I’ve seen countless tutorials and such for weathering, but they’ve all taken a variety of approaches. As a beginner, I’m not sure which one would work best! So, I decided I’d ask you folks. For my first project, I’ve got this Bachmann coaling station. I’ve already removed those ugly blue figures; no Smurfs on my layout, thank you very much! But what should I do next?
Should I be using a specific kind of paint? I’m also not sure how to properly do a wash. Any help you could offer would be greatly appreciated!
Carefully, but thoroughly, wash it in warm soapy water and rinse really well. Let air dry.
Then you can try dry brushing it with a medium black wash of acrylic paint, or spritzing it with an India Ink wash. It needs to be darkened lower down where coal dust might accumulate…for sure, but the fact is that coal dust would be blown out of any gaps or seams on the real thing, including near the roof. Also, there would be darker streaks here and there where coal dust would run off edges and down vertical frame members. You would have the handrails painted, and safety railings painted red or yellow.
The platform would be creosoted timbers or planks, some weathered to a silvery grey.
Best way to handle a plastic building is to start, in your case, spray a light flat brown paint and when dry do an alcohol wash (formulas are everywhere), which means slop it over everything till you get the basic look you like. Let dry and spray with a flat clear (my preference is Model Masters lusterless flat). Now get some weathering powders and practice, since the basic is sealed if you don’t like the look you can wash most of it off. Last hint is make the powders stand out more than what you want as final as when you seal them with matt spray they will disappear somewhat. One last word of thought is that some powders come with adhesive mixed in and will not wash off as completely.
A wash is simply a rinse of thinned color. It may seem pretty diluted when you apply it. That’s what you want. Resist the urge to add more color. It’s easier to add more color than it is to remove it. For buildings, I add a wash made with antique white acrylic paint added to rubbing alcohol.
For rocks, I use 1 tsp of color added to a pint of rubbing alcohol. Depending on the rocks, I use different colors, earth colors, finished up with a wash of India ink. Once this washes are dry, I drybrush antique white onto the rocks.
