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Red Oak Series: Weathering freight cars
Eric, this is a good video, not too many videos on weathering N scale freight cars out there. I would like to offer some tips to folks who watch this video. First, many of us modelers tend to be frugal,so when I bring out my fairly expensive weathering powders I do my weathering in an old model box or a shallow cardboard box of some sort. I use a separate box for each color and when I’m finished I collect the powders that get brushed off and put it back in its original container for future use, “waste not, want not”. Second the rust effect you were trying to achieve on the Swift reefer could have been accomplished by mixing the rust colored powder with alcohol to make a sort of paint which when dry would give the effect of the rust running down the car like in the picture. Lastly, I always weather my trucks and couplers separately from the car, in fact I remove them, (especially on an N scale car) there are different ways to weather “friction bearing” trucks as opposed to “roller bearing” trucks. I have a You Tube video which explains how I do it, my channel name is “2toady” One final comment, I always use rubber gloves when painting and weathering not only do they keep your hands clean but they prevent getting fingerprints on the model. I’ll bet the guys gave you some crap about not using gloves, in one shot it looked like you had been out planting tulip bulbs all afternoon!! LOL
Nice video. I have been using this technique with my own ground pastel chalks for years on my N-scale rolling stock. I also keep a can of compressed air or my airbrush without paint nearby to blow off chalk if it gets to heavy or caught in details.
Great video Eric on weathering. I guess I had never considered weathering freight cars by their age as indicated by their built date on the car, great idea and very realistic. Thanks.
I think I would have sprayed the cars with a light coat of Dullcote first to give the surfaces some “tooth” so the powders would stick better. Just a thought.
Great job Eric!
I really love the videos like this one that show you can do stuff without an airbrush!
What would be some good colors to get at first if you are just starting to use pastels to weather?
Thanks!
Hi Eric, Great video on weathering the different colors of freight cars, but I have a question. Since the Santa Fe box car is from the steam era and you put soot on the roof, I would assume that is to represent burnt coal. My question is how much soot if any would come from an oil burning locomotive of the same era and would it be sooty or perhaps an oily residue?
Thanks.
Very good clinic. Chalks work especially well on N Scale cars. I mix my pastels on a paper plate and then apply. I also paint the air hoses a flat black and couplers a rust brown. Another plus to chalks, if you don’t like the finished product, wash it off and start anew. Always cover with a Dullcote or Lusterless to prevent losing all your good work.
Good video Eric, only question I have concerns the cars surface finish, wouldn’t you want to lightly apply dull-kote prior to applying weathering chalks. I would think that would help with the colors adhering in specific areas, especially if you want to add the weathering a little heavier in that area?
I use powders but find if you first spray the car with a light coat of dullcote, let it dry for a few minutes then apply the powders. It gives a little "tooth’ to hold the powders better than on the smooth glossy car sides. Also, wear a latex glove on your free hand to avoid leaving fingerprints in the powder.
This was a really great demonstration of how to use these weathering powders.
Thank you.
Todd, nice idea about how to save the powders that fall off.
Where can I purchase these products?
Stephen Perrette: Any Walthers dealer can order them for you. AIM Products also sells direct via the Internet at www.aimprodx.com.
Having started model building doing model cars (automobiles type model cars) I learned to use a painting holder (read bent wire coat hanger) for things like boxcars. Unfortunately, that works best (only?) for cabin/box type cars – do not try this with tank and hopper cars.
The very best way to hold a car while weathering it is to remove the trucks. Make a small jig (of sheet plastic or even bent small guage solid wire (20 or 18 AWG maybe)) with holes for the truck screws, take the trucks off and attach the jig to the car using the screws, and do not remove the jig until you have sprayed AND let dry a coat of dulling agent. make the jig (or make two - one for each end) about 3 to 4 inches longer than the car (so you can hold the car from either end.) Cut it about as wide as the guage of your track. Don’t worry if it covers the bottom of the car, because once you weather and permanently coat the TOP of the car, you can then hold the car BY THE TOP (Did someone say wear gloves?) while weathering the bottom. [I model in HO, so I do NOT know how well this would work in the smaller scales, but it does work for me.]
If I want/need more powder to stick someplace (like a big rust patch), I make a paste of the color I want to use and go for it. This is also why I do NOT recommend giving the car “tooth” because if you put too much, you can always wash it off and try again. If you put too much paste, let it dry and then wet it again - make SURE you let the wetting agent run down the car like it would naturally be pulled by gravity - actually gives a more believable look to it as well.
One last comment. This is one of the cases where MORE is MORE! Dulling agent tends to dull (dah (or doh for the kiddies out there)) what you have done. Try one coat and then coat it; if you don’t like how it looks after it DRIES (so it can be washed off again), add more. Soon you will know how much is enough and be satisfied with what you put on the first time. More might look a bit garish whe
Eric - That was GREAT! This technique can be used in SOOOOO many ways. Just seal it with flat coat. and you don’t even need gloves. And just rub it in with the Q tip. Great! Thanks
Dear Eric,
I really enjoyed the video and it spurred a new interest in weathering my rolling stock, structures, and locomotives.
I do have a question.
Since this is my first time buying weathering powers what our some good colors to start with?
It appears that there are so many colors to choose from!
Our some more useful or more prevalent than others?
Thanks
Jacob