Years ago I read an article somewhere about weathering plastic using multiple layers of paint ( wood color, then greay, then the final color) then you scrub the top layers with a fiberglas brush to simulate weathering. Does anyone remember this method, and what were the layers?
Second question - I have been out of the hobby for years and am trying to start over. The floquil/polly S paint issue is confusing. Can I paint enamel and acrylic coats on the same surface, assuming that it dries between coats?
There are lots of methods. I like to paint and then over spray with dull-coat or a flat, clear spray. Then I use weathering powders, and finally another coat of dull-coat to seal it.
You can combine paint types as long as you let them dry.
Don’t know the article, but I scratch styrene first with a steel or brass brush (available at Harbor Freight) then paint. Usually I prime it and paint it the final color. Then I dry brush parts of it…a gray…a wood color…a white if the final color isn’t white.
Coming back to MR after a couple of decades, I too found that Floquil and Poly S where not readily available. I think it was a mistake that I bought a hodge podge assortment of sovent and acrylic paints of various brands: Scale coat, Tru Scale, Model Master Acrylic and enamel, Valejo.
I did paint a flatcar deck a tan, followed by a gray, and then wore away at the edges with a drywall screw and wore away at the top, with a stiff wire brush. At the end an alcohol/india ink mix was brushed on. What I wanted to capture was the silvery gray – almost like driftwood - of a wood deck, but with some hint that deep gouges also dug into a bit of “fresh” wood. I also experimented with reversing the order of paint - gray first, THEN tan. And then the wear and india ink/alcohol. At best I guess it suggested a deck of a different age.
And on the prototype not all deck boards are the same age.
The main point is that wood flatcar decks really take a beating. And they are not painted the same color as the car, Athearn blue box kits to the contrary.
One thing you may find helpful is to look on YouTube. Some of the videos show some really good techniques for weathering. It appears a lot of the guys are just using acrilic craft paint available anywhere for a very reasonable price. Earlier when Floquil and Scalcoat were readily avilable I used those products. These days if I’m just painting an engine black or coal cars or even boxcars I tend to use the big “rattle cans” available at any department store or hardware store.
