Scared of Weathering

[jwealleans]

As Jon said above, I did the weathering demo at Warley this year. There were a few key points I tried to get across:

 

(i) Read Martyn Welch's book (still in print - I checked)

(ii) Buy some old wagons and practice. Make sure you matt varnish them first, it helps whatever you use to stick. There were plenty in bins for £3 each at Warley, even on Sunday after I'd spent all of Saturday telling people to buy them.

(iii) Try to do it in daylight, or under the same light as your layout will use.

 

Not everyone has all the answers, not every technique suits everyone. Try different things until you find a technique you like, then stick with it.

[Brocp]

Personally i think you should grab Tim Schackleton's books and dvds on the subject, practice and be patient. Also don't be afraid to fail, it happens. Also as Coachmann said it's about observation and trying to translate that on to a model. Always use real pictures, don't make up weathering. When using "rust" colours try and not make them stand out too much, remember these are scaled down models, colours should be toned down as well.

[jwealleans]

I had Tim Shackleton’s book out for people to look at as well. It made the useful point that although in many ways his techniques are the opposite of mine, he gets good results. Different ways to skin the same cat.

[Sir TophamHatt]

Thanks so much for the pointers

 

Really glad it isn't just me but I'm sure I have a couple of wagons to give it a go with.  Might look for some bulk joblot on ebay specifically for this.

[HonestTom]

I tend to use watercolours for a lot of my weathering. It's quick, it's easy to use, it's cheap and if you mess it up, just wet it, wipe it off and start again. A standard set of artist's watercolours from Tiger, Wilko, The Works or the like shouldn't set you back more than a fiver, and that'll give you every colour you could possibly need. As others have said, get some cheapo wagons and just have a play. You'll find it's easier than you think - dirt isn't precise, so really it's a case of "if it looks right, it is right."

 

I'm currently working on a layout whose entire philosophy involves taking some of the cheapest, nastiest rolling stock and accessories I can find and going at them with a paintbrush, which shows how addictive this sort of thing can be.

[Chris Chewter]

If you're worried about wrecking your models, why not pick up a few Dapol loco kits, make and paint them up in pristine condition, then weather them down?

 

You'll never get good at weathering unless you practice, so dive in and give it a go!

Edited December 7, 2017 by Captainalbino

[milocomarty]

Start on an cheap model or the most expensive you have..Rule one in weathering is observe the prototype before you start. Rule 2 and 3 are the same. I search the net for pictures or whatever I can lay my hands on to study the prototype before I start on the model. As long as you know where the dirt goes you be fine. Watch the masters at work, search the youtube for Michael Rinaldi, Mig Jiminez, Adam Wilder, they are a couple of artists out of the extraordinary and are willing to share a lot of techniques. I'm personally not a big fan of powders only. They are IMO a nice addition to the layers of paint used. That's most of the time the big trick in good weathering that you work in layers, many layers. As Michael Rinaldi once stated: You washed your car and it's nice and shiny on the driveway. After a day the first layer of dust and dirt appear. When you wash your car once a month like me there are 30 daily layers of dirt on it.

 

Well doin demonstrations for several brands of paint I don't advice one brand. What I do advice at the moment that you as a starter work with the most forgiving medium. That are for me oil paints. Proper laid down on a piece of cardboard, used in thin layers the are a magnificent medium to work with. And they give you a long time to work them over. Not satisfied with the result, take some cotton swaps, odorless thinner and of it goes.. 

[Irish_R_M]

Just a quick +1 to Tim Shackelton's Books, and they are quite funny to read too. 

 

One technique that is reversible is using Daler Rowney Gouache paint. It's an oil based paint pigment with a water carrier, so it never "plasticizes" like other paints. The paint comes in small tubes, 24 for £12 if you search about. A piece the size of a pea is more than enough, dilute slightly, with a touch of washing up liquid to remove any surface tension. Cover the piece of rolling stock in your paint with a distemper brush or less coarse, let it dry, then re-wet the dried paint with clean water and draw off the excess, leaving dirt in the places it naturally builds up. You can let it dry, go for a pint, come back and if it's too heavy to your eye, reactivate the paint with clean water, and remove more. You can keep fooling about with different shades, colours, tones, textures, and if you've made a complete hames of the thing, you can simply wash it off, several months later even, returning it to a pristine model. 

 

Burnt and Raw Sienna, Burnt and Raw Umber, along with Paynes Grey are my few tubes of choice for relatively small outlay, and should last years. 

 

It's a great way of making vents, panel lines, weld seams, and the like "pop" in the same way that dirt builds up in real life. As for track dirt and and muck that is something that must be applied by an airbrush to replicate the effect or how it gets there in prototype land, but the above technique should allow you to have a crack, without destroying your beloved stock. 

 

HTH

 

Richard M

[dpgibbons]

George Dent's recent book Weathering for Railway Modellers is a good beginners guide.

[gordon s]

I'm not suggesting for one minute that I'm an expert, more an enthusiastic beginner, but I do know how you feel about starting to add a mix of paint or powders to that beloved model.  Just to add to the invaluable guidance that others have provided, here's a few pics taken a few years ago when I played around with weathering powders and an airbrush.  I chose to take my 9F apart to do it, but that's not necessary.  It may give some ideas of some of the processes involved...

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php/topic/18339-eastwood-town-9f-gets-weatheredstage-3/?&pid=176850&st=0&&do=findComment&comment=176850

Edited December 8, 2017 by gordon s

[ikks]

I'm not suggesting for one minute that I'm an expert, more an enthusiastic beginner, but I do know how you feel about starting to add a mix of paint or powders to that beloved model.  Just to add to the invaluable guidance that others have provided, here's a few pics taken a few years ago when I played around with weathering powders and an airbrush.  I chose to take my 9F apart to do it, but that's not necessary.  It may give some ideas of some of the processes involved...

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php/topic/18339-eastwood-town-9f-gets-weatheredstage-3/?&pid=176850&st=0&&do=findComment&comment=176850

That is one brilliant job

 

Mike

[sb67]

I'm not suggesting for one minute that I'm an expert, more an enthusiastic beginner, but I do know how you feel about starting to add a mix of paint or powders to that beloved model.  Just to add to the invaluable guidance that others have provided, here's a few pics taken a few years ago when I played around with weathering powders and an airbrush.  I chose to take my 9F apart to do it, but that's not necessary.  It may give some ideas of some of the processes involved...

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php/topic/18339-eastwood-town-9f-gets-weatheredstage-3/?&pid=176850&st=0&&do=findComment&comment=176850

Looked at the thread and that's some inspiring stuff. Gordon did you solve the problem of sealing the powders?

Steve.

[gordon s]

Not exactly.

 

I decided to leave the loco 'as is' and with all the other bits that have gone on since then, it's still in the box.  I think the jury is still out....

[Sir TophamHatt]

Okay, I see.

 

The powders mix to make a paint sort of solution... seems fairly simple and using the two clear coats to get different effects.

Gonna have to start saving some plastic tubs to mix up the colours.

 

Is there a good weathering powder supplier?

[rob D2]

I started with wagons, using railmatch frame dirt aerosol for the chassis.

And then similar or roof dirt , on the basis of putting it on, wipe most of it off. The results were encouraging....but I’m loath to touch a £100engine.

 

 

I now have an airbrush which I’ve had a year and haven’t touched .....I haven’t the time to practice and learn for the expensive stuff so I may end up using professional modelling services for that

[gordon s]

The powders are from MiG and are similar to photocopier toner in terms of how fine they are.  You simply dry brush them on with a soft full head brush. They are not liquid or like paint.  When applying them you can brush one colour straight over another or mix them.  

 

Get a sheet of paper and brush them on to the paper before brushing them onto your model.  That takes the bulk of the powder off the brush before you take it to your model.

 

A Google search will tell you where you can buy MiG powders. 

[melmerby]

I especially like this "Caprotti" 5 from Comet's website:

 

http://www.cometmodels.co.uk/data/Locomotive-Kits/images/Lingwood-01-version2-DCleal_edited2.jpg

 

I wouldn't stand a cat in hell's chance of doing that

 

Keith

Edited December 8, 2017 by melmerby

[Brocp]

The powders are from MiG and are similar to photocopier toner in terms of how fine they are. You simply dry brush them on with a soft full head brush. They are not liquid or like paint. When applying them you can brush one colour straight over another or mix them.

 

Get a sheet of paper and brush them on to the paper before brushing them onto your model. That takes the bulk of the powder off the brush before you take it to your model.

 

A Google search will tell you where you can buy MiG powders.

 

The old MiG weathering powders are no longer in production, but AK Interactive and Ammo by MIG were/are his other companies. Those ranges are a lot bigger and more diverse than what the old MiG uses to be.

[Mick Bonwick]

A selection of the MIG Production powders is now produced by Abteilung 502. Apart from the label on the pot they are identical.

[Irish_R_M]

Weathering Powders - Mig Jimenez are simply pastels (chalk) refined down to a powder, and do a tidy job on really subtle effects, particularly on armour and air models, but you can buy chalk pastels, grind them into sandpaper and replicate it at a fraction of the cost. I've found them as useful as a chocolate teapot on rail wagons and have reverted to AK interactive, far more suited to replicating distressed W-Irons, shiny buffers, and streaking on certain wagons. Under no circumstance should you google Mig Jimenez's wife either. 

Blood pressure and all that.

 

Richard M. 

[Brocp]

https://www.google.com.au/amp/s/amp.reddit.com/r/modelmakers/comments/3gt9pr/whats_the_difference_between_mig_ammo_of_mig/

 

This gives a good background to what has happened between Mig Jimenez and the three companies.

[jwealleans]

Weathering Powders - Mig Jimenez are simply pastels (chalk) refined down to a powder ... I've found them as useful as a chocolate teapot on rail wagons and have reverted to AK interactive

That's interesting. I haven't found any difference at all between the two when using them. What problems did you have with the MIG version?

 

As has been said, the MIG product is being manufactured again and Hobby Holiday (where I usually buy mine) is reverting to those rather than the AK version.

[gordon s]

Weathering Powders - Mig Jimenez are simply pastels (chalk) refined down to a powder, and do a tidy job on really subtle effects, particularly on armour and air models, but you can buy chalk pastels, grind them into sandpaper and replicate it at a fraction of the cost. I've found them as useful as a chocolate teapot on rail wagons and have reverted to AK interactive, far more suited to replicating distressed W-Irons, shiny buffers, and streaking on certain wagons. Under no circumstance should you google Mig Jimenez's wife either. 

Blood pressure and all that.

 

Richard M.

 

 

Sadly the news on MiG's wife is not so good.  Certainly a beautiful woman....

 

http://migjimenez.blogspot.co.uk/2016/12/elizabeth-wiese.html

 

Found her on FB and she's still fighting.  

 

https://www.facebook.com/Eliza.Wiese

Edited December 9, 2017 by gordon s

[coachmann]

I now have an airbrush which I’ve had a year and haven’t touched .....I haven’t the time to practice and learn for the expensive stuff so I may end up using professional modelling services for that

Your airbrush, or indeed any kind of good spraying equipment, can be your best modelling friend. Practice as much as you can. While brushing paint and the powders play a part, so does the spray application to level things down.

Edited December 9, 2017 by coachmann

[Tony Teague]

Having been recently on the Missenden Abbey course I can thoroughly recommend it.

Prior to that I had tried a little dry-brush weathering but despite owning an airbrush for over 10 years I had never used it.

I can honestly say that the course made a massive difference and I am now building my experience.

(No connection etc!).

Tony