The Army Painter: Wash - Rust Tone

Rust Tone is the quintessential orange‑brown corrosion wash — brighter and more oxidized than Strong Tone, more aggressive and gritty than Sepia Tone, and sitting perfectly in that “active rust spreading across the metal” zone. It’s the wash painters grab when they want instant, believable rust without needing pigments or stippling.

Why Painters Reach for It

• Orange‑brown oxidized shading ideal for corroded armor, industrial terrain, pipes, boilers, tanks, and grimdark machinery

• Instant rust effect that settles into recesses and creates natural, flaky corrosion patterns

• Perfect over metallics like Gun Metal, Plate Mail Metal, or Dark Rust for layered weathering

• Great for grimdark when you want metal to look neglected, decayed, or centuries old

Painter’s Vibe

Rust Tone brings that “metal left out in the rain for decades, flaking apart, dying slow” energy — perfect for chaos wargear, scrap‑built vehicles, industrial terrain, and any miniature that thrives in gritty, corroded realism.