Chalk Markings - Numbers - Small

Chalk on armor

Numbers written in chalk were part of ordinary military practice in the Second World War and in later years as well. They marked the order of vehicles in a column, the weight for rail transport, the destination of a shipment or the position of a crate in a store. The writing was quick, crooked and vanished after rain, so on a model it immediately gives away that the machine is on the move and that somebody is looking after it right now.

What the sheet offers

The numbers are rendered so as to imitate the stroke of chalk: uneven edges, varying weight of line and a slightly irregular slant. The small format is aimed at crates, drums, transport frames, ammunition packaging and smaller areas of a vehicle body, where a large number would look out of proportion.

Gluing it down

Separate the marking from the sheet with a sharp knife together with the carrier film, but only as much of it as is necessary. The area beneath it should be smooth and coated with a gloss clear coat, otherwise air will be trapped under the film and a matte outline will form around it. A softener will settle the marking into the engraved planking or the corrugated metal sheet. Finally even the whole surface out with a matte clear coat, so that the shine disappears and the chalk mark looks like powder lying on the surface.

A few extra numbers, applied a little freehand and at varying angles, will lend the scene credibility more reliably than a carefully aligned row. A chalk marking, after all, was never made against a ruler.

The effect can be taken further with a dry pigment: a lightly dusted area around the number will recall the dust somebody was writing in, and will tie the marking to the surrounding surface better than a matte clear coat alone.