I never weathered anything before. I need to know how to weather engines, roling stock (i have some old box-cars to test on), buildings (ex: a turntable), and track (the line of oil mainly).
Can anyone help?
If you have back issues of any of the hobby magazines you’ll probably find articles that answer your questions (with pictures for clarity!). If not, try the library, or order one of the Kalmbach books which touches on the subject. There are almost as many ways to weather stuff as there are modelers. Good luck.
Well, for some real simple, easy weathering, just get a paint color that looks like the dirt in the area you’re modeling and lightly airbrush it onto the underside and very lower sides. Try not to get much on the trucks. Take the wheels off before you paint so you don’t have “dirty” wheels: you want more of a dark rust color on the wheels and nothing on the treads. This is a picture of a hopper that I did. There is some extra weathering done to it using a wash of black/silver testors paint. I don’t reccomend it. http://community.webshots.com/photo/109373438/172820922IFUDGJ
Reed
I don’t have an airbrush; were can I find one for less than $50.00
or would a regular can of spray paint work?
I have an Aztec airbrush made by Testors that does a good. Wallyworld(Wal-Mart) is where I got mine for about $40.00 including a can of compressd air and alazy susan type of paint bottle holder with a not very useable assortment of Testors paint. The airbrush is a double action type which I prefer for weathering. I ditched the can of air and used regulated air from my shop compressor. The Bragdon Industries Weathering powders are an excellent choice for weathering. I got an assortment of eight different colors (mainly different rust shades) at a train show about a year ago & just now need to replace a few colors. Although I would recommend sealing the model surface with some variation of clear-cote, the directions say it has an adhesive mixed in that does not require sealing .
The cheaper Testors Aztek single-action brushes can be had for under $50 and are perfectly suitable for model-railroad weathering. The advantages of an airbrush are unlimited color choices (you can whip up a batch of your preferred shade of greasy dusty rusty grime, rather than a single color of Brown or whatever) as well as much finer control of the paint (spray can nozzle big & loose, airbrush nozzle small & controlled.)
I do recommend getting a compressor rather than the cans of air–in the long run they will cost less, but you’ll have to invest around $100. I got a cheap Campbell-Hausfeld at Home Depot that works fine for aibrush powering and will also fill up my car’s tires, drive a nail gun, etcetera.
You can weather without an airbrush, of course.
Dry brushing: Pick out a lighter color than what you’re weathering. Dip a fairly large brush in paint, then remove MOST of the paint from the brush. If you wipe the brush on a card and it only leaves a few streaks, that’s about right. Lightly bru***his brush against the high points of what you’re weathering. Dry brushing helps accent the raised parts of a model, to simulate light highlights or fading paint. Dry brushing can also be used with metallic paints or rust-colored paints to represent points on a metal structure (a boxcar or turntable, etcetera) where paint has been chipped away, to show metal (or rust) underneath.
Ink wash: Mix 2 ounces water with 2-3 drops India ink and a little isopropyl alcohol. This makes a wa***hat will find the little corners and crevices of a model and will help accentuate the details in a model. You can also do diluted washes with different colors of paint, but generally washes work best with dark colors, since they settle into crevices and are good for simulating shadows and depth, as well as grime and crud that gets into said crevices.
Rubber cement rust spots: To simulate large areas where paint has flaked off of a model, first undercoat the model with either sil
And of course there’s the ever-popular weathering by pastels. Just get a box of earth-tone pastel chalks at a local craft/art store. Scrape some powder off the pastels into a plastic dish or onto a piece of paper, and use various sizes of soft artist paintbrushes to bru***he colors onto the model. If you’re not going you handle it much once it’s on the layout, that’s all you need. Or you can give it a coat of something like Testor’s Dullcote to lock the weathering in. Dullcote will slightly dilute the pastel weathering, so you may have to add more to build up layers to get the effect you like.
Whatever you choose, I’ve found that for me the best first coat is a wash of India ink in isotropy alcohol. It really takes off the plastic shine, and in some cases may be all the weathering you need, especially if the car is supposed to be “newish” rather than road-worn. Buy a pint of 91% or better at your local drug or grocery store, add anywhere from 3 - 10 drops of India ink to get the appropriate shade of grayish-black you want, and you’ve got a good supply of basic weathering wash for rolling stock and structures.
There’s also a couple of good articles on weathering available on this site. Just check the links to articles on the left side of the main page, and have fun exploring!
You can also dry brush on solvent based paint (enamel, artists oil paints, or original Floquil) and then after it is just barely dry, flow on solvent (not paint, but the “thinner”) Brush down to make streaks. Particularly effective with dark to orangish browns to make rust streaks. Have LOTS of ventilation.
Dave H.
another thing you can do is mix some automibile windsheild washer fluid (availible from a supermarket, convenience store, or automotive supply store) with grimy black paint, at a 5/1 ratio (5 teaspoons of paint, to 1 teaspoon of fluid). Brush it on the surface, wait 20 to 30 seconds, then wipe it off.
If you use chalk powder or pastels, if you spray a clear coat (TESTORS “Dullcoat” , FLOQUIL “Figure-Flat”) on the surface BEFORE you apply the powder, there’s no need to spray it afterwards, as the spray provides a “tooth” that holds the powder in place.
You can also use spray cans, too.
MICRO-MARK sells some chalk powders in various colors of rust, brown, black, green, blue, etc. called “Doc O’Briens Weathering Powders”.
They also sell a tape by Dave Faray & Bob Hayden that tells and demonstrates some other methods of weathering. They even show how to weather a steam locomotive!
Try some AIM Products liquids. They have 2 shades of rust, a grungey black, and and Instant Age. These can be brushed or sprayed(airbrush or spray bottle) low tech, good look
I only use Pastello colored chalks (pastel chalks). I have no problem handeling them and one can weather a car in minits.
Use wet water (a table spoon liquid detergent to a spray bottle filled with water) A windex spray bottle works great.
Spray or wet the car slightly. Using the back of an ex acto knife, scrape various colors on sheets of scrap paper. using a dish or even a cookie sheet, mix colors and using a soft brush gently paint on the slightly wet car. Use different colors to resemble grime, rust streeks and faded paint. you can also streek the box car sides, where the sliding door rubs the paint off usning the chalk on the edge of a bussiness card.
I have weathered tank cars that look like the domes have small leaks or spillage, very realistic. When you feel you have what you want, use a large soft brush( like a old time shaving brush) to blend it. Dont forget the end of the box cars, wheels throw vertical streek on it from rain dier ect.
The secret is a damp car to start with and an occasional wisp of a spray of wet water as you go on. Some use only the dry chalk dust, it takes too long and the effect leaves a lot to be desired and it cannot be handled at all.
mixing colors of chalks is a snap and the grey and of white reall dull the colors down. I sometime weather one side very heavey and the other ligher. To me its a bit boreing to weather all the same. Some are very rust and grimy and others just dulled dowm.
One can dull coat it afer it drys,
Anyhow for under ten bucks including the brushs (less the big soft one) you in bussiness and I imagine on could weather 80 or so cars. Its on the cheep side, but to me airbrushing it, takes to much investment and time.
The pastel chalks are approx $7. and contain 24 different chalks. I bought mine at Staples office supply.
Anyhow I hope the above helps Oh yeah If ya dont like the weathering job, just wash it off, or better yet, one can change the weathering later on if ya wish, enjoy…
I’ve discovered that the best weathering I’ve done was when I’ve used a photo as a reference. Also, try practicing on an old or cheap piece of rolling stock, loco, structure, etc., using colored chalks or water soluble paints. That way you can wash off anything you don’t like and try again. When you gain some personal techniques, experience and confidence which will only come with practice, then you can try moving on to more permanent methods of weathering.
Good luck!