sean hpw

No worries rob, I love to see what others are upto, it often gives me ideas. I will add Tesco Value hairspray seems to work well enough, and cheap enough not to break the bank. I look forward to more. Sean

It seems to my observations that the NCB used an eclectic mix of what ever it could get cheaply for IU wagons, and tended to keep them going untill they literally fell apart. Bestwood and Hucknall (notts coal field) both had Ex Midland railway stock through till they closed down, alongside 16 tonners. They seemed to be in varied and interesting states of repair and many variations in livery too! One that comes to mind is an ex BR 16T (I'm not sure its number) with a length of rope around one buffer Shank to its end grab handle, the caption said it was holding the buffer beam up! So as mentioned, you can have a lot of fun with this area. Sean

Hi rob, Loving the work so far. If I may give a little advice though? First up, regards fixing the powders, some hair spray is a good option to try. It seems to effect colour a little less than varnish. Another point that comes to mind, why not try mixing and matching between powders and paints? Both Humberol and Phoenix do fantastic ranges to play with, in a range of finishes. The 56XX in my avatar photo is one example of a mixed media. Another is using a small dab of Humberol Metcote Gunmetal stippled onto a buffer head to replicate grease marks. It has just enough shine to look the part, a similar method can be used on the edges of gangway connectors. I would also suggest you try and take your pics in more natural light if at all possible! It shows the subtleties of your work infinatly better than artificial light. Keep up the good work my friend, please keep the photos coming and I hope I dont come across as being negative or picky! Sean

I know it is a very iffy subject to talk about, and for my personal preference it is a lot later than I generally model, but a client I am working for has a special interest in the period of '65-'69, so unfortunately I have to get to grip with this rather thorny subject, has he wants stock making up into that condition I meant no offence or upset to anyone, and apologise if I caused any. Sean

Hi all, I have a question regarding this odd traffic. First up, how were steamers taken to scrap yards? The only reference I found was an 8F being towed between two 20t brake vans by a class 14. Secondly, were there any especial rules to these trains? Such as limits of numbers of locos, barrier wagons between locos and such likes? Thanks in advance Sean

Love this, some really smart work going on here Nile, you and a couple of other members ave convinced me the merit of pre-grouping now... Sean

HAHAHA m bad, i am half asleep here Sean

Just read this through, fantastic photos and insight into railways ass the are now! Please keep the photos coming Sean

I wait with baited breath

Maybe have a fiddle with your airbrush? Sean

Beautifully done Callum, you got any other interesting projects on the cards? Sean

Absolutely stunning, really smart work my friend Sean

that is really nice my friend, good on you Sean

Gotta love putting that top coat on, i have done a good number of wagons of various types, I always get excited when that last coat goes on, I look forward to seeing how these come out Sean

Those are reeaallllyyy nicely done my friend, if I may offer my opinion (Not a criticism) in the photos the 16's all look fairly similar, maybe a little variation in tones would be nice? Just a thought of course Sean

Hi Callum, you are welcome to the info my friend, :declare: sharing is all the fun of the hobby after all It seems they have stopped selling the paiting I mentioned, BUT no matter, the Neo for Iwata is a really sweet brush to use, the CN Model is my favorite, it fits nice in the hand, its really controlable, and comes with two paint cups http://www.amazon.co.uk/Neo-Iwata-gravity-feed-airbrush/dp/B007AUJJ28 this is the compressor I use http://www.amazon.co.uk/Performance-Professional-Airbrush-Compressor-As18-2/dp/B00BG9MTQC/ref=sr_1_10?s=diy&ie=UTF8&qid=1403169411&sr=1-10&keywords=hobby+air+compressor#productDetails and if you look below the photo there is an option to buy the compressor, a hose for it (these have a different fitting to the canned air hoses) and an air brush cleaning kit, take your tie learning hot to clean your brush and it will repay you a thousand fold! Paint wise, I work almost exclusively with enamels, both Huberol and Phoenix precision, and use White Spirit as thinners general painting and livery coats 1 part paint to 3 of thinners (were looking for skimmed milk consistency, not quite water, not quite cream, the easiest way of testing is with the 'drip test' if you dip a piece of plastic rod in the mix, and you get a nice even drip roll off with out assistance, then your about right!) Washes I favor a little thinner mix of 1 part paint to 5 parts thinners (experiment with it a little though!) and for special effects like really light weathering I go as thin as 1 part paint to 10 parts thinners! As to how many passes i do, its always always best to build up layers of paint (as you well know) so for the base coat of the 8F I took maybe 4 or 5 passes, working a little closer each time aiming for the underside of the boiler, or the frames and chassis on alternate passes, (that was all done in about 5 mnutes flat) then she was left to dry, then the next layers were worked vertically, very low preasure, then the rust shades were added to the side of the tender and the coal space, finally the oily shades on the axle boxes and cylinder, then the wheel treads cleaned with a fiber glass pencil, real coal and off she went home. Hope this helps mate, and if you need any ore detailed advice, drop me a PM Sean

Hi Callum, Speaking as someone who regularly airbrushes for weathering, I can honestly say I have seen far worse attempts First up, I would go MUCH thinner with the paint, I tend to use a 1:5 paint to thinners ratio for washes and 1:3 for painting and the weathering you have done here, a proper compressor and brush will help you greatly I love my Neo for Iwata, and at just under £50 it was about the best priced brush that did what I wanted, with the addition of a crown cap and spare needles it was £55, I believe Airbrushes.co.uk have some starter offers of airbrush and compressor sets, keep at it! I had a cheepo like yours, and within a few hours of changing this is what i was putting out with the Iwata Please forgive me hijacking the thread with a few photos the Q1 is Pheonix Precision track brown and white spirits, thinned 1:5 innitially, then an overall wash of Metcoat gunmetal, (1:10) then streaked with track brown at 1:3 the 8F is more recent, again track brown, then gunmetal and varying browns and blacks Hope that helps and dont give up Sean P.S my cheapo airbrush came with the compresser I am still using some 7 years later

the quality of both these photos and siubject is absalutely stunning, I requrly refer to your flickr site, modeling many eras and regions, it is invaluable, and I hope you enjoy sharing them as much as we enjoy looking at them many thanks Sean

Well done that man, I don't like acrylic, speaking from the standpont of weathering, I find it dries much to fast, and for other jobs, enamel is much harder waring thanks for the link Sean

Beautifully done, If you find who made them please let me know they would go well on one of my N gauge projects Sean

Beautiful, I feel a diorma coming on! thanks for those mate Sean

I shall have to have a play with those Many thanks Sean

Love the work so far May I be so bold as to ask which brand of powders you use please? My work is predominantly air brushed, so adding some texture would be nice Sean

I would rather like to see those please Phil Sean

I think its personal understanding more than choice of words my friend pre 36 is an eccellent choice of period, and plenty of oddities to choose from stock wise as well as the Stanier standards, beautiful I think its either Mianly Trains or Markits do fiber washers (non condictive) for such excersizes, I get through dozens of them let us know how it goes? Sean