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About this blog

A record of weathering work, intended to show both good and bad results, including explanations of what is used and how.

Entries in this blog

Hornby Peckett 0-6-0ST 'Westminster'. Step 5 - Buffer Beams.

The ends of the chassis are tackled next, repeating the application of light coats to start the discolouration process. The locomotive is left in the pretty blue cradle and a piece of card positioned to mask off the area above the running plate.     This process will have left the top of the buffer beam without paint, so off comes the cradle and the piece of card is repositioned to protect the bodywork again.     The same process is utilised to do the ot
Mick Bonwick

Mick Bonwick

0

Hornby Peckett 0-6-0ST 'Westminster'. Step 4 - Chassis 2.

There is more than one way to weather wheels!   For this project I have chosen to show how to use a 9 volt battery to turn the wheels a quarter of a revolution at a time to avoid paint-less shadows behind the connecting rods and motion assembly.   The sequence of photographs should demonstrate how successive light coats of paint can be applied after each quarter revolution to cover up these areas.             Yo
Mick Bonwick

Mick Bonwick

5

Hornby Peckett 0-6-0ST 'Westminster'. Step 3 - Chassis 1.

Before starting work on the chassis, some protection is needed for the fragile whistle on the cab roof. I learned the hard way from working on the Peckett 0-4-0STs that these break off with only the slightest touch. The locomotive will be inverted in a foam cradle for chassis painting, so a large lump of BluTack is used to prevent the whistle from touching the cradle.     To help with the application of paint to the coupling rods and motion I usually position the wheels so t
Mick Bonwick

Mick Bonwick

6

Hornby Peckett 0-6-0ST 'Westminster'. Step 2 - Dullcote..

There will be some weathering powders (pigments) applied to 'Westminster'  at a later stage, so some preparation is being done to ensure that the particles stay put once applied. My preferred medium is Testor's Dullcote, so off we go. . . . . .    I'm protecting the underframe in this particular instance, mainly because the detail there will be highlighted using an airbrush and enamel paint, to which pigments 'stick' well enough without help. I've shown the components inside the spray
Mick Bonwick

Mick Bonwick

6

Hornby Peckett 0-6-0ST 'Westminster'. Step 1 - Cleaning.

In order to establish just how much grease needed to be removed, the chassis keeper plate was unscrewed and the result was:     All this was tackled with a cocktail stick and some clean paper towels. Even though lots og grease was removed, there was still a plentiful layer left to lubricate all the moving parts. I thought I'd better check the top end of the transmission mechanism as well, and found this:       Back to work with the cocktail stick an
Mick Bonwick

Mick Bonwick

5

Hornby Peckett 0-6-0ST 'Westminster'. Introduction.

The recent crop of Peckett locomotives from Hornby has lured me back into collecting habits. Temporarily!    Their reproduction of the Associated Portland Cement Manufacturers (APCM) locomotive, 'Westminster', which ended its days at Kidlington (Shipton-on-Cherwell) cement works (https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.8539534,-1.3086071,1896m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en), proved too much of a challenge for me and one was purchased specifically for the purpose of describing how it was to be weathere
Mick Bonwick

Mick Bonwick

2

A Few More Pecketts

One heavy and one light weathering exercise for each of Hornby's Peckett 0-6-0ST models.   Nothing more complicated than Railmatch Frame Dirt, Railmatch Weathered Black from the airbrush. Testor's Dullcote to prepare the upper parts for pigments, then Ammo Dark Earth and AK Interactive Black. Some Lifecolor Ash pigment and some Mig Productions Rubbel (sic) Dust for variety and some additional shading with MIG Productions Dark Wash. Oh, and some Gordon Edgar photographs for inspiration
Mick Bonwick

Mick Bonwick

7

Hornby Peckett 0-6-0ST NCB Ryhope Colliery

While waiting for the Great Electric Train Show to open on Sunday morning, I visited Tony's Trains stand and relieved him of a Hornby Peckett. I went back 20 minutes later and complained about the condition of the box contents . . . . . . .    
Mick Bonwick

Mick Bonwick

4

PDK Maunsell L1 class 4-4-0 No. 1783. Step 9 - Finishing Touches.

To finish things off, some Black Smoke has been added to the wheel centres and the tender axleboxes and springs. I have also applied some Dark Mud to the seams in the tender, to indicate the start of rust, and some Rubbel Dust to the horizontal surfaces of some of the steps.   The requirement was for a very grubby workhorse, which might suggest that piles of paint and pigments are to be applied, but it is just as effective to apply small amounts of both to achieve the effect, adding mo
Mick Bonwick

Mick Bonwick

1

PDK Maunsell L1 class 4-4-0 No. 1783. Step 8 - Other Pigments.

More work with pigments now, to add to the random dirty bits that have been created with Black Smoke. I normally use MIG Productions Industrial City Dirt or Rubbel Dust (that's what it says on the jar) for lighter stains, like ash and sand, and Dark Mud and Track Brown for rusty bits. In this case it will be Rubbel Dust (ash and sand) and Dark Mud (rust).   The lighter colour represents ash staining under the smokebox door and sand staining around the sandbox fillers, and the darker co
Mick Bonwick

Mick Bonwick

1

PDK Maunsell L1 class 4-4-0 No. 1783. Step 7 - Black Pigment.

There are several areas on a steam locomotive where dirt buildup is of a very dark nature. The smokebox, the cab roof, the coal space, the running plate and so on. I like to represent this with a brushed pigment (in this case, MIG Productions Black Smoke) rather than with airbrushed paint. The pigment is applied with a filbert brush and is taken on the brush from the lid of the container, because there is (nearly) always a thin film there consisting of the finest particles.    
Mick Bonwick

Mick Bonwick

4

PDK Maunsell L1 class 4-4-0 No. 1783. Step 6 - Up Top.

The upper surfaces of this steam locomotive are shown with a heavy layer of soot-based grime. This is achieved by adding more weathered black to the mixture with frame dirt. If you look at the attached photograph you will see the difference between the wheels and the cab roof, for example, but I doubt (hope?) that you will see the join. By gradually changing the proportion of black and brown in the mixture, as work progresses upwards, the chance of 'tiger stripes' is significantly reduced.
Mick Bonwick

Mick Bonwick

2

PDK Maunsell L1 class 4-4-0 No. 1783. Step 5 - The Other Sides.

The next step was a repeat of the previous, really, but I have deliberately posted separately to illustrate the difference that one light coat can make once manipulated. The process is the same - a light airbrushed coat from one end of the locomotive to the other, followed by a vertical brushing with a dry flat shader. It is possible that the paint has dried too quickly for this to have an effect, so there is a process that can address that. The flat shader can be slightly dampened by adding a c
Mick Bonwick

Mick Bonwick

4

PDK Maunsell L1 class 4-4-0 No. 1783. Step 4 - The Sides.

The aibrush now turns to the sides of the locomotive and has been loaded with a mix of frame dirt and weathered black. The former is prominent - only a small amount of the latter has been added to the mix. A very light coat has been sprayed along the bodywork and immediately manipulated by brushing downwards with a dry 1/2" flat shader. The paint was drying fairly quickly and the use of a dry brush moved it downwards inconsistently. The result is a deliberately uneven layer of dirt.  
Mick Bonwick

Mick Bonwick

5

PDK Maunsell L1 class 4-4-0 No. 1783. Step 3 - Underframe.

When the driving wheels were being airbrushed, the paint was being applied to the complete underframe on each pass of the airbrush. Spraying started off the left hand end of the model and continued along the whole length, not stopping until the airbrush had passed the other end of the model. This produced a relatively even coat of dirt everywhere under the running plate. In later stages this evenness will be disrupted by other materials and effects that are intended to show the differing shades
Mick Bonwick

Mick Bonwick

1

PDK Maunsell L1 class 4-4-0 No. 1783. Step 2 - Driving Wheels.

Underframe dirt is being represented by Railmatch Frame Dirt, variously altered in shade with random additions of Railmatch Weathered Black. It is applied by airbrush in very thin coats, turning the driving wheels a quarter of a turn between coats. This allows the complete wheels to be dirtied without leaving a paint-less shadow behind rods, motion and other necessary gubbins. When it comes to areas behind the wheels (frames, ashpan, springs and so on) then the airbrush will need to be carefully
Mick Bonwick

Mick Bonwick

2

PDK Maunsell L1 class 4-4-0 No. 1783. Step 1 - Preparation.

Work will start with the underframe and to facilitate this I have used a scrap piece of protective foam channel and inverted the locomotive into it. Like the vast majority of materials and methods I use this is not a Bonwick original idea. The idea came from Tim Shackleton (who may well have copied it from somebody else) and the channel came from Gilbert of this parish (who may well have liberated it from a skip) as a free gift at a Missenden weekend session.   While the inversion is i
Mick Bonwick

Mick Bonwick

0

PDK Maunsell L1 class 4-4-0 No. 1783

Another kit-built Southern liveried locomotive, this time a Maunsell L1 4-4-0 in lined olive green. The PDK kit was built by Chris Phillips:   http://www.crphillips-models.co.uk/srmodelspage8.html   This locomotive will be filthy!   First step to be illustrated this time is the preparation of the workspace. Before commencing any work I have cleared the decks from the last project, laid down clean paper towels to give a little bit of protection to the old bedsheet co
Mick Bonwick

Mick Bonwick

4

Brushes and their uses

Nearly all of the items weathered in this blog have been attacked by one or more of the following brushes:   Comb 1/2" flat shader Rigger Filbert   The use of these brushes is detailed below, in the sequence they appear in the accompanying photograph.   The comb brush is used to work on paint that has already been applied in order to create uneven streaking. The combination of long and short bristles, when dampened with or dipped in thinner
Mick Bonwick

Mick Bonwick

4

CSP/Agenoria Hawthorn Leslie 0-6-2T No. 757 'Earl of Mount Edgecumbe'

A beautifully built and finished ex-PD&SWJR 0-6-2T rather foolishly given to me to completely ruin. I don't care! It was fun to do. . . . . . . . .    The only materials used were a smoke coloured pigment and a very dark brown wash. The wash came first, from an airbrush very thinly applied and then brushed carefully downwards on boiler and tanks with a 1/2" flat shader. The pigment was applied to the cab roof and smokebox area with a filbert brush. The underframe was left with the
Mick Bonwick

Mick Bonwick

6

Oxford Diecast Fowler Ploughing Engine. Photograph Only.

Another little test for those of you who wonder what this weathering lark is all about. This Oxford Diecast Fowler Ploughing Engine was chosen as a weathering subject after I was inspired by seeing the real thing at the Bloxham Steam Rally last month.   What was used to create the weathering effects?
Mick Bonwick

Mick Bonwick

19

Oxford Diecast JCB C3X 1980s - Step 6. Finishing Off.

The final tasks for this project are to sort out the cab windows and finish off the dirt and mud effects.   The muck on the windows is removed by dipping a cotton bud into white spirit and gently rubbing the glazing until the underlying Dullcote softens and comes off. I have deliberately not got right into all the corners to leave a film of dirt there.. The glazing can be polished with a dry clean cotton bud to finish off with.   Final touches to the dirt and mud involve abra
Mick Bonwick

Mick Bonwick

1

Oxford Diecast JCB C3X 1980s - Step 5. The Darkest Pigment.

The application of the darkest of the three pigments is performed in a slightly different way. The work area was cleared of anything that might attract pigment and thus become discoloured.   Contrary to general advice and practice, Filbert the brush was dipped into the Burnt Umber pot to collect the pigment. This was because the larger pigment particles were deliberately being targetted for use in this step. The brush was then held in one hand, close to the area to be discoloured, and
Mick Bonwick

Mick Bonwick

0

Oxford Diecast JCB C3X 1980s - Step 4. A Not So Light Coloured Pigment.

The next stage of dirtification was to add another layer of pigment, using the slightly darker shade of Dark Earth. This was added to the existing layer by simply using the pot lid technique and plonking the pigment on top of the Europe Earth layer. I needed to put a layer of Dullcote onto the Europe Earth first, though, or the new layer would have just fallen off. If you try this, don't get the aerosol nozzle too close to the model or the blast will remove your carefully crafted earlier attempt
Mick Bonwick

Mick Bonwick

1

Oxford Diecast JCB C3X 1980s - Step 3. A Light Coloured Pigment.

The application of Europe Earth pigment is intended to represent a dusty coating of dirt picked up while operating in a relatively clean, but damp, area. The pigment was applied using a filbert brush that had taken powder from the lid of the pot. The vehicle was laid on its side and the brush held above each wheel in turn, and the brush tapped gently to dislodge the pigment so that it fell into the still wet wash from step 2.This conglomeration was then left to dry. The inevitable additional dep
Mick Bonwick

Mick Bonwick

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