Hey, I was just wondering what you guys did to weather your diesel engines. Specifically, I’m hung up over weathering the body behind the handrails. i’ve got a bunch of engines that have the handrails already glued on, and I don’t feel like cutting them off and then trying to re-affix them.
Do you think any spray cans would be able to be used? I don’t have an airbrush, nor do i plan on getting one anytime soon; its not one of my priorities due to monetary restrictions (unless someone wants to… ‘donate’ one, lol)
but yeah; i want to get the shell body evenly weathered but those darn handrails are in the way…
Try Lance Mindheims “Voodoo & Palmettos” website for pictures and procedures for weathering. Check under the FAQS section and definately look at the model railroad photos.
I use chalk applied with a dry, small, paintbrush. Then spray with a clear-flat of your choice, spraying from a couple different angles to get behind the handrails. Don’t spray too heavy. The clear spray will tone down the chalk, so if you think you got too much on, it may be just right.
Packer, hum, what was the look you where looking for? Boy this is going to sound mean! But I cannot help my self![:(!] Was the toilet paper new or used?
I try to keep the weathering of locos a low key affair. This is an exception. Some rust paint for the trucks and some alcohol with a little black leather dye goes a long way.
Greg, first off, take a step back. First things first, do some research and get yourself some good 3D pictures of your chosen prototype. Dont whatever you do use those spray cans, you’l end up with a right ole mess that looks like a pebble dashed wall.
Find some old junkers that it wont matter if you make a dogs dinner of it to practise on, dont expect to get it right first time. You’l have to experiment with mixing differant colors. I use an air brush normaly but sometimes il use weathering powders. The 2 units below were both air brushed with a qaulity air brush, its realy the only way if you use paint. The SD50 was treated to thinners based washes until i got the effect i was after. The AC6000 was basicly air brushed. I always closely follow a good picture of the real thing, this is very important, you need to paint what you see, not what you think it looks like in your head.
The SD50 has pronounced streaks of grime where the rain will have washed the dirt down the sides.
Notice the subtle tones of exhaust carbon near the roof line. Its all about being subtle!
The GP9 has only recieved a light coating of grime on the trucks and frame and is a work in progress
Apologies for the poor depth of field in the pictures, ive yet to master that one[banghead]
Thanks. As i said above, the golden rule is to paint what you see, not what you think you see. A good picture of your chosen subject is paramount to success.
Practise is the key and be prepared for some bad outcomes along the way. If your unable to run to a good qaulity airbrush just now, good results can be obtained using weathering powders, dry brushing or ‘dirty’ washes with thinned out paint.
Use good ole cotton buds with thinned paint, these are a great tool for streaking the dirt like on the SD50 above. After dunking the cotton bud in your chosen ‘dirt’ mix, blot some off on some kitchen roll, then streek it up and down the sides remembering to keep it vertical. If you have to much paint, simply add thinners to dilute and vice versa. I also used a fibre glass burnishing pencil to partialy remove the U.P lettering, just as the sun and rain does over time on the real thing.
Just to give an idea what i used for the SD50, below is one particular picture i used to help me. Hopefully you’l see some simularity.
Hey, thanks a lot. I appreciate the response and pictures. Thats exactly what I’m looking to do right now, what you did on the SD50. So you used a ball of cotton just dipped into thinned paint? I’m wondering if a q-tip dipped in a mix of paint and water would work. I don’t have any paint thinner.
Your pics inspired me to go into my train working room and try my hand at weathering a box car and a delivery truck for practise, I’d like it if you would check out that post on my progress and let me know what you think, please keep in mind I’m very new at this MRR hobby (4 months?) and that box car and truck is my first wack at weathering.
Thanks for the inspiration and tech knowledge to get me out of my rut and trying new things.
Darn it Packer you now made me feel like a Pice Of Caboose. I as well should have checked your profile. Hope you don’t hold it aginst me! There are many mean sprited people here at the site, I like to think I am not one of them.
I am not that far of head of you in this hobby. I just started Wreathing say 6 months ago. I have found chalk to be more forgiving than paint. If you like to learn more about wreathing with chalk start a posting about it. I be more than happy to help, but far more skilled folks than I will help you as well.
Problem with the internet? You never no the age or skill level of the person posting.
Don’t worry about it, I know what guys are annoying. main reason I used paints and such: i only have ten bucks, and I plan to sink that into flextrack. I was going for a really old F7 look, ya know, like its been on display for a while and nobdy has cleaned it.
