Old modeler seeking new techniques - "Chipping" questions

1. Once you have on the color you want the chipping to reveal, eg, a natural metal color, and it's dried/cured, apply a little water to the surfaces where you want chipping to show
2. Using salt with large granules, like kosher salt, for example, sprinkle the salt over the wet areas, and let it dry
3. Apply your next color coat to the area.  Spraying will be ideal, rattlecan or airbrush
4. When the color coat has dried/cured, use a brush (eg, an old paintbrush, or even an old, worn toothbrush) and brush off the salt, leaving areas of "chipped" paint showing the material underneath

I also used table salt on one model. It worked OK, but it was a little more difficult to get the kind of chipping look I wanted.

It really depends on you, the effect you're looking for, and your own familiarity with the techniques and your skill, to say whether one chipping technique is better than another.  For example, if I want to show a little wear on the wing walks of a US Navy SBD, I might just paint the chips by hand.  It's not worth it to me to apply the effort of the salt or hairspray techniques for that effect, when I can just dip the brush.  But for a Zero that was stranded at Rabaul in 1943, I want to cover larger areas, and then those techniques work better for me and the effort is worth it.

Hope that helps, too!

Best regards,

Brad