardtmuth, who was responsible for technological improvements in pencil manufacture.[67][68]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pencil#Grading_and_classification

Sorry for the threadjacking, btw... 
Mike Demana

And sorry for more threadjacking.

[Edit] And sorry to Carlos who had answered the question about pencils.

[carlos marighela]

As a greater man* than me once sang:

Down beside the babbling brook
I was trying to sketch myself a stallion
When the stallion said to me:
"That's the third biro that you've broke and all day I cannot wait
You can lead a horse to water but a pencil must be lead mate"
Ooh-ooh said the stallion

Half Man Half Biscuit. Sealclubbing