I am currently working on the Woodland Scenic’s Plank & Tie Mill but are struggling to achieve the look of weathered wood on the white metal castings that constitute the entire structure. It so much easier building kits of real wood and just give it a black wash add some earth colors and then you have it! Anyway, after priming it I painted it tan and have now started experimenting with washes and dry brushing using both darker and lighter colors without achieving the right effect.I suspect I should have painted it white, given it a black wash and then dry brushed on some earth colors.
Anybody having experienced the same problems and found a solution?
Thank you Guy! I have acutally read this article once but forgotten about it. For other reading this thread the article in the link tells you to prime the styrene off-white, give it a black wash and then experiment with raw and burnt sienna colors. Maybe this goes for white metal castings too?
Conclusion: I think I have to redo my work so far.
Because metal takes paint and coloring so differently than wood or even plastic, perhaps in a sense the color of the first coat does not really matter so long as it provides a decent base for subsequent work. In the end I doubt if you’d really want any of the tan to show through, except maybe for a special effect such as one brand new unpainted board that replaces one that rotted away.
Getting that vaguely silvery look of old unpainted wood – the driftwood color – is a challenge. I’d suggest leaving the tan as is but exploring something that would color it without painting it. If the surface is slightly rough, try charcoal sticks (available at any art supply or craft store, and perhaps at the LHS) rubbed on the sides, smoothed out by rubbing with an old toothbrush, with final work done with a cotton swab – this tends to get a color into the surface rather than onto the surface, if you get the distinction I am tryng to draw here. Dullcoat or, as some use, cheap hairspray might be needed to secure the colorizing. If my experience is any indication, the first application of Dullcoat removes much of what you did, but subsequent coats OVER the dried dullcoat, then followed by more Dullcoat, work.
I have not tried this but intend to – when cleaning out the fireplace recently I noticed that the ash could be used almost like some use chalks as a weathering product. There are shades of gray, brown, and almost green in the ash.
Before attempting to paint the metal parts, you might want to bathe them with vinegar for a few minutes. This etches the metal so the primer will stick.