Of all the talents needed in model railroading, I grade myself a “D” in the painting/weathering department and I have never invested in an air brush because of that reason…spray cans and brushes is what I use. I want to paint my “Chooch” bridge abutments a light colored rustic brown like in their advertising pictures. They come out of the package gray in color. I would appreciate any help in accomplishing this task. Thanks in advance.
Whenever possible, I use Tamiya paint in the spray can. It goes on very thin and smooth compared to some other spray can paint like Floquil or Testor’s. For weathering you can use a wash of watered down acrylic black or brown or rusty red paint, either applied by brush or a squirt bottle set on “mist”. Unless you’re going to handle the bridge a lot, you could weather it with oil-based chalks - the kind in the little clear plastic cubes at the LHS. Powdered charcoal is good for darkening effects, and if you apply it and wipe it off, it stays in the cracks and crevices and around bolts and such making a nice effect…plus unlike chalk, you can spray it with flat finish and it won’t disappear. You can get it at the local art supply shop.
However I would at some point take a look at getting a cheap airbrush. I used to use expensive double-action / internal mix ones, but when acrylic paints s came along they gummed 'em up and they became basically useless. Now I use a bottom of the line Testor’s external-mix airbrush that cost about $19.
Think of it this way - if you can get a spray at least as good as a typical spray can, then you can use any color paint that’s out there with your airbrush.
Don’t be so afraid of the air brush it isn’t going to bite you. If you want to get better at it just practice. I have been using an air brush professionally on hot rods and bikes for over 30 years but using it on model railroading and weathering are a whole new ball game for me. Go to Micheal’s crafts or AC Moore when they put out their 50% off coupons and pick up something like a Badger 350 single action air brush a good place to start. Go to your LHS or look on craigslist etc. and buy the cheapest freight cars you can find. Of your gonna F something up it might as well be a cheap something them some expensive piece of rolling stock. Hey if it turns out good put it on a siding as a static piece. Just practice with it and don’t be afraid of it, they have plenty of How to DVD’s and books on the subject. Attempting to weather it with a spray can is like trying to tune a Ferrari with a sledge hammer. before doing that I would use chalks or weathering powders over the existing color, if you want to do a complete color change of the abutments I would recommend using an acrylic spray this way if it looks horrible and you catch it fast enough you can wash it right off with warm water. All I do to my Chooch abutments and piers is give them a wash of India ink and alcohol to grim them up a bit and spray them with a top coat of dull coat.
You can buy spray cans of paint from various manufacturers such as Floquil or Scalecoat. These are good for projects such as painting the bridge or building a basic color but not details such as bridge abutments. I have a Badger airbrush and have used it “off and on” for about 20 years. It comes with a life time guarantee. I have a Master Builders Structures with the National Model Railroad Association. I use a lot of powdered chalk for weathering effects and then spray Dullcote to fix it to the model. You may use washes with acrylic paints. If you don’t like the results, you can just wash it off and start again. I would in this case, try a dilute solution of raw sienna, burnt sienna or raw umber. After it dries, try a light dusting of powdered chalks. DON’T be afraid!! Good luck.
Have a lot of folks here had problems with double action airbrushes and acrylic paints? I’m about to enter this realm, myself. Iwata Eclipses seem to have a good reputation for pushing thicker paints and acrylics through but would like to hear of other’s experiences. For the OP, I have used a very very cheap single action Badger to put clear and colored coats on banjo necks years ago. It’s just a matter of practical practice like learning how far away or how close to spray different objects. Comes pretty quickly. Double action-I’ve heard that it’s MUCH harder to get the hang of and also it’s not that much harder after a couple of hours practice. Does the truth (like in all things) lie somewhere in the middle? Is a double action airbrush a nice thing to have for model painting for the average painter or overkill? Also for the OP check out the site airbrushtechniques.com for more opinions and info. airbrushdepot.com and maybe airbrushcity.com have some “choosing an airbrush” sections on their home pages.