I saw these and they intriged me cause I would like to age some of cars/eninges I have. Has anyone used these ones and if so how did they work. Im sure there is others out on the market was well. Thanks for the input.
http://modeltechstudios.com/rollingstockweatheringsetmakeyourplasticlookingcarslookmorereal.aspx
http://modeltechstudios.com/agingsolution--rustingsolutionforanysurface.aspx
http://modeltechstudios.com/agingsolutionallmaterialusetoaddageandcharacter.aspx
Is it just diluted paint? If so, you could save a lot of money by diluting your own paint.
Steve S
i dont know, I have never used it before and was just curios if someone else here has.
I’ve not used it, either, but since it works on plastic, I’d guess it to be thinned, water-based paint.
You can make your own for less: I’ve used Pollyscale (no longer produced) thinned with distilled water. Whatever brand of paint you choose, add a drop or two of liquid dish detergent to the thinned mixture. This cuts the surface tension of the water, allowing the paint to flow much more readily. Use a soft brush, at least 1/2" wide, and be generous with the application - if you haven’t used too much paint, the effect will be rather slight. This gives you control over the final appearance, as you need only to add successive coats after the previous one has dried. If you make the mix too paint-heavy, it’s almost impossible to undo.
Other methods and materials for weathering things include airbrushed paint (water- or lacquer-based), dry brushing, and chalks or pastels.
For airbrushed weathering, I like to use no more than 10% paint, with whatever thinner is appropriate. This, like well-thinned washes, allows you to build-up the weathering until it matches what you want. The trick is to know when to stop. [swg]
Dry brushing can use any type of matte paint. Simply dip the brush (sized to suit the effect which you’re trying to achieve), and wipe as much paint from it, back into the bottle, as you can. Next, wipe the brush on a paper towel to remove even more paint, then use what remains to create highlights or shadow effects where you want them.
Using artists’ pastels for weathering is a good method if you’re just starting out, as it is reversible. I generally buy earth tones, along with black, white, and grey. This will allow you to create pretty-much any colour of dirt that might be appropriate on rolling stock, locomotives, structures, and even scenery (the last one is not always reversible).
To apply pastels, I like to rub the sticks on some coarse sandpa
Wayne, I always wondered about Allen McClelland’s remark about not doing too noticeable a weathering job on a car, lest it be recognized too often–like just one specialty car that’s run too regularly. He said you might get comments like, “Oh, here’s that WAG car again…” It’s not that I’ll ever have the problem, since I build for my own pleasure and display in my old age (non-existant chances of me ever having space enough to build even a diorama!).
Deano
I have a few of those, shall we say “unusual” cars, either the paint scheme, weathering, or the car type, but since I’m a solo operator, I don’t let it bother me too much. I have, I think, just over 300 freight cars in service, roughly half home road and half interchange cars. I’d guess that I’ve painted and lettered about 90% of them, and probably a similar amount which I had done and later sold when I backdated my layout some years ago.
The city where I grew up was a major industrial centre in southern Ontario, and was served by CNR, CPR, TH&B, and NYC, so there was great variety in the roadnames seen there - pretty much anything from anywhere in North America, and I’ve re-created that type of mix for the layout. Being stuck at a railway crossing in those days was like a mini tour of the continent.
I have through trains that simply run from one staging yard to another, and since many cars cycle on-or off- the layout at the staging yards, repeat appearances aren’t too frequent. Some cars, mostly home road ones, are on the layout more permanently, but because there are multiples of similar cars, it’s difficult for an observer to know if they’re seeing the same car again and again or simply another from the same class.
As for weathering, I think it necessary for everything, but, for the most part, prefer mine to be in moderation.
Wayne
I’ve used a similar product called rust-all. There are several companies selling these liquids . They apear to be composed of a pigment powder suspended in an alcohol based solution. I’ve been able to build up some very nice rust textures with rust-all by using multiple applications. I’ve had best results from dredging up the pigment from the bottom of the bottle.
I’ve also used blacken-it, a chemical metal blackener that I think is gone OOP. Worked great on metal castings as a base for grime and dirt. I still have a bottle around that I use from time to time.
I’ve seen some great effectss from weather it (a weathering solution similar to your product shown) but haven’t used it myself.
Guy
I suggest Pan Pastel kits as a good way to start. Easy to use and fix any learning errors along the way! Great product.
Second vote on PanPastels. Very nice product, easy to use, and very easy to remove (soap and water) if you dislike the effects, making it easy to try again. I use either the pure white or Payne’s Grey for fading most colors, dark greys, blacks, browns, and iron oxides for grime and rust.
Key to using these is a flat finish, gives it some tooth to make the pastels stick.