Grime, muck and sludge...techiniques

[BobM]

Hi Guys...

Would any of you kind souls like to pass on your expertise  and techniques in weathering track, ballast, retain walls, tunnels, station building, engine yards...in fact any infrastructure weathering or basically anything adding characteristic grime, muck and sludge..... required paint colours, powders and products etc

 

or if you can point novices such as myself to articles, websites or forums on here to gain any useful tips......

 

I know we can do this together !..

 

Regards always....

Bob

[bazjones1711]

These are some of the weathering effects used on various items , mainly rust !

The rust is done in various shades of enamel rust paints and then gently blended in a clean brush with the least amount of thinner on it , built up slowly from the darkest to lightest. You need to brush downward only , cleaning the brush regularly.

 

For another rust effect, I use real rust, this is wire wool left to corrode in vinegar until it is virtually a powder , crush it up , mix with a small amount of water and load an old toothbrush up with the solution, flick the toothbrush until you start to get a fine mist , then flick onto your object , build up in multiple layers allowing to dry in-between layers , you will end up with something like this

For concrete , cheap match pot paints of various shades of grey are dabbed on randomly with a piece of sponge building up the tones gradually ending up with something like this, the joints are highlighted with weathering powders

Hope some of these techniques help

[bazjones1711]

Made a few rusty sheets and pipe today for our Crossley scrapyard layout , the sheets are just pieces of thin card stippled with various shades of rust paints, then matt varnished, followed by a coat of AK Interactive worn effects liquid, a top coat sponged on ,then wet with water and brush gently to create the effect, the same effect can be done by using hairspray but is less controllable

Edited March 4, 2018 by bazjones1711

[BobM]

These are some of the weathering effects used on various items , mainly rust !

IMG_20170525_173157.jpg

The rust is done in various shades of enamel rust paints and then gently blended in a clean brush with the least amount of thinner on it , built up slowly from the darkest to lightest. You need to brush downward only , cleaning the brush regularly.

IMG_20170126_184331~2.jpg

 

For another rust effect, I use real rust, this is wire wool left to corrode in vinegar until it is virtually a powder , crush it up , mix with a small amount of water and load an old toothbrush up with the solution, flick the toothbrush until you start to get a fine mist , then flick onto your object , build up in multiple layers allowing to dry in-between layers , you will end up with something like this

IMG_20170126_165045.jpg

For concrete , cheap match pot paints of various shades of grey are dabbed on randomly with a piece of sponge building up the tones gradually ending up with something like this, the joints are highlighted with weathering powders

IMG_20170126_155208.jpg

Hope some of these techniques help

 

Cheers Baz....

Keep em' coming....

Regards always...

Bob

[bazjones1711]

Concrete panel wall is plasticard with scribed joints , sponged on grey paints , rust paint then streaked down and blended out with thinner, rust corrugated gate done in the same way

Edited March 4, 2018 by bazjones1711

[jonny777]

Wow, is all I can say. 

 

The photos show what can be achieved with a bit of patience and a good eye for the little corners of the real world which are often ignored by the average traveller. 

 

That corrugated gate/concrete wall combo is difficult to tell from a photo of a real version. 

[bazjones1711]

This video makes it look easy !

[bazjones1711]

Piece of plastic drinking straw , end gouged up with some rough sandpaper , again rust paints ( Lifecolour brand ) sponged on and Matt varnished

[Black5]

I don`t think I`ve seen better rust effect than that. As jonny777 says, it`s hard to tell from a photograph.

Hope we see some more sometime.

[The Johnster]

These examples are nothing short of magnificent, inspirational, and beyond my capability!

 

I do basic but (I think) fairly effective weathering quickly and simply with the following method.  I have an old fish food container (I keep tropical freshwater, and goldfishes in the garden) full of a mix of various gungy colour acrylic paints watered down about 50/50 (this is not precise chemistry!).  This is washed over an area of the vehicle or building to be weathered in a fairly slapdash way, but make sure the whole area is covered, and that a good bit of paint is worked into corners, around rivets, between planks and suchlike (this is a job for your third best brushes).  Then, immediately, dab it off with a tissue.  The degree of filth left on the model is dependent on how vigorously you dab it off, and if it still to pristine looking when you are done, don't worry, just let it dry off and put another coat on.  

 

Try for practice on something not important to get a feel for it, and an idea of how big an area you can deal with before the acrylic starts to dry; once it does the tissue will take it off in flakes.  Go for touches such as dirty windows which have been cleaned carelessly leaving dirt at the edges and in the corners, or filthy wagons with a cleaner patch over the numbers where wagon checkers have wiped them.  Wipe downwards with the tissue to go for a rain soaked staining effect.

 

This will tone down the overbrightness of new RTR effectively even if only a very light layer is applied.  The colour varies as you top it up with new gunge and water, but not by much, and real dirt is not uniform in colour anyway.  I add a layer of dilute matt black wiped off in the same way for any locos or wagons that spend their working lives in the vicinity of collieries, including my workmen's stock (these were divided into 'dirty' and 'clean' vehicles before the advent of pit head baths).

 

If more involved weathering is required, it can be added with due care and artistry afterwards.  I have found this technique of basic weathering to be as applicable and effective on buildings, walls, bridges or any sort of infrastructure, not just locos, coaches and wagons.  Go for the rain staining effect on buildings, esp. around gutters and downpipes and the ends of windowledges, chimney stack flashing and so on; even a very light covering is very effective!

 

The first photo is of 3 parcels 4-wheelers in the platform; the nearer one, a Hornby Southern BY, is in pristine condition, fresh from the paint shop, the next, a Southern PMV, has had the works, heavy weathering with badly cleaned windows and the numbers wiped, and the GW Fruit D in the background has a medium coating of muckiness.

 

The dodgy shot of mineral wagons shows a Baccy factory weathered 'Moy' XPO, and you can see that in needs to look blacker, more exposed to coal dust, but the next one is a Hornby LNER 21tonner, also factory weathered but with my own layer of coal dust and black grime added.

Edited March 10, 2018 by The Johnster

[bazjones1711]

Some rusty ships anchor chain, handmade from the inner core of some old coax TV cable , wound a long length around a small flat file , cut down the length of the windings , then linked them together, painted with various shades of rust paints , and some real rust powder brushed on , also you can use the thinner fine copper outer core of the coax .... Scrunch it into a ball shape and you can use it to clean your soldering iron !

[The Johnster]

IMG_20180310_205316.jpgIMG_20180310_205337.jpg

Some rusty ships anchor chain, handmade from the inner core of some old coax TV cable , wound a long length around a small flat file , cut down the length of the windings , then linked them together, painted with various shades of rust paints , and some real rust powder brushed on , also you can use the thinner fine copper outer core of the coax .... Scrunch it into a ball shape and you can use it to clean your soldering iron !

 

Aw, come on, I've already got an inferiority complex!

[bazjones1711]

Handmade oil drums , these are made from old cassette tapes , inside there are two nylon rollers , these are glued together , a disc of plasticard is super glued on and sanded to shape , again rust weathered , the fuel stains are by AK interactive

Also a better picture of the chain

[bgman]

Excellent use of something that we would normally no consider using, most inventive ( I must admit to looking at all manner of strange items too for modelling purposes ).  I just need to find some suited to O Gauge.

 

Late to the thread but firmly on my watch list as of late last night !

 

I did see someone use the real rust technique somewhere by putting the vinegar in a jar with steel wool and leaving it outdoors for a week or so. and it was extremely effective as you have shown to good effect.

 

Grahame 

[BobM]

Hi.....

Thought it may be useful to post these images of many years of accumulated grime, muck and sludge on the sleepers, rails and ballast at Arley, this is the 'atmosphere' and 'distress' I'd wish to recreate on my layout....

 

 

 

 

 

Regards always...
Bob