Tuesday Tip: Craft Paint Substitutes

I've mentioned before how much I like using craft paints for my modeling. They're a LOT less expensive than typical model paints ($.50-$1 for a 2 oz bottle, versus $3-4 for a .5 oz bottle) and you can usually find colors that are close to the model railroad colors we're familiar with (Click here for an alternative to grimy black). And before you get all technical about model paints being "finer," that may be so - but I've even airbrushed craft paints with no problem (click here for more on that).

So when I needed some "concrete" paint recently and realized that my bottle of Badger Model Flex "Concrete Gray" had dried up, The Missus helped me find an acceptable alternative - Folk Art "Barn Wood" #936.

Of course, YMMV, but the point is to give craft paints try. I wouldn't necessarily use them to paint my prized brass steam engines, but for most applications in our hobby, they're perfectly fine. And your wallet will thank you.