Air brush concrete sleeper track with acrylic paint before ballasting

[Norski]

Hi

Im a novice air brusher who has recently ruined a significant section of ballasted concrete sleeper track at my first attempt - despite practicing on sample sections off-line. Im loathed - I'm not going to - ballast more track and then spray again. 

 

Now I've come to terms with what ive done (by ripping it out and starting that section again), before i ruin more track is it possible to air brush track (rail and plastic sleeper with rail match acrylic prior to ballasting?  Ive just sprayed some spare concrete sleeper track (rail and sleepers) with a rail match / thinners 50:50 mix and its the base coat of grime i was looking for in the first place. (i would weather the rail area further after ballasting with some powders and washes - done on a test plank with some success).

 

Will the acrylic stay on or will the ballast application scratch it off or will the 50:50 PVA/water mix mess with the water based acrylic ? is there something that will seal it prior to ballast application ? would an enamel be better ?

 

Any advice for a deflated modeller would be very much appreciated

Cheers

Steve

 

 

 

 

[ELTEL]

The best way is to try what you have suggested, you could try a light dusting of a matt varnish as option after the acrylic paint has dried.

 
Another option would be a light dusting using thinned enamel paint instead of acrylic paint.

 

As always try it on a old piece of track first.

 

Good luck, let us all know how you go on.

 

Terry 

[Pete the Elaner]

43 minutes ago, ELTEL said:

The best way is to try what you have suggested, you could try a light dusting of a matt varnish as option after the acrylic paint has dried.

 
Another option would be a light dusting using thinned enamel paint instead of acrylic paint.

 

As always try it on a old piece of track first.

 

Good luck, let us all know how you go on.

 

Terry 

 

The OP has practised on off-cuts first. Top marks there.

I've never actually airbrushed with acrylic. I don't ballast with PVA though. I believe many use it simply because it is cheap & they have used it in the past. I don't like PVA because it dries rock hard which is not desirable for many reasons & makes some ballast go slightly green. I prefer Copydex diluted the same way but I still don't think that is ideal, just better. I doubt that will affect spraying it with acrylic though.

 

I prefer weathering after ballasting though: follow the order it happens.

Rail is a rusty colour long before it meets the sleepers. I had a tour of Scunthorpe steel works last year & the rails were rusty even before they had been loaded up for distribution.

So rusty rails get fixed to clean sleepers which get sunk into clean ballast, then the whole lot gets a dusting of brake dust which gets streaked with rain.

[Rumblestripe]

The trick with painting track  (or IMO any weathering techniques) is to use very light coats of paint building up the weathering gradually, that way you are in control. I have in the past sprayed the sides of the rails with a rust/track colour from the side masking the sleepers and ballast. There is no reason not to do this before ballasting with PVA as acrylic is chemically unaffected by PVA in my experience, though as ever test first if you are in doubt or at least before treating the whole of your running lines!

[Norski]

Thanks all for feedback. Taking into account feedback I've sprayed some spare track (rail and sleepers) with a very light coat of sleeper grime. The sleepers look spot on - the shiny grey plastic has gone. The rails themselves haven't taken much of a coating so i will brush paint them in a darker coating of sleeper grime (i got no problem doing that - its a job i can zone out doing). I will then ballast that rail on a test plank, apply some weathering powders (rusts) around the rail area and (maybe) do some light wash on to the ballast. I will post a picture of the results later in the week.

 

PS - ive sprayed one piece of track with matt varnish post sleeper grime application. Its a little bit harder wearing but not massively so. I will test bed both versions.

 

Thanks to all who replied, much appreciated. Its all trial and error, mostly error.

[Norski]

Update from my original post. Track and sleepers sprayed before ballasting. Ballasted and then painted rail by hand. Weathering powders added and rust wash. Toned down with a bit more powder. A much more layered process than trying to do it all with the air brush. Gives me more control - not the air brushes fault, just not skilled enough with it yet. Pics below, may not be to everyone's liking but I'm pleased with this sample board and confident I can replicate on my layout. 

[rob D2]

That looks really good !

I think the trick with sleeper grime is to stop when your ahead.

 

I overdid it once on the thickness and it looked like my tractor…was actually in a plowed field !

[Norski]

Plowed field 😆😆

 

Thanks I'm pleased with that sample. Lots of layers going on with that sample and that stops me from going OTT in one go.

 

Ive got more sample tracks with ballast than im willing to admit. Thing is when its on the layout its to late. I wrecked a 4 track 8 ft curve with canting - worked so hard to get that section laid right and then i ended up giving it  sleeper grime alopecia. Knocks your confidence a bit.

That was a month ago and only now im willing to go back to the layout and re-lay that section. 

[rob D2]

Yeah , that's a bit soul destroying !