Bragdon weathering powders

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

Hi folks,

I can see no email address for Bragdon. They also do not appear to have a toll free number. So, I pose a question to you.

Will the powders do a decent job of weathering shiny wheel rims and side rods? Are the powders electrically conductive?

Thanks,

2

Bragdon Enterprises has a web site that Google found immediately, and an e-mail address is listed on it:

http://www.bragdonent.com/

Weathering powders are nearly all nothing more than chalk, so whatever electrical properties chalk exhibits will apply to the powders; i.e., they should be electrically non-conductive.

I have never tried applying weathering chalk to shiny metal such as wheels, so I’m not sure if it would adhere very well without some type of adhesive.

3

I have been on their website and I found no answer to my questions.

4

Try emailing them to the addess on their website. I had a question that I emailed them about and they responded pretty fast. But I suspect that cacole’s answer is right. Don’t expect them to be conductive.

Regards

Ed

5

I would not do it. The Bragdon has it’s own adhesive mixed in the powder. The more you rub, the more it sticks. I imagine the stuff will turn to sludge and get into the gear tower of the locomtive.

I would prefer to use an air brush to weather running gear and steam loco type models.

I usually use a small brush and paint a dallop of Floquil weathered black on the outside faces of the wheel, leaving the flange and tread alone.

Now for objects like houses, buildings, car sides etc… the powders do an outstanding job. I keep a box of the stuff in a certain mix and shake windows inside it with the lid on. Presto! Weathered windows such as used in Grain Elevators.

6

Bragdon and other weathering powders are not chalk. They are paint pigments ground extremely fine. They are not suitable for shiny metal such as wheels and side rods.

7

Hi Bruce,

I use the Bragdon weathering powders to weather my engines and freight cars and it works great. I don’t waste the Bragdon weathering powders on trucks and wheels. For the sides of wheels and trucks, I paint them with acrylic paint and then apply powdered chalk mixed with isopropyl alcohol, NOT the Bragdon weathering powders. The alcohol reacts with the acrylic paint and causes the chalk to stick to the trucks and wheel sides. The extra cost associated with the Bragdon powders is somewhat a function of them containing dry adhesive, which I’ve found really doesn’t work well on wheels and trucks.

Hope this helps.

Mondo

8

You would want to Dull*Cote anything before you use the powders on wheels or truck side frames. (I wouldn’t recommend it for locomotive rods.) It will stick just fine with something to hold on to, Even the slippery engineering plastic that is used for trucks. It also gives a nice texture when mixed with a clear flat bottled paint and applied with a brush too. I’ve never used Bragdon Powders, I use AIM Weathering Powders. Available through Walthers or direct from them.

http://www.aimprodx.com/index.php?page=powders

9

Paint Pigmants huh? Hmm…

[C=:-)]

What will it take to turn them into paints that we understand?