Good morning, and happy Independance Day. I am running an HO scale train with 2 F7’s in the lead, and 20 cars behind. All of them look like new cars and locos.I have tried weathering with not much luck, I always get them to dark. Is there a simple way to make them look used but not abused? any suggestions would be a great help. Here is a pic of a boxcar I painted yesterday, needs more detailing. What do you think?
Visit http://www.modeltrainsweathered.com/forum . This is the premier site to get weathering tips.
IMO the FASTEST way to get some weathering is to use a mix of INDIA INK & RUBBING ALCOHOL. Just brush it on, then if you want it to look better just lightly rub DOWN the sides with a cotton ball. It’s that easy. But all your cars will look the same.
Get a makeup brush, a foam makeup wand and some artist’s chalks (available at Wal-Mart). Rub the edge of the wand into some rust or dark colored chalks, rub it into the side of the cars using vertical strokes. Using the brush, feather the chalks to relieve some of the starkness. Cover with Dullcote.
Use powdered chalk and fix with Dull-cote or Matte-Finish
I agree
I’ve got a weird one for you and it involves that old devil, tobacco.
I knew a guy one time - a non-smoker, by the way, - who would let a couple of cigarettes burn down to ash; he would strain out any unburned paper residue and would make a paste from the ash and either alcohol or plastic compatible paint thinner. When he had this paste to the “proper” consistancy he would brush it onto the roofs of his cars from the crown outward to the edges; he would also brush it down the sides of these cars going downward from the roof. He would then seal everything with dullcote. I don’t remember specifically seeing him do this but he commented to me one time that he sometimes added small quantities of chalk powder to the mix to break the monotony of the weathering.
I will say this, his simulation of grime was quite startling. He was careful not to overdo things; he wanted his rolling stock - and motive power - to look like it had been exposed to the elements, not like someone had given it a mud bath.
Do you have any photos? Sorry, but I never really have seen any good weathering done with India Ink. I seem to recall you weathering some in the past…?
Matt
There’s a right way, a wrong way and grande man’s way to weather…[:D]
An OLD thread on the subject…
http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?page=1&TOPIC_ID=38920
A weathering technique that works well for me is as follows:
First. Spray your finished car with dull coat. Mix up a wash of alcohol and india ink (2 full tablespoons of ink to 1 pint of rubbing alcohol). Bru***his mix onto your car using downward strokes. Allow to dry. Next, take pastel chalks (Earth tones) and sand paper. Sand whatever color you choose into a fine powder. You don’t need alot. A little goes a long way. A good choice of color would be black, rust, and browns. Dip your brush into the ink wash again, then into the chalk powder. Again, keep your strokes vertical to simulate rain streaks. You will note the the wet powder will go on a bit heavy. That’s ok, our next step is to wipe off the powder mix using your finger or clean cloth. The idea is to leave small traces of chalk where it would normally accumulate (door channels, rivets, ect…) You will also note that the alcohol over dullcoat gives you a frosty white effect that simulates sun bleaching quite effectively.
And remember to always practice on scrap material, until you achieve the results your after.
Have fun.
Bob…
Here is a picture of a car that was weathered using this technique:
The India ink and acohol is great idea. I use alot for my stuff. But 2 things to remember. 1) Only use 70% isp. Anything stronger, and on some cars it will eat the printing or ruin the oirginal paint. And the ink??? It goes a LOOONG way. If you were going to use say, 1/4 cup, I would only put in like 2 or 3 DROPS. Them stir, and expierment. Also, it is not permament. Which means you can wash it off with water, but also, if you handle the cars alot, consider sealing them with a dullcoat.
This car hasbeen washed with the ink. You can see the streaks, but also has some airbrusihing on in too.
Here is a the way I do replicate that streaked look. Dip your brush in the wash… skaes it as much as you can or let sit over bowl to allow s much to run off the brush as possible. Maybe give the brush a quick dab into a paper towel. Then, start brushing down the car starting form top to bottom. If it s alittle wet, keep brushing and blow on it at the same time to help the alcholo dry. The drying effect will give it a great look. if it dries a bit to quick, or mayeb is too strong for the paint, mixt it with some water, say 10 or 20%. Once you really get the feel for it, you can control it with one simple brush swipe to give the “run off” look from rain and grime. Large brush, or good sized fan brush is even better.
Buy some old cheapies to practice on. Or, grab some of your frirends cars while he isnt looking and use those, to learn the “Ways Of the Wash” [:D]
P.S., Your John Deer car looks great. Simple, but really stands out. Trucks look good too.
Thanks for all the advice, I will try som of them in a couple of days and see which ones work the best for me. Thanks again. Mike