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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

Weathering

Oxford Diecast 1/76th Land Rover Series 1. Step 2 - Dark Wash Removal

A wash as used in this example is a very thin enamel paint and thus has a lower concentration of pigment versus carrier. This results in a less dense coverage and means that manipulation is easy. I use this to advantage by wiping off what I consider to be excess or just moving it around the surface at various stages during its drying out. In this case I have waited a couple of hours for the carrier to evaporate and it has left a very soft pigment layer on the shiny paint finish. A soft coton swa
Mick Bonwick

Mick Bonwick in Weathering

4
Weathering

Rails/Dapol SE&CR Diag 1424 Box Van

When tackling weathering subjects I usually start with the underparts and this is no exception, as you have already seen.   The Dullcote application has given a good matt finish for the pigment to be applied. I have used MIG Productions (now Abteilung 502) Dark Mud in this instance and although it has produced a very slightly textured finish it has not hidden the striations completely, which is pretty much as I expected.         On the other side of the v
Mick Bonwick

Mick Bonwick in Weathering

4
Weathering

A Busy Weekend

This weekend has been taken up with some weathering in unusual circumstances. Because the Missenden Abbey Railway Modellers Autumn weekend could not take place at the Abbey, an online event was arranged to provide some small compensation. This event included a little bit of weathering:   https://www.missendenrailwaymodellers.org.uk/index.php/virtual-missenden-recordings/
Mick Bonwick

Mick Bonwick in Weathering

4

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 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 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

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

GWR 70' Post Office Sorting Van - Step 7. Summary.

The finished vehicle can be seen to have a very light weathering, road dirt accumulated from a short time in service (possibly since its last heavy overhaul) and nothing allowed to become totally obscured by grime. Windows are still relatively clean and only edges and corners have accumulated dirt so far. There is a slightly heavier accumulation in crooks and nannies and on the underframe but,  for the most part, it is a good advertisement for the company.   Materials and tools used we
Mick Bonwick

Mick Bonwick

4

GWR 70' Post Office Sorting Van - Step 6. Finishing Touches.

The filbert brush has been used to pick up the 'dust' remaining in the pigment pot lid, and the brush is then gently wiped on a paper towel to remove the larger particles.  The brush is then gently wiped against the panel edges, at right angles, so that the very edge of the detail collects the 'dirt'. Easier to do than describe. No need for precision, this group of panels was done all at the same time by wiping from the left hand end of the coach along to the right hand end, without stopping, an
Mick Bonwick

Mick Bonwick

3
Weathering

Dapol O Gauge 14xx No. 1444

The Sharpie is indeed used for removing the bright shiny finish of the wheel rims, and the coupling rods, too. I have found in the past that airbrushed paint on these bare metal surfaces can rub off too easily, and even flake off  if applied too thickly. I read, many years ago somewhere, that this could be prevented by blackening the surfaces before applying the paint. At the time I didn't fully understand the term, 'blackening', and used a marker pen. That looked blue to me, rather than black (
Mick Bonwick

Mick Bonwick in Weathering

3
Weathering

Something Agricultural for Christmas

Back in the days of Summer I had a go at a 1/43rd scale Ferguson TE20 - a Little Grey Fergie. I had found a couple of these, after much searching, and wanted to work on one and leave the other pristine, just to show how much of a difference could be made with just Dullcote, washes and pigments. Unfortunately I didn't do a particularly good job when using my smartphone to take the photographs!     This will keep you going until January.   https://www.flickr.com/phot
Mick Bonwick

Mick Bonwick in Weathering

3

Hornby Peckett 0-6-0ST 'Westminster'. Step 9 - Upper Surfaces.

The upper surfaces of a steam locomotive receive copious amounts of grot from the exhaust and, sometimes, the surrounding environment. This locomotive is intended for use in a quarry, so there will be some dust added to represent that. Later!   To begin with, the soot from the chimney will be represented by a predominantly black mix of Railmatch Frame Dirt and Weathered Black. Application is from my trusty Iwata Eclipse SBS, with successive light coats aimed roughly at the top of the s
Mick Bonwick

Mick Bonwick

3

D3721. Step 2.

High-tech cradle in use to support upside down model while underparts are dirtied. The battery is used to turn the wheels during airbrushing, to avoid paintless shadows from the connecting rods and to get to those parts of the wheels hidden behind the frames.  
Mick Bonwick

Mick Bonwick

3

Accurascale Cemflo. Step 5 - Underframe.

It's the turn of the underframe. Railmatch Weathered Black and Frame Dirt are used in this case. A first layer of frame dirt is followed by a second layer of weathered black/frame dirt mixture, giving some variation of colour to random areas of the chassis.    
Mick Bonwick

Mick Bonwick

3

Accurascale Cemflo. Step 3 - Couplings.

Not a weathering post, I know, but I thought that I'd remove the supplied couplings and fit the cosmetic screw couplings before proceeding. They look so much better that I took a photograph. Or two.    
Mick Bonwick

Mick Bonwick

3

Accurascale O Gauge HUO. Step 2 - Random Rust Spots.

The intended state is 'pretty grotty.'  A few random rust spots would be needed, so an old toothbrush was dipped into the Revell 84. Not too far, just enough to leave some drops on the end of the bristles. An old screwdriver (my tin opener)  was then dragged across the bristles with the brush aimed in the direction of the model. The result was too few random spots, so I dipped the toothbrush in some white spirit before dipping it once again into the 84. Another attempt at the splattering exercis
Mick Bonwick

Mick Bonwick

3

Bachmann VAA (Maroon) 200119. Step 3 - Capillary Work.

Out with the rigger brush, white spirit and Dark Wash. As previously described (if you've been following closely) the thinned wash is applied via a rigger brush to panel edges, corners and other detail to highlight it and create dirty shadows. Wherever dirt would build up on the real vehicle it can be replicated by adding a small amount of thinned wash, remembering that it will dry lighter by a couple of shades than it appears when first applied.  
Mick Bonwick

Mick Bonwick

3

Bachmann VAA (Maroon) 200119. Step 1 - Fading.

The ComArt paint is advertised as airbrush ready, but I've still thinned it down a little with a few drops of acrylic thinner from Ultimate. This product is usable with all acrylic paints including Tamiya. Applied from an Iwata Eclipse CS airbrush set to 20 psi, putting 3 very fine coats on and not bothering to wait between coats because it dries so fast. If you look closely at the finish, it's very grainy, but that will not be a problem because there is much more work to be done, which will dis
Mick Bonwick

Mick Bonwick

3

A Land Rover Series 1 of indeterminate length. Step 7. Windows.

The glazing is currently covered in a coat of Dullcote, so the driver and any passengers who might be present will have difficulty seeing where they are going. Not to worry, the trusty cocktail stick is close by. A wooden cocktail stick will absorb white spirit, and white spirit can be used to remove even hardened Dullcote from glazing without doing any damage. As long as the cocktail stick is gently rubbed against the glazing using the side of the tip rather than the point of the tip, a clear p
Mick Bonwick

Mick Bonwick

3

Peckett W4 No. 883. Step 7.

The saddle tank on this model is a hefty lump of metal, but still well detailed. In order to emphasise the uneven surface of the tank, I have used T-Cut applied with small cotton swabs to create the shine. Yet again, only small quantities have been applied, and the result is a nicely subdued shine that has proved extremely difficult to photograph successfully.  
Mick Bonwick

Mick Bonwick

3

D3721. Step 16.

If you ever handle thinners inside the spray booth, make sure that your latest project is not in there as well!   Lack of control of Bonwick fingers have resulted in a large blob of thinners landing on the roof. To deal with this, the section of roof has been cleaned so that I can start again.   I said at the beginning of this blog that there would be bad things as well as good things reported!  
Mick Bonwick

Mick Bonwick

3

D3721. Step 15.

The areas around the axle boxes are to be portrayed as oily and affected by accumulated gunge. The beginnings of this process incorporate a layer of Railmatch Weathered Black. This is applied thinly and from fairly close up, to control the area covered. Overspray onto the running plate is deliberately not avoided. In this photograph you should be able to see the result of applying the small amount of engine oil to the base of the bodyside filters.  
Mick Bonwick

Mick Bonwick

3

D3721. Step 9.

The locomotive has been removed from the cradle and further light coats of frame dirt applied. The next task is to spray from above the chassis components to cover areas inevitably missed while it was upside down - particularly the steps, axleboxes and sandboxes. There is some overspray, but that will all help to make the bodysides and running plate look grimy once the next steps are completed . . . . . .    
Mick Bonwick

Mick Bonwick

3

D3721. Step 7.

Clean wheels.   With the aforementioned battery applied to a pair of wheels, a cotton bud soaked in isopropyl alcohol has been applied to the wheel treads and the backs of the wheels. You should be able to see that all of the dried enamel paint has been completely removed from those surfaces that need to be clean for conducting electricity. Isopropyl alcohol will remove all enamel and acrylic paints from these surfaces, so you will need to take care with where you apply it.  
Mick Bonwick

Mick Bonwick

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