Weathering Wheels

[Earl Bathurst]

Hi

I have just started weathering my locos and was woundering whats the best technique for weathering the wheels and coupling rods on the loco. Im using weathering powders

Thanks

[GC Jack]

Hi,

 

An airbrush is my preferred option, what period are you modelling? Dry brushing, if you are familiar with that, can work well on diesel frames, wheels etc. Railmatch underframe dirt is good for this but I prefer a matt black/red mix for steam.

 

Jack

[Baby Deltic]

I favour an airbrush for weathering loco's and stock. If you are weathering steam loco's or shunters with an airbrush, don't forget to wind the mechanism round to get the area of the wheels which is masked by the rods. For wagons and coaching stock I hold the airhrush close to the wheel, and spin the wheel and spray it, giving a nice even coating of weathering.

[Earl Bathurst]

Thanks for the advice. I model steam and early diesels. Well am in the process of trying to find out information on buying an airbrush. What sort of colours would i use in paint form for weathering?

[Barry O]

Earl Bathurst

 

you don't need an airbrush - in fact it provides a flat multicoloured surface finish with no texture - not like the real thing at all...

 

you can use a wash of thinned down paint or mixed ink and water (match the colour to a colour photo of your loco type in the area it was used most of mine have black with a hint of dark brown ink added) then let it almost dry and tap weathering powder on it - then using a piece of springy foam teas the mixture to get the details highlighted ( fluted rods have the dirt in the flutes and a greasy oily mix on the edges so get the powder into the flutes).

 

I use ink as if you make a mess you can wash it off with CIF and a toothbrush.- a good thing if someone has invested a good deal of cash on getting a professional paint job done on the loco in question.

[Stevelewis]

A technique I use for wheel weathering is to place the loco on a rolling road, , then with the wheels rotating at a medium rate use an airbrush to weather them, this method is used quite frequently in the states bt never gets much of a mention in the UK, once the weathering is complete the wheels should be left rotatiing for a while to insure that the valve gear etc joints remain paint free.

 

 

I have used this method for several years for locos from N gauge right through to G scale it works and looks realistic.

 

In the case of the G scale locos my usual paint source is car Aerosols.

 

One such weathered G scale loco is my Avatar akthough its difficult to make out

[Timara]

Hello,

 

There are a couple of pics here that might prove useful. I've generally gone for painting the wheels the base colour of what I'm trying to achieve and then add in a slightly more stain/glossy mix where needed while the main paint is very tacky.

 

For a basic 6 coupled loco, the wheelset nearest the cylinders will generally be the oiliest of the three. The rearmost tends to be a lighter colour and less oily, mostly brake dust etc. The middle one is a bit of both. Some locos didn't follow that general rule of thumb, but it's a useful guide nonetheless.

 

HTH,

[James]

What sort of colours would i use in paint form for weathering?

You need Martyn Welch's book The Art of Weathering!

[Earl Bathurst]

I bought that book today. Aint started reading it yet but looks very good.

Thanks

[James]

Good good

 

You'll find it very useful indeed!