Weathered black or regular black...?

[97xx]

Just approaching top coat time for my rebuilt K's Q1.

 

The last model I rebuilt, I decided to use 'weathered black' as I wanted a very tired look. Result below -noting that this one had lots of dusting of all sorts of colours including roof white... Indoors (where it will really be seen) it looks a lot less 'light'.

 

However, I'm very inexperienced in this painting business, so what are people's views on going 'regular' black then weathering or using weathered black? Is it really as simple as I assumed that the really tired look comes better with weathered black as a base?

 

 

Edited January 18, 2021 by 97xx

[57xx]

I'd say stick with what you are doing, I think that looks great. I'd go with using a weather black as base coat as well. Most colours I'll start of as normal and weather them, but black can be the exception, depending on how old I'm trying to make the paint look, it can be easier to start off using the lighter "weathered black".

Edited January 21, 2021 by 57xx

[Barry O]

The weathered black does make it easier to weather with powders.

 

Looks good!

Baz

[JohnR]

If you look at pictures of black steam locos, there often appear to be several different shades of black, presumably because of weathering, heat, sunlight, etc. 

 

I havnt painted any locos yet, but on my wagons, I tend to paint the chassis in weathered black, simply to dull down the plasticky look. 

[burgundy]

5 hours ago, JohnR said:

If you look at pictures of black steam locos, there often appear to be several different shades of black, presumably because of weathering, heat, sunlight, etc. 

 

More 50 shades of grey, I would suggest.

I tend to start off with grey/black - or is it black/grey? I find that anything like a pure black is much too strong. 

Best wishes 

Eric  

[Jeff Smith]

Weathered black is really just various shades of dark grey.  You could argue from a 'scale colour' point of view that even a newly painted black loco should be painted very dark grey in model form......

[97xx]

Super, thanks, the 'weathered black' does feel and look like a good base. It is actually a very 'blue' dye I have noticed.

 

Good point also re the 'scale' issue of colour - I read an article somewhere (think it was in aero modelling)  that suggested at 00 scale we should lighten to the tune of about 15% white added. Which concurs with Jeff's assertion that a 'black' loco should actually be dark grey.

 

 

The principle being that an 00 scale model viewed at say one foot should appear the same colour as a full size version at 76 or so feet and so we must take account of the varying 'quantity' of atmosphere between us and the object which has the effect of subduing the colour due I assume to the diffraction and refraction caused by particles in the air.