Mick Bonwick
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Blog Comments posted by Mick Bonwick
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I'm quite sure that railway modellers have many collectors in their midst.
I know of at least one more.
Because they are relatively small, road vehicles in 4mm scale don't need too much work to improve their appearance as working examples. As you observe, a layer of matt varnish is the easiest improvement and the rest is down to small quantities of whatever material you choose to use.
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Well, that's not an approach I had thought of, but I can see the logic behind it.
It's more a case of how much material you want to remove. Wiping with a dry cotton swab will not remove very much, if anything. Wiping with a damp brush will remove quite a lot, and wiping with a wet brush will probably remove the lot. The original surface will have a bearing on how easy it is to remove anything at all, because a high gloss surface will not have 'grabbed' the wash as much as a matt surface. Remember that we are working on the wash after only a couple of hours at the most. It won't have had a chance to harden completely. If it had been left for a couple of days then it would have been much more difficult to manipulate it this way, regardless of the underlying surface.
I hope that hasn't made it even more difficult to decide.
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2 hours ago, Stubby47 said:
Isn't a 'wash' just a very thin coat of paint?
Yes.
2 hours ago, Stubby47 said:Could the same be achieved with thinners/white spirit and enamel paints?
Yes.
2 hours ago, Stubby47 said:What makes the wash you use so special ( but even then you still thin it further)?
It is not at all special. It is convenient and it gives consistency in colour and density straight out of the container. If I thin it further it is because I want capillary action to work better. If you take a brush full of enamel paint and hold the tip of the bristles against a planked van plank line, all that will happen is a blob of paint will exist on your van. If you thin that paint with white spirit and repeat the exercise the thinned paint will flow along the same plank line, and any others you apply the brush tip to. The more thinner you mix in the further the wash will travel by capillary action until there is no perceivable colour left in the mixture and you've just wasted a half hour that will never be recovered.
I like to be sure that when I apply a wash I know how it will behave. If I mix my own from paint and thinners or white spirit (I prefer the latter) I would not be able to mix it to the same colour or consistency every time. Others might, of course. Additionally, you might want to have a variable result each time you mix a wash so that you avoid everything looking the same, but that's not how I like to do it.
The purpose of this exercise is to show how I go about making a specific model look dirty, using methods and materials that work for me. Others will probably have cheaper, faster or more effective ways and that is good, especially if they show those methods and results for the rest of us to learn from.
Keep the questions coming. Not all of my answers are monosyllabic.
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It was dry, Luke, so your eyes didn't deceive you. If it had been damp, all of the wash would have disappeared.
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4 hours ago, Mikkel said:
For example, GWR loco green is a good deal darker than the Landy under treatment here. So would that require a different/lighter shade of, er, dark wash?
A good colour of wash for GWR dark green is AK Interactive's Dark Streaking Grime. It has a distinct green tinge to it.
Or you could use Dark Wash . . . . . . . .
It really depends on what you want to achieve. I suggest that if it's just dirt and accumulated grime a simple dark shade is all you need if working in 4mm scales and below. Larger than that and things start to get more complicated because of the level of detail you're dealing with.
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I think, Mikkel, that it's all about marketing. The many wash manufacturers create an enormous variety of shades and tones with the aim of making us collect as many as we can afford by giving them enticing names and suggested uses.
My view is that the name doesn't matter but the colour certainly does. My teacher suggested that Dark Wash was a good allround colour and that has proved to be the case ever since. I also find that a rusty brown such as Track Rust can be useful when working on various underparts.
Washes can be mixed, as you can imagine, so a paler shade (Light Dust) can be used with these two to achieve as many variations as required. There is no need to become a collector.
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I'm only using one pigment, Phil. Asphalt Road Dirt. Food for thought, though.
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Masterful, as ever, Mikkel. I think that the use of any type of sand will produce shiny places where the light catches one face of a grain. In the instances where I have used sand (not very many, so far) I have planned to use a matt paint or varnish over the top.
The various manufacturers' textured pastes are all very well but, as you point out, can be expensive for larger areas. My approach so far has been to use silver sand laid on PVA and then treated with pigments, but that gives a coarser finish than yours.
Nice to see that you still have some MIG pigments. I am amazed at how long they last.
I am daring to say that I disagree with your very first comment in this post. Even if you do find a set of materials and techniques that allow you to achieve the perfect result, I think that you should still try out new versions just to see if perfection can be surpassed. That's the excuse I give myself for buying something new and trying it out!
I continue to be inspired by what you produce and the way that you produce it.
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15 hours ago, sb67 said:
I wonder how the "old fashioned" slosh the paint on wipe off method wont work so well with that surface.
My favourite method!
43 minutes ago, phil-b259 said:I imagine you would have the same trouble as Mick has illustrated - if the surface is not totally smooth (and 3D printed stuff usually isn't) then 'wiping off' will merely highlight the undulations in the surface.
The uneven nature of the surface means that any attempt at wiping off will probably leave material in the holes/ hollows/crevices/crevasses, so you both see it in the same light as I experienced it.
The effectiveness of capillary action is totally negated, so layers of pigment and/or paint will be the technique to rely upon until the technology gives us a suitable surface. I'm sure it's on its way!
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Once I had started down this path I quickly realised that things were going to be different. Techniques that had become favourites were obviously not going to be sufficiently effective on the very uneven surfaces that I was facing. Injection moulded stock gives us nice flat surfaces covered with a nice satin paint finish and that was what I was used to working with.
I think that this type of product can be weathered, but it's necessary to think carefully about how you might need to tackle each aspect.
It's different!
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Stay tuned, @Mikkel, there are more revelations on the way.
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The main thread! Hadn't thought about looking there. Wally!
Some of them do look good and others less so. A bit of a fingers-crossed moment when it comes to expecting a good one out of the box, methinks. Many people are pleased with their acquisitions, so that's a good thing for the manufacturers.
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Yes, Tony, I noted your observation about variations and I am waiting for my second model to be delivered so that I can make a direct comparison. Because each model is an individual print I don't see how consistency can be achieved in the same way that it can with a mould-produced item. There might be a technical reason, though, and that is way beyond my understanding and interest at this point.
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The Mobile Weathering Studio has some in stock, as well.
I've attached a price list just in case. Take 10% off the prices shown there. I have no Iwata Eclipse airbrushes or compressors left.
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I have been using Daler and Rowney System 3 SY67 filberts for pigment application for a long time. They're not the cheapest but they do last well. I find sizes 2 and 6 the most useful.
Over the years mine have come from either Jacksons Art Supplies or Great Art, but I have recently noticed that ARTdiscount are selling them as well.
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4 minutes ago, Metr0Land said:
Tks - what pressure do you use in your airbrush pls?
That will depend on:
- Airbrush being used
- Type of paint being used
- Compressor being used
- Effect required
In basic terms it will be 15 to 18psi for acrylic paints and 20 to 25psi for enamels. I will make more specific selections according to the distance the airbrush will be from the target and whether I want perfect coverage, random splattering or anything in between.
For the model in this example it was probably 22psi. Enamel paint used for even coverage, airbrushing from about 4 to 6 inches away.
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On 09/03/2021 at 17:59, luke_stevens said:
Try using a Toothbrush and run the screwdrive along it.
Hi Luke,
Thank you for the suggestion. I have tried using an old toothbrush, some time ago, but found that the volume of paint and area covered was significantly less controllable than using normal paintbrush. It would work, though, if the bristles on the toothbrush were reduced in number and density.
KInd regards,
Mick.
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Hi Jack,
I never seal the last application of any of my weathering materials. You are absolutely right - spraying vernish on top of weathering tones and textures alters them and blends them together.
I do seal layers, though, when I am happy at a certain point in the process and want to go on to the next stage without spoiling what has already been done. That does not happen very often, because of the changes as mentioned.
Kind regards,
Mick.
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Thanks, Mikkel. I expect it will work fine, but I'm wondering how to wear it . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . and when!
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Most useful, John, thank you. Interesting dirt distribution, especially for coaches/cars behind a non-steam locomotive.
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Thank you, Robin. Just because I 'do' them doesn't mean they're mine.
I'm quite happy making all sorts of things dirty, including things that aren't Southern. I disciplined myself (!) to model the Southern for two reasons:
1. It's where I was born and brought up.
2. I had to draw the line sonewhere.
Until the self-discipline moment I had American HO, German (KPEV) HO, Swiss metre gauge, UK steam, diesel and electric in OO and O from all eras. Not all of it weathered. I still appreciate good models even if they can't stay at home with me any more, and I welcome the opportunity to handle them from time to time.
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Hi Iain,
Sorry for not spelling your name correctly in my previous message.
I, too, am hoping that we can go ahead with some workshops this year.
There are some tips in the Missenden Abbey Railway Modellers website, from the Autumn Weekend Zoom session recording. Almost face-to-face.
https://www.missendenrailwaymodellers.org.uk/index.php/virtual-missenden-weathering-session/
There will be some more at the Spring Weekend in March.
https://www.missendenrailwaymodellers.org.uk/index.php/spring-2021-virtual-event-plans/
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Ian,
Aim the airbrush along the roof from a fairly high angle every three of four coats. Note that the coats are very thin - almost not visible.
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2 minutes ago, Gordon A said:
What is a filch plate?
Gordon A
It's another way of spelling flitch plate.
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I know of at least one more.
A pictorial record of horse manure
in The Farthing layouts
A blog by Mikkel in RMweb Blogs
Posted
Fascinating. I'm rather pleased that horses were not so common in the 1960s.