I am building one of my tressels and I am using my favorite scale lumber… pop-cicle sticks. What would be a good way to get that nice aged look. I am thinking a brown coat of paint with gray on top of that and a wash of black…any suggestions.
I used ‘burnt umber’ in the craft acrylics that you can buy at Walmart. I diluted it with a bit of ‘cinnamon’, and some ‘Slate Grey’.
Consider this: creosoted lumber was a dark brown…when freshly placed. So, in the scene on my layout, the trestle is either freshly relaid or the mine to which it goes is still in its early days.
On the other hand, in this seventy year-old trestle (Kinsol Trestle on Vancouver Island, the highest in North America), the lumber is long since bleached by the Sun.
So, you would have to first put on an undiluted grey or white base coat to hide the light brown of the popsicle stick, and then commence some light-grey washes to get the bleached ‘silvery’ look of the Kinsol. In fact, I got under the bridge and noticed that the timber was still brownish grey where the Sun never shone, so you would have to paint the under side and north facing sides of the timber that colour and the south facing and horizontal surfaces the bleached look.
Have fun!
Something I played with, firstly prime the wood(it also works on styrene or any other material) with kilz primer, preferably the latex, (I cant comment on the oil or spray yet) this gives you a base to work on. Then just use regular ‘minwax’ wood stains depending on the effect you want. You are actually staining the primer not the original material so you should get consistent results, it also helps on any over glueing mishaps.
If you put the stain (I used provincial 211) straight on the white primer you will get a ‘new wood’ effect.
For an aged, but not decripited wood paint the item with a mediem grey(auto primer tonish) then a quick wash of dilute black or india ink, leave to dry overnight and apply the stain(thats the method I used for the fishing pier in my sigpic).
To get a really aged grey/silver look use minwax ebony stain directly over the white pimer.
After figuring all this out for myself I delved into Harolds(hminky) page and discovered he was experimenting along the same lines!!! his web address is-
http://www.pacificcoastairlinerr.com
the specifiac address for weathered wood is -
http://www.pacificcoastairlinerr.com/weathered_wood/
I would also paint/stain/age the items prior to final assembly, I learnt that the hard way.
Hope this helps,
Karl.
PS. Crandell I ‘AM’ going to model that trestle in your sig one day, I just gotta find the time and space, but one day that will look awesome on a layout. (while it was still in use though)
I have other shots that I can post, or send you, Karl, that will show more structural detail if you would like that.
It was such a sobering sight at that magnificant gorge. Except for the faint soughing of the wind in the lofty trees, and the trickling of the water below, there was a profound silence. There wasn’t a groan, a creak, nothing except the spendour of that monument to Man’s determination…and finite life. Ozymandius comes to mind.
Try Verathane. It does wonders on making wood look aged and it still looks like wood because you don’t have to use paint.
James[C):-)]
Sorry its spelled Varathane.
ukguy, i"ve been considering doing something to make my track look like real weathered wood,herd alot of ways to do it. i clicked on your first link, seen the weather your code 100 track and WOW! i"m sold! that looks great! looks really easy to do. i"ve read about other guys useing kilz flat white & india ink, but i never pictured it looking that GOOD! seeing IS beliving! thanks for sharing.
Thanks Crandell that would be great, much appreciated. You could either email them to me or post them to your railimages account, whichever is easier for you. It really is a beautiful structure, in an amazing setting, I would love to try and recreate it. I’m sure it was breathtaking to be actually there. Once again, many thanks.
Ignic : you’re welcome, in my opinion thats what this forum is for and what makes it so great, thanks to all who share.
Have fun & be safe.
Karl.
Done, Karl. Hope these continue to inspire you! BTW, I am going camping tomorrow to a Provincial Park near where the old E&NR right of way runs from Parksville to Port Alberni. There are two fabulous trestles nestled in tall Douglas Firs on the north side of Cameron Lake. I intend to walk up to them, and I will take photos. Once developed, I will send them to you directly. If you’d like to contact me, I’ll use your address to return them. I’m at- raspberrynob@shaw.ca
thanks guys, lotus where can i get Varathane?
Here’s my " solution " to all wood weathering and it applies easily with no harsh chemical odors and you choose the tone of weathering. It works on just about any wooden model…
Mix the following in a metal coffee can and wait a few days for the magic to start :
Fill the can about half way with vinegar
Add two steelwool pads
Results: vary with time and the resulting weathering depends on the type of wood, the amount of “stain” and time. All the results will vary and you can use the mix all at once to keep the weathering consistant or go a bit longer til the next application.
Make certain that what you have glued together is set up for at least 48 hours but I have used this on my HO trestles and bridges and it works fine and will not attack the glue.
Advantages are there is no mixing paints, thinners, stains and all the rest of the mess !
Good luck and get back to me with the reults when you can