Worn metal effects without the glitter?

Steel-hard, strong metal

Steal-what the government does

More great ideas.  Thanks!

You can mix powdered graphite into your paints, too.  For an engine block exposed to the elements, for example, mix some finely ground graphite into a gunmetal gray and apply it.  When the paint has dried, you can use a piece of soft cloth, like from an old T-shirt, to rub the piece, removing a little of the paint and revealing the mineral powder.

I keep Testors/MM flat aluminum and steel on hand for drybrushing metal effects.  The steel color is a bit darker and works better for weathered steel.  The flat aluminum works great for paint worn areas on painted aluminum.

Wow, so many ideas and tips!  All images, in addition to being very well done, show the effects I'm looking for!  I went to the hobby store after work to get some Model Master enamel paint and the friendly clerk mentioned Citadel Dry Paint.  I'll try each suggestion mentioned within this thread as I'm sure they'll produce nice results.  This dry paint product sounded like something best suited for lead figures.  Thank you all very much for your input!

A real subtle way of doing it is with a stick of graphite. They're easily found at art supply stores or Hobby Lobby and cheap too. I do think subtlety is the key to convincing metal wear instead of a silver paint. I'll see if I can find a photo.

Here I used it on the coupler, bumper, steps etc, I think it looks convincing even more so if you enlarge it.

I use Tamiya's Flat Aluminum XF-16, or a Prismacolor silver pencil, to do worn or chipped paint on aircraft.  For other objects, made of ferrous metals, for example, I'll use add in shades of gray, for areas that are exposed and worn enough not show rust, but that aren't shiny like polished aluminum.

You can use powdered graphite, too, applied with a brush, for some wearing.

I think you will get better results drybrushing with enamels than with acrylics. The brush has to be almost dry to get good effect and acrylics dry very fast making this effect difficult. I like to use Humbrol aluminum mixed with a bit of either black or grey and run my brush on a paper towel til it's just about dry then lightly run it on the wear points.

Another method is to use a tiny piece of ripped soft foam, Ripping a small chunk will create a rough uneven piece that I hold with my tweezers then dip in some aluminum paint and blot almost dry. I lightly dab the area I want weathered creating tiny random chips. 

 A silver Prismacolor pencil is also great for creating tiny chips and scratches.

Its the paint that is causing the glitter.  Not all metalic paints are equal.  Typically, the nicer (more expensive) paints have finer pigments.  Also, enamel and solvent paints tend to have finer pigments.

I second the drybrush technique for this task.  Drybrushing can apply a translucent or semi-transparent coat of paint, and this works very well with applying metal colors.  The drier you make the brush, the more slowly you build up the color, allowing excellent control.

Everyone has their preferances and I have tried many different paints .  My go to is dry brushing Testor's flat steel enamel , in the small square bottles ,used sparingly.  After the final dull coat it looks pretty convincing. Enamel seems to dry brush better than acrylics for me.

I drybrushed some Humbrol polished aluminum on these wing roots:

And here, around the edge of the nose intake:

Is that the look you're after?  I use an old brush with bristles cut down to a very short length.  I dip it into the thinned paint and wipe it dry on a paper towel.  The bristles should be quite dry when you brush them over the paint.

Some people use pencil for this. I think it's still too glossy and too dark, especially against dark colors. I prefer to just use some light grey flat paint. Choose the color grey you want and apply it. Sometimes, for a worn effect, I'll paint the piece grey first, then put the finish color on and use fine sand paper to wear through the paint to expose the gray underneath. It tends to sand through unevenly, which adds to the realism.

Try a soft pencil. Shiny, but no glittery bits. You can shave the "lead" down and apply it with your fingertip.