Getting Down and Dirty

[Gwiwer]

Having had a layout topic under way for some time now and also having begun to delve into the dark art of weathering I felt it was time to open a topic here to "show and tell" some of the detail work which can sometimes be lost in a layout thread.

 

Some images may end up being cross-posted and some will go back a while. In this area I can both show the work and methods I am using, learn from others and develop into those skills and methods I have yet to tackle.

 

More to follow .....

[Gwiwer]

A small selection of images showing very recent weathering work.

 

 

 

In the view below the class 22 carries my own additional weathering over the top of the factory application. The well tank, brake van, shed staff and shed itself have all been weathered to differing degrees illustrating that it is not just rolling stock which can benefit from this treatment. The goods wagons just visible behind the well tank were professionally weathered and are not my work.

 

[Gwiwer]

Quite a number of locos along with some items of rolling stock have had attention on the weathering bench recently. Here's a few examples:

 

Thompson and Hawksworth vans (along with more dust that I would like on the sides )

 

 

50013

 

 

 

All the Dapol 22s have had some additional weathering over the top of the Kernow commissioned factory application but D6328 is not a Kernow one and arrived pristine. Here 6330 (left) and D6328 (right) are shown for comparison of the different styles of weathering applied.

 

 

 

Class 42 "Warship" 870 is the latest of that fleet to be dealt; the application to this loco is lighter than on some others. Seen here hauling a heavily-weathered Lima "Siphon G" which is allegedly also in blue livery!

 

 

 

Finally for now Heljan D6563 which arrived in the past few days was tested pristine and weathered as soon as I was satisfied with it.

 

 

 

[deltic17]

That Blue Warship in particular looks excellent - what was the technique for that?....

[BRealistic]

... and the Hawksworth, Gwiwer. tell us more!

[Gwiwer]

It's all done with weathering powders. I can probably arrange a "How I did it" step by step photo-guide though there's no way of showing motion (i.e. recording an actual demonstration) in still photography and I'm not sure if I can set up the camera on a tripod taking video of me at work. May be worth a try though. I didn't know I could build a model railway or weather the stock until I tried .........

[HealeyMills]

Hey Gwiwer,

 

Excellent stuff.... can we have more please???

 

Cheers

Lee

[Gwiwer]

Well since you ask .... here's a couple from the files showing application of weathering to the HST sets.

 

 

[Gwiwer]

Of course it's not only rolling stock that can benefit from weathering. Almost any structure we might wish to model can be weathered. Here's one I made earlier - two of the recently released Kernow / Bachmann clay dries units placed at right-angles to each other with several shades of green weathering powder brushed on to represent slime, moss and and lichen. Also note the accumulated dirt on the right at the foot of the wall which is a mix of grey and brown weathering powder and Woodland Scenics casting plaster. The various powders were tipped into a small plastic container, roughly mixed and then brushed loosely into place.

 

[deltic17]

In addition to my 1st comment re the Warship that side on view of the Class 33 is really excellent too. Is the weathering on the body side all weathering powders?. What shades did you use? Interestingly I did some practice weathering on an old oil tank which I'd sprayed a matt pale grey and weathered using some watered down soot weathering powder - applied that and it created a lovely smooth 'dirt' covering although I haven't been brave enough to do say a whole diesel loco side. Do you seal the powders as I've always wondering about that? My oil tank seems to be able to be handled without any problems although I probably wouldn't want to touch it too much or with damp hands etc. I suppose one advantage is it all goes wrong it's more easy to remove....

[Gwiwer]

90% of my weathering at present is powders. A little is done with pen, ink and cotton wool buds to smudge and move the wet ink into doorways and recesses. So far none is sealed but only because I am still learning airbrush technique. Once I am happy with that then those vehicles which need sealing will be so treated.

 

The different brands have different compositions in their plastic and different finishes which means powders "take" better on some brands than others. So far I find Hornby accepts powder best of all with Dapol close second. Heljan items can usually be weathered to advantage but Bachmann stock (particularly coaching stock) is very reluctant to accept powder reliably.

 

I currently use three brands. AIM is fairly cheap and has the advantage of coming in larger size containers as well. It is also sold in single colours meaning you don't need to buy a pack with four or more shades when you really only want one or two. Carrs are my favoured powder because their shades seem to best represent British weathered stock. However you can end up with a lot of red and yellow that isn't a lot of use just to get enough "brake dust" brown. Tamiya are costly but very good quality and again you sometimes need to buy a set to get the colours you want and end up with some you don't.

 

I have a weathering area on the workbench which is allowed to stay dirty. Powders applied and then brushed can result in a fair amount coming straight off. If done over the bench this powder then falls onto the workbench and becomes a mixed "dirt" colour. I can then lift it with the applicator brush and re-use it on the next item. I generally have three blends in use and kept in little plastic trays. A light brown mix for mud and brake dust, black mixed with a little dark brown which is brushed into door frames, handle mouldings, around nuts and bolts and lower body panels and around exhausts / chimneys and the workbench "dirt" mix which will contain varied amounts of black, browns, grey and sometimes even yellow and is used for body side and roof grime.

 

It is important to remember that weathering powders are finely-ground pigment (colour) and can therefore stain anything they might come into contact with. It can be a messy job applying the weathering and it is essential to keep the work bone dry. That include not blowing on it to remove surplus powder - the risk of a tiny drop of spit going where it shouldn't is too great. Wash and thoroughly dry hands after each step in the process and under no circumstances touch other stock until you have done so. I find a good spray with the wet-water bottle which is always on the bench is enough and I always have an old T-shirt handy as a hand towel-come-rag.

Edited December 9, 2012 by Gwiwer

[Steve Williams]

What varnish to find the best for a flat finish, or do you not seal the finished work?

[Gwiwer]

Unsealed for now, see post above, but I am investigating the best options for a flat matt finish and am taking note of the experience of others posted on this site.

[Steve Williams]

Unsealed for now, see post above, but I am investigating the best options for a flat matt finish and am taking note of the experience of others posted on this site.

 

Thanks. I missed that ;-( I tend to use Testor's Dullcote, but good as it is, it always seems to leave a slightly mottled effect. This can be quite realistic on a roof of course. I have sometimes used powders on top of paint that hasn't quite dried and it tends to cling quite well. The only real problem with powders, of course, is that the light colours can get lost when sealed with a varnish.

[Gwiwer]

Light colours can get lost in atmospheric moisture as well. The water spill I applied to a couple of engine tank fillers had to be re-done though the radiator spill on the class 22 (post 3, images 4 and 5 from the top) has stayed put despite being applied in the same way with the same powder.

[Gwiwer]

At opposite ends of some sort of timescale a couple of recent visitors to the weathering bench have been the Hornby class 153 DMU cars and the A1X Terrier loco.

 

Streaked dirt applied to the side panels of a 153 in addition to dirt worked into the panel joints and clinging around the rivets

 

 

A subtler approach on another of the class in a "vinyl" promotional livery; lighter weathering has been applied so as to not detract from the excellent job Hornby did of replication the photographic artwork of the original.

 

 

Meanwhile jumping back many years in time the only "Terrier" in my fleet has been dirtied up into a condition some appeared in towards the end of their lives.

 

 

And seen posed with a lightly-weathered well tank showing that the 0-6-0 is actually the smaller of the two.  Track and buildings in this view have also received weathering attention.

 

[BRealistic]

"Track and buildings in this view have also received weathering attention"

 

The corrugated roof looks especially good to me.... the rest is just great!

[Gwiwer]

Thanks.  And credit where due as the corrugated roof is supplied (by Kernow MRC) as weathered; I have however added a little more with grey and green weathering powders and have loosely flicked casting plaster onto the roof from a paint brush to represent china clay.

[BRealistic]

It's those extra touches that raise it above the bar. Super job!

[Gwiwer]

Jim104 asked over on the Kernow Thumper thread if I could show some weathering techniques.

 

As I had already prepared a post for another site toshow how I weathered the A1X "Terrier" I'll use that here for the same purpose.  The technique I used on the Thumper was the same though I also inked in the door frame mouldings with a 0.05 mapping pen as that gives a little more "depth" to the moulding.  With the ink still wet I rub it over lightly with clean scrap T-shirt fabric to work it in a little and remove any stray excess on the body panelling.

 

Additionally - and not shown below - on most coaching stock I will also wipe T-shirt fabric over the body sides after the main application of powders and the first brush-off of excess.  This - if done lightly - will leave powder in any miniscule irregularities in the plastic and in any recesses in the moulding.   I also brushed the powder over the windows of the Thumper before wiping with the cloth since that leaves a little residue around the corners of each window pane.  

 

The Thumper was done with a blend of the black and brown mixes described below and always with the black applied first.  Southern multiple units often displayed a layer of brake dust staining which showed up as a dull orange and which I have represented along the lower panels of the Thumper.

 

The weathered "Thumper" is shown here http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/12317-class-205-in-conjunction-with-kernow-model-shop/?p=972357  

 

 

Gwiwer, really first class weathering, do please enlighten me how it was done 

 

First I check I have what I need on the "dirty" area of the workbench.  I currently use Carrs and AIM weathering powders and have recently obtained some of the new Humbrol ones but am not overly impressed with them.  Plastics vary and each item seems to prefer a different brand or blend of powders; there's no telling quite how things will go until you try.  A selection of small soft-hair brushes is also essential.  Sable is preferred by some professionals and I'm sure would give me better results than I get with the cheaper brushes I use. 



I normally keep two mixes of powder in plastic containers and which are topped up as required.  One is a brown mix representing mud and brake dust with the other being black and greys for smoke, soot and grime.  In this view I have added some new powder to both containers but have not yet either mixed them together nor broken down the lumps which seem to afflict the Humbrol powders.



Next take one victim.  In this case a Hornby A1X "Terrier" which is a tiny tank engine of fairly basic construction and lacking in some of the finer detail evident on many other locos.  The loco is seen here in more-or-less pristine black plastic though some dust shows up on the photo.



I normally handle items to be weathered in cut squares of old T-shirt which prevents stray powder entering the mechanism or fouling the pick-ups.  Weathering can be dirty enough; this step also prevents accidental finger prints on the work which tend not to show up until you have applied the powder and photographed the job!



For the main coating of grime I don't need to be overly delicate as it has to get just about everywhere.  I am therefore using a bigger brush, dipped lightly in the powder, and brushing that powder onto the loco from top to bottom and both from front to back and side to side; it can also be worked in around tight corners as needed.  



Work the powder all around the parts of the loco which need to be dirtied.  Remember to check underneath the buffer beams and buffers themselves and to dirty up the front and back of the cab.  The amount of powder applied can differ and will give differing results and sometimes a second coat applied to areas which are to be extremely grimy will give good results.  Another way to work weathering powders is to rub and work them in lightly with your fingertips.  This creates blurred lines and smudges which are useful in some applications.  Remember to wash AND DRY your fingers before you move on.



So far so good.  The loco no longer looks as though it has just come out of a box but some loose powder needs removing.



I don't need "speed streaks" on a tank engine which would only have shunted or worked trains at slow speeds.  But the big brush is still a handy tool for removing the excess powder.  It can be lightly blown but one tiny spot of saliva in the wrong place will undo your work.  A puffer brush would also help and is one tool I don't have currently.  The brush is drawn front to back and top to bottom over the powder removing most of the excess to the workbench via the cloth.



The rear view after removal of the excess powder - again this no longer looks like a loco straight from its box but more can be done to it.



Taking a fresh brush collect a little of the brown powder and apply gently to the brake rodding, cab steps, brakes and - in this case - the wheels which could have picked up mud and dirt from sidings or minor branch lines.



The loco is sitting on the T-shirt fabric and has had brown powder brushed on where ever I want it.



A light flick of the brush will again remove any excess.  Should you remove too much it can easily be re-applied and the process repeated.



We now have a weathered locomotive but can add some little detailed touches.   This is a rust-coloured powder which is not included in the brown mix and is being used straight from the pot.



Dab the brush straight down on top of the tank filler caps.  Work the "rust" lightly and carefully around the immediate area.  If you like you can streak it down the side of the tank by using vertical strokes from the same brush.



As before any excess is simply brushed very lightly away or - to avoid damaging detailed work - this is the one occasion where I blow it!



Tank filler detail.  Each side would typically differ.  I already have two locos with white water-streak staining so this one isn't going to have that detail added.  If that were desired the application process is the same as for rust and both can be brushed together but not worked too hard otherwise they will mix to create a strange pale orange stain.



Next pose the loco in decent light, photograph and review on a large screen which will show up any fingerprints, "bald spots' or other rectification needed.  This is the first stage at which I take most photos of the weathering jobs and these are usually the only ones posted



Don't forget the front and back!   There are no moulded rivets on the buffer beam of this loco which means the powder has less detail to adhere to but the result seems fair enough to me.



Finally pose alongside a Beattie well-tank to compare the size of these diminutive engines!




I don't currently seal the work.   My early experiments in doing so have had mixed results.  I tried a $2 hairspray which I still use for goods wagons where the finish is less critical and for carriage under frames.  I also have an aerosol fixative which I need to ditch because it reacts with the plastic used for windows causing crazing.  It also doesn't fix powders despite the suggestion on the tin that it can be used for pastels and weathering.

 

Compared with a few other "How to" demonstrations of weathering powder I have come across I am definitely heavy with the powders but manage to save probably 90% of the brushed-off surplus through applying everything on a dedicated area of workbench and collecting the mixed "spill" for re-use as the basis for future jobs.  It works for me!

I do have an airbrush and compressor which need to be brought into use and a suitable "flat" fixative applied because unsealed powder can come off on the fingers and the weathering job can become damaged when stock is handled.  I use the T-shirt fabric for handling unsealed stock and so far little harm has come to it but that isn't a long-term solution.

I hope that offers some inspiration and thoughts.  The biggest challenge I found in weathering was starting.  Once I had taken that step the rest has been learning what works, what doesn't and the limitations of the materials.  That is an ongoing process just as we are learning all the time about aspects of this hobby.

 

[Gwiwer]

It's been shown elsewhere but not everyone visits every topic.  For those who haven't already seen it, and for those who don't mind seeing it again, here - with some previously unposted images as well - is the weathered Bachmann / Kernow MRC class 205 2H "thumper" unit after a few minutes on the workbench.

 

 

 

 

 

[BRealistic]

Great stuff, Gwiwer, and thanks for giving me the confidence to 'have a go' myself (on an engine, I mean)... which I will do once I've finished another batch of 16t rust buckets, using enamels first, then powders. Must add, though, I do like the way you treat your track and ballast. Personally can't stand the 'spray the lot' approach which merges everything together leaving little variation.

[Gwiwer]

Great stuff, Gwiwer ......... I do like the way you treat your track and ballast. 

 

Thank you kindly.  The track itself is only weathered by Mother Nature with a very few exceptions where I have coated trap point run-offs with Floquil "Rust" paint.  

 

The ballast is a mix of techniques.  All of it is covered in a wash of dilute acrylics, well-thinned black and a mix of browns.  That is supplemented by brushed on powders in some places to give specific enhancements to the colouring.  I also add thicker coats of acrylic black in places where there would be oil or coal-ash spill such as at stop signals and station stopping marks.  In some cases this is quite thick and depth is created by squeezing a little paint straight from the tube onto the track and allowing it to dry as and where it chooses.  If it dries too dull it can also be touched up with a varnish to suggest still-wet oil spill.

 

This image shows the effect at the end of the down platform loop where trains often wait for some time before getting the road west.

 

 

In some areas I have used suitable powders combined with other materials.  For example in the view below the china clay spill is white weathering powders over already-weathered ballast while the loco shed has been treated with "mine run" coal across the tracks in addition to some black weathering powder.  All of that is fixed with sprayed dilute PVA.

 

 

Further use of weathering powders combined with acrylic paint has resulted in the platforms at Treheligan station looking like individual pavers rather than a bland single colour.

 

The surface is Wills Victoria Stone paving sheets first covered with a mix of buff and grey acrylic at around 50% dilution

 

 

Rough-mixing the paint in the tray and including more water allowed me to then create numerous different shades and a slurry of thin colour about the consistency of milk

 

 

By adding spots of ochre, black and white to this I was able to give each slab its own individual brush-stroke of colour.  While this does take some time the overall effect achieved has been worth the effort

 

 

To take off the "just made" look the surface was dusted with black and brown blended powders once completely dry

 

 

These were worked and rubbed in using a scrap of old T-shirt fabric; the working process also gives a slight sheen to the finished work which resembles stone slabs or pavers which have seen a bit of use.

 

 

The finished platform surfaces showing also that the texture in the moulding responds well to the processes applied and that joins between sheets can be disguised rather well; there definitely is one in that view!  At this stage only the ballast nearest the camera has been weathered - that at the top of the image was as applied but has been dealt with since.

 

[Gwiwer]

And back to the trains themselves just a light application to a Heljan "duff"

 

 

 

[Gwiwer]

Weathered Heljan class 128 parcels van.

 

Front end with twin exhaust "trails"

 

 

Side and underframe details

 

 

Close-up of the treatment in the side doorways with dirt selectively applied in the corners and brown brushed up from the solebar onto the lower panels

 

 

This view also appears in the Heljan 128 topic: