does anyone follow a step by step process when perfroming subject? i have weathered many freight cars , so i’m not a beginner… but i’ve never done a loco. i have many to weather and i want to do it well. i have some practice shells too. any help with this is much appreciated. thx.
I handle loco weathering just as I do weathering freight cars. The rules are the same.
Okay here is how I like to do my weathering on my modern engines (see my thread of Positive Criticism for my SD70Mac)
1)Pull Engine out of box
2) Add details EXCEPT handrails
3)Blacken the Grills to represent depth
4)Apply a light wash using water-base paint deluted (I try to keep it mixed with a lot of water so that I can apply a little at a time, let it dry and add more depending on how dirty I want the engine to look. I mainly do this to show how the rain has washed some of the dirt and grime down the engine and into those places where the washers can’t really get.)
5)Chalk in rust, shoot, and any other type of grime ( I mainly hit the areas where exhaust as left its mark. I apply rust to the trucks and maybe some small areas of the body, and a bit on the gas tank and plow)
6)Apply hand rails
7)Airbrush across the bottom (This shows how the wheels have picked up dirt and dust, just like how your car does. I go light and pass by until I feel it’s just right)
8)dulcoat it all so that it will stay
9) clean windows/windshield to look like whiper marks to add realism
Send them to me, I’ll be more then happy to weather them for ya. I will even take out the wheels, it’s the only way to make it look right. I am going to do a new Atlas Conrail 8-40C & a Kato SD90/43 MAC. If you want email me and I can send you a few pics of mine that I did. It’s a lot easier to do the airbrushing part at one time. Then the final weathering can be done after that.
http://www.modeltrainsweathered.com/forum
http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?page=1&TOPIC_ID=59430
Weathering is a mater of taste and you should use some kind of prototype to get the correct effect.
There have been numerous articles in MR and on this forum that you can read about, but use caution in your first attempts. If you over weather or mess up your model, you will not be happy. Try using a box car or something that is not that important to you for your first try. Work with the chalks and or airbrush as has been recommended and see how your project goes. If you like what you are doing, you can always increase the amount and effect. I like to use chalk first before any airbrushing, and it can always be removed until it is over sprayed. Use rust color on the couplers and springs on the trucks with an overspray of dust and dirt to get a great effect.
And remember, no two locomotives or cars look exactly the same so don’t try to achieve parity on all models.
Check prototype pictures of the effect you want to achieve and go at it.
Post a picture of your work when you are done so we can see it.