Never weathered anything

[Great Eastern Lady]

Hello everyone 

I have modelled railways on and off for quite a few years , but I have never weathered anything until now .

I am about to start on a new layout and aside from the rolling stock I will be weathering it all 

The question is , is there a good and simple way to do it 

I have quite a few buildings in kit form that I’ll be using , most are cottages pub shops etc

But I do have a small loco shed and station building 

The era is early 50’s BR ex GER/LNER

[Pete the Elaner]

Start with something which doesn't matter too much. An old building/wagon which you bought cheap. If you don't have anything, build or buy something rough/cheap & have a go on that first.

 

Look at how the prototype weathers: Brake dust rises from the track & gets up from below, so underframes will be dirtier than sides. Soot from smoke & exhaust is worst around the chimney/exhaust port.

Hinges rust.

Then rain washes it all down. Some of it straight down, but if the dirt gets washed down while moving, it will streak diagonally.

 

Track: rails are always rusty, even when new. Brake dirt seems to build up from the centre outwards. We don't often see these from the same point of view in real life as we do on our models, so one of the best places to see this is from the overhead shots on the Michael Portillo Great British Railway Journeys TV series.

 

You don't need an airbrush & some modellers prefer not to use one. I feel that the dusting from exhaust & brake dust is best achieved with an airbrush & any streaks are best achieved with a bristle brush, but it becomes a personal thing so you need to experiment. Finding what works best for you will be rewarding.

 

I see work which I feel is better than I can achieve & I am always nervous about starting on something which looks pristine.

 

I am not sure if it is still available but "The Art of Weathering" by Martyn Welch is a useful read.

[JimFin]

26 minutes ago, Pete the Elaner said:

Start with something which doesn't matter too much. An old building/wagon which you bought cheap. If you don't have anything, build or buy something rough/cheap & have a go on that first.

 

All advice offered by Pete the Elaner is very good and the above particularly so.

 

Muck about with a number of test pieces first to develop your eye and skill. A summary of main techniques here - https://www.world-of-railways.co.uk/techniques/weathering-model-trains--top-tips-and-techniques/ is quite helpful. You need to choose a method you are comfortable with.

 

I prefer weathering powder and use wash in places as well.

 

You are as well buying a set of powders so you can mix and blend OR if you have them, crush or scrape some dust off soft pastels as that's what weathering powder seems to be.

 

Micro Brushes are helpful both for applying the powder and to use with paint wash. I have never been able to work out the difference between the cheap "make up" ones and the "model making" ones other than the 400% mark up.

[Hal Nail]

My advice would be to go for subtlety. Thin paint considerably and apply a little at a time: its easier add more than remove it but if you use enamels, you can reactivate with thinners and rework to some extent. Use blends of things like black, earth, leather varying the mix and avoid stark colours.

 

The Welch book mentioned above is both invaluable and inspirational!

[Phil Bullock]

The advice on starting with powders is sound - easy to apply lightly and can be built up carefully. Thin washes of matt or dirty black also very useful on vehicles and dont be afraid to experiment with selective removal once applied - a cotton bud dampened with thinners, a stiff stencil brush of even a glass fibre brush are your friends there. Roofs on rolling stock always weather uniquely reflecting different periods in traffic and different usage patterns, and pay attention to prominent areas such as buffer heads and wheels.

 

Have fun! It does make such a difference to realism....

[sb67]

All sound advice there Great Eastern Lady. The Martyn Welch book is superb, I'd also recommend two weathering books by George Dent, Weathering for Railway Modellers Vol1&2. Also search stuff on here and always ask about anything you're not sure of, there is some fantastic advice available. 

There are many methods of weathering and I would also recommend looking through this blog, there's a few items that have been weathered with nothing more than a powder and a wash, all very inspiring.

https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/blogs/blog/2349-mick-bonwicks-blog/

 

As said practice on some cheap stuff first.

I'd also say study prototype photo's and paint what you see as opposed to what you think something should look like.

There's also one mantra that should be repeated over and over again while weathering and that is ''less is more'' it's easy to put too much on and not always easy to remove. 

 

Good luck and post some photo's and above all enjoy!

[Great Eastern Lady]

Thank you all for the information, I will certainly look into it all 

[gwrwill]

I'm going to attempt my first loco weathering this weekend.kinda nervous but nothing ventured and all that 

[Great Eastern Lady]

All the best @gwrwill I’m sure to will look great when it’s done 

[Barry O]

Get some good colour photos of the real version of the item you want to weather. Practice on a cheap item first.

I don't use an airbrush and rather than paint I use diluted indian inks as a wash.. i can remove these with water, cuf and an old toothbrush.

 

Weathering is all about observation and confidence. Avoid really bright colours as they aren't always what happens in reality.

Only do weathering when you feel that you want to do it.

And..how a weathered vehicle looks is up to you. Others will say..x,y and z are wrong..so what if it is for you and you are happy with it... great!

Baz

[KeithMacdonald]

Talking of weathering powder, i just happened to wander past M'Lady's "modelling workbench" i.e. the dressing table she keeps several tons (and many £100s worth) of cosmetics on.

 

What caught my eye was a pretty tray of face paints, with lots of shades of brown, like these:

 

 

They look just the thing for putting pretty coloured streaks on your favourite models.

 

But please be careful!  I anticipate you might have to be very careful what you say to your spouse, and exactly why you wanted to borrow her cosmetics, and what kind of models you wanted to touch-up. I'm just imagining the conversation ...

 

Now available from that well-known Model Railway supplier, Boots.

https://www.boots.com/beauty/makeup/palettes

[Torper]

On 05/01/2020 at 22:49, Pete the Elaner said:

I am not sure if it is still available but "The Art of Weathering" by Martyn Welch is a useful read.

 

It would be a lot more useful if the pictures (there's a lot of them) weren't almost all in black and white.

 

DT

[Gwiwer]

Pete the Elaner has covered the basics well.  Start with an unimportant wagon; clean it off if you like and re-use it to improve your skills.  

 

I use several techniques.  In addition to (and before using) powders I ink in panel and plank joins, plus door frames, with a 0.1mm mapping pen which adds depth.  The ink is wiped with a rag or cotton-wool bud while still wet to both work it in and reduce the effect of a hard line.  

 

The same mapping pen gets used to add dirt into corners and doorways; colour in a small area and rub with the cotton-wool bud to work in and blur the effect.  It surprised me how good that looked.  

 

I use powders applied with a selection of brushes and make-up applicators ranging from the tiny to a 1" house-paint brush used for a quick run-over an entire carriage side or roof and to create effects such as speed-streaking of dirt in the manner seen on modern higher-speed trains.  I also occasionally use chalks and pastels but prefer the fine-ground nature of powders for most work.

 

I have used washes of acrylic and those specifically marketed for weathering use with varying degrees of success.  They work best when one wishes to apply rust streaks or weather rails in my opinion.  

 

Then there is the air brush, a Paasche in my case, which has seen rather little use but has done a few jobs for me.  

 

When considering which materials to use a powder weathering kit requires the best and softest brushes you can find.  My number one brush is a red sable which wasn't cheap but has served very well.  Synthetic brushes will not hold powder and may leave scratch marks on the work.  I use AIM powders which originate in the USA and are now rebranded Monroe Models.  They are well-ground and have good grab.  When Carrs were available I used them and you might still find old stock here and there.  I dislike the greasy nature of Tamiya powders and avoid Humbrol like the plague because they are poorly ground, gritty and simply do not grab.  Other brands are available.  Trial and error is your friend even if it costs a little in the learning.  

 

My signature contains a link to a weathering thread which includes images.  I haven't updated it in quite some time but there is enough there to show what I am talking about.  Some of the earlier images were hosted by Photobucket and are no longer available (or are rendered indistinctly) but there is enough there worth showing.  

[Right Away]

Very good advice from all the responders.

 

What can also prove useful on starting out is to note your process as you go along.; jot down on paper the various paint mixes and methods and record the results with your mobile phone camera. It can be helpful to then look back and see what did and didn't quite work as intended.

 

Most frustrating to achieve a really good result and then wonder "how on earth (or similar) did I do that?

[vitalspark]

A good advice and I agree with the use of powders and perhaps a wash but stay away from the airbrush just yet.

 

I have weathered a couple of my own locos using only an initial wash then powders to demonstrate at exhibitions the 'safe ' way to weather fpr beginners.

 

Powders wash off if you have overdone it and even if there is a little residue left then in crevices thats fine as it will add to the effect.

 

I use a simple Humbrol wash and almost immediately wipe off with cotton bud following the natural lines that gravity would take if rainwater was running down the side of the loco.

 

After dry then its Mig powders usually just three which are mid brown dark brown and black which I mix to achieve the colours I want. 

 

I apply with a cheap brush..as it destroys these very quickly.. and stipple into the body then wipe off with a soft cloth or bud with often a wet finger to streak and remove any excess.

 

Not exactly technical but if the end result works then its fine.

 

With out of the box locos especially Hornby the first thing is to 'lift' the unrealistic  matt finish to an almost gloss in places using cotton buds impregnated with T cut or Brasso.

 

Once you have achieved the slightly polished finish bearing in mind that the cleaners would usually clean cab and tender sides and lower boiler leaving the top of the boiler apply the wash.

 

Using decent brush wash it down over the entire body and it will leave a semi matt finish that allows the powders to adhere to better plus it will run into seams and detail same.

 

Black with little brown mix and stipple over the lower areas with black for soot over the boiler top and cab roof.

 

Don't forget a little sand colour round the sand box fillers.

 

The 'oil & grease' detailing liquids are great for showing streaking down from a leaking seam on the tender or as a puddle of wet around the tank filler.

 

I am by no means skilled in painting and weathering having only chanced my own models but the results have pleased me an dod course when you look atvit its all your own work which is satisfying so

 

have a go.

 

A few pics to hopefully encourage you..its a lot easier than you might think.

 

The factory finish.

 

After careful rubbing with T cut and a bud to create a gloss metal look then weather back.

 

Nearside same loco.. wash then powders with added detail with the most obvious being the AWS piping under the running plate.

   

A Bachmann 47/7 using only wash and powders to demonstrate easy weathering techniques at a recent show.

 

On the trainset.

Edited January 26, 2020 by vitalspark

[vitalspark]

Try your weathering using powders on coaches too.

A Hornby Porthole with black powder simply dusted over the sides then wiped off leaving the door seams prominent.

Black/brown powder mix on under frame and bogies with the roof airbrushed but that could just as easily be brush painted and as the roof clips off its very easy..why don't all coachers come apart like this?

 

[Nile_Griffith]

Not so much a tip on how to weather but more of a mantra to keep in mind while weathering and one that was given to me by Jim Smith formerly of this parish. "It's not what you leave on, it's what you take off".

 

Personally I'm a big believer that its easier to "forgive" an under withered model than it is to accept an overly weathered one. Don't loose sight also that we observe our models from a rather god like distance above the scene and that colours and edges become more muted at distances.

 

It's all a bit like cooking this weathering lark. Everyone has their own idea of the best ingredients to use and everyone has their own secret sauce, ultimately you develop your own style and instincts as to what works well and when............. Have fun!!

[57xx]

On 25/01/2020 at 23:01, Torper said:

 

It would be a lot more useful if the pictures (there's a lot of them) weren't almost all in black and white.

 

That is my biggest gripe with the book.

[unsoundmove]

How did it go ?

 

Really useful advice above. I similarly had an airbrush for years before recently plucking up courage to use it, and only after reading the books by Welch and Dent referenced above. I use acrylics, and combo of air brushing and dry brushing. One suggestion not noted above - rather than launching into weathering locos or wagons, I found it easier to start with air brushing an inconsipcuous area of track (ballasted) and some scenic areas of the layout. That allowed me to build up my confidence and the "feel" of the airbrush controls, and then move on to locos, like this '58'.  Good luck!

[Blackthorn]

Very nice!  Much better than my first attempts....

[Hal Nail]

A question re washes - are they any different to just thinning paint right down?

[Crisis Rail]

Good to see you having a go  - If all else fails Scott's work is as good as it gets.

 

http://www.theweatheringworks.co.uk/

[Mick Bonwick]

3 hours ago, Hal Nail said:

A question re washes - are they any different to just thinning paint right down?

 

No different at all. They are consistent, though, in colour and composition, which is difficult to achieve when mixing your own by thinning ordinary paint. You will probably find that thinned enamel paints work better as a wash than thinned acrylic paints. Note that I used the word, "Probably".

[Aire Head]

2 hours ago, Mick Bonwick said:

 

No different at all. They are consistent, though, in colour and composition, which is difficult to achieve when mixing your own by thinning ordinary paint. You will probably find that thinned enamel paints work better as a wash than thinned acrylic paints. Note that I used the word, "Probably".

 

You can thin acrylics and they work for me, do not however fall into the trap of just thinning with water as it won't act as people want it to, it tends to form beads rather than going into the recesses

[57xx]

2 hours ago, Mick Bonwick said:

You will probably find that thinned enamel paints work better as a wash than thinned acrylic paints. Note that I used the word, "Probably".

 

Agreed with that, especially if it's a water-based acrylic. You need something to break the surface tension to allow it flow properly which is why (I think) enamels tend to work a lot better. Having said that, Games Workshop washes (or shades as they are now known) work well and they are acrylic based pigments. No idea what solvent they use.

Edited March 23, 2020 by 57xx