I decided that I needed the corrugated metal roof to be rusted and corroded to match the peeling paint of the Fryxell Feed Store.  I used Ferric Chloride to “rust” out the individual panels once I had cut them to the needed size.

-Safety Note-

Make sure to fully read the directions on the bottle when using chemical etchants.  Use safety equipment as directed and make sure to use in a well ventilated area, preferably outside.  Make sure to follow local regulations on disposal of used etchant.

I dipped the pieces into the solution and left them there until they “boiled” violently.  I then swished the pieces in water to stop the reaction and set them to dry after wiping the gunk off of them.  Once dry I attached the pieces to the cardstock sub-roof using a CA type glue, although in the future I think I will use tacky glue.

Once I attached the roof panels I used a mixture of several different colors of pastel chalks to provide the rusted color I wanted.  I then sealed the roof using Dulcote.

Here the various sub assemblies are put together on the base I cut out of scrap plywood.  In this picture you can see that I have constructed and installed the front dock and the back porch, the only major change I made was in putting another ramp on the near end of the dock.  I have yet to finish weathering the back porch.  The dock was weathered using various pastel chalks, similar to what I did on the floor of the building.

Also in this picture is the foundation which the office rests on.  For the desired effect I started with a dark gray and dry-brushed two lighter colors of gray on top.  I touched up the highlights with a final light dry-brush of white.

This picture shows the front view, a little bit further on.  Notice that I have put some of the doors in place, and the cardstock for the roof.  In hindsight it would have probably been better to build the sub roof using scale lumber, as you can see the edges of the cardstock under the corrugated metal roofing.  I set the side door part way open, with someone standing in it to add life to the building.

Once the paint had been successfully peeled I started construction of the feed store, though I must confess it seemed a little bit strange getting all the paint to peel before the building was even constructed.  I used Zap-A-Gap medium to glue all of the parts together, which worked pretty well.  On the next kit I think I will try some of the other blends to see if I can find something better.  Constant reference to the plans assisted in the placement of internal supports and correct identification of parts.  I assembled the main part of the building and the office as two separate parts.  This picture shows both sections with the floor installed and chalk weathered in the main building:

The weathering on the floor of the main section was made surprisingly easy with the use of pastel chalks, obtained from my local craft store.  I used a sheet of 220 grit sandpaper (test a couple of different grits to find what works best for you) and rubbed brown, black, gray, and red to create little piles of chalk.  I then used a fairly stiff brush and took random samples of the chalk and scrubbed it into the wood of the floor.  This created a well worn effect, which I sealed using Testors Dullcote after I had reached the desired amount of wear.  Notice how it brings out the detail of the cracks in the floor.  This techniques has many uses in weathering and will come back in multiple places on this build.