Mick Bonwick

First answer: You probably could, but only if the surface is perfectly smooth. If there are any brush marks or small pieces of dust you may well find the wash in places you don't want it. Try it and see - you can always clean it up from the wrong places with some white spirit on a cotton bud or follow the blob removal process, yet to be posted. Second answer: A wash will not work as well on top of Dullcote, because the uneven nature of the surface may attract the wash into the wrong places. I have successfully applied a capillary action wash over Dullcote surfaces, though, and one of the results can be seen in Step 4 here: https://accurascale.co.uk/blogs/lets-get-involved/wagon-weathering-with-mick-bonwick-lets-get-involved

No canopies nudged, then?

OXFORD RAIL JANUS GRILLES Tools Rigger brush – long bristles to hold plenty of fluid and sharp point to place the fluid accurately. Glass dish – won’t be attacked by solvent and used to hold clean white spirit. Paper towels – to clean up the mess. Materials MIG Productions Dark Wash – my favourite, but any dark coloured wash will do the job. I favour enamel washes as they always seem to work well, but you may prefer to use acrylic washes. If using acrylics, then any mention of white spirit should be read as acrylic thinners. Even though a wash is, essentially, a ready-thinned paint, it can be thinned even further to allow it to be used to highlight detail using capillary action. In the case of the Janus, the grille detail on this bright yellow example can be made more prominent by adding a dark coloured wash to the appropriate areas. Start by dipping the rigger brush into clean white spirit before just touching the tip of the bristles into the wash. Touch the tip of the brush to any corner of detail and watch the fluid flow along the edges and corners. In this picture, the tip of the brush has been touched to the top right-hand corner of the grille and then moved downwards one slat at a time. In this example the wash is too thick, and hasn’t flowed very well, so the tip of the brush needs to be dipped into the white spirit again, to thin it out a little more. Once the grilles were all completed, attention turned to the panel edges and other detail lines. There are many blobs! There will be blobs, it is inevitable, but don’t worry about them because they can be dealt with later. The wash has been allowed to run into all the crooks and nannies moulded into the bonnet area. You should be able to identify all the places where the tip of the brush was placed against the detail. If the wash does not run far enough, just leave the tip of the brush in place for a bit longer. In some cases, the wash will not run far enough, even though the tip of the brush has been left in place for longer. When this happens the tip of the brush can be placed appropriately to add more fluid to the detail. The three white arrowheads show where this has been done in this example.

Her: Will you be in front of that screen all day? Him: Yes, I expect so. Her: Will you be wanting coffee? Him: Yes, please. Her: Well , it won't be all day, will it?

WEATHERING TECHNIQUES There are many ways of weathering things and no two people will do everything the same way. Favoured materials and tools will differ from person to person, some will want “used but clean” and others might favour “nearly condemned”. One common factor, though, is that a mental image exists of what the subject needs to look like when finished. For modellers who don’t really know where to start, or those who have an idea, but can’t choose from the confusingly vast array of Youtube videos and RMweb posts, let me offer a few suggestions. 1. Start simple. Try a couple of things to see if they suit your temperament, ability, eyesight, dexterity, toolkit, patience, workspace and timeframe. 2. Use a reliable reference. Work from photographs rather than imagination or memory. If you weather something by thinking that it should like this because of that, then you will end up with something that looks as if you imagined it. Practice applying a wash, try a couple of pigments. 3. Develop skills by practising on small items. These are usually cheaper to buy in the first place and quicker to clean up if you make an absolute mess. Don’t worry about ruining something, be aware of the properties of the materials you are using and have the necessary clean-up stuff beside you just in case. 4. Keep a record. Make a note of what you use for each subject and take a photograph or two while you work. You will need to remind yourself, at some stage, how you did that. 5. Create a basic palette. Select a few colours that suit you and use just those to begin with. Avoid collecting! One way of eliminating confusion about beginnings is to find a video clip, magazine article or book that shows a result that you like and then follow that author/poster and their choice of materials, tools and techniques. If you still can’t decide then I suggest you seek out material by Martyn Welch, Tim Shackleton or George Dent in publications, or KNP and NHY581 on RMweb. There are many others, but these few will restrict your choice and still provide inspiration. Examples to follow . . . . . . . .

Only one person, so far, has admitted to getting less than me. I did get the Peckett, though.

That's for him to know and you to wonder!

Absolutely splendid, Jamie! So looking forward to not seeing you there.

Why did you find it necessary to use the brackets?

Splendid stuff, Peter. Just like I was really there!

Good result, Al. Far more productive than my day, all I managed was to cut off 3 inches from the legs of 4 bar stools for the kitchen, and clear up the mess in the workshop. Again.

I'd better get some wine in , then . . . . . . .

Deservedly so. 'See' you on Sunday. Should be fun.

Yes, it's alcohol based. Only to be applied in small quantites. It has to last me all weekend, after all. I'll have to see if I can arrange a comparison with acrylics and solvents. It may take some time . . . . . . . .

My preparations involve something more basic. Planning refreshments and when to stop for breaks..

I note your use of the plural, and applaud your ambition.

I haven't reached bath yet. Not even left the kitchen.

I like your rusty bits.

I am pleased for you that the answer has been found. All the experts on RMweb failed you completely, except for Tim. Good result and thanks for persevering and sharing your experiences. You are now an expert!

Rivetting stuff!

I wonder how long the wait will be . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Since I shan't be demonstrating, none of this applies to me.

Absolutely splendid, Kevin. Many thanks for explaining it so well, too.

And here was me thinking it was an ass.