Tim's painting and weathering workbench

[Guest Max Stafford]

Tim, apparently SR wagon numbers are pretty close to the 'block' style found on many ex-LMS type locos.

 

Dave.

[Timara]

Tim, apparently SR wagon numbers are pretty close to the 'block' style found on many ex-LMS type locos.

 

Dave.

 

As are the coach numbers on HMRS sheet 15 . Useful to know that there are others that are also close though! Ta

[Timara]

Currently in 'shops is 60012 'Commonwealth of Australia', which is destined for Gilbert's Peterborough North layout.

 

 

 

I've still got the "in service" dirt to add, as would be expected for a loco having done 300 or so miles from Edinburgh (or even just 90 or so miles from Kings Cross)

 

 

I'm really pleased with how this has come out so far, even if I say so myself. It's funny how Hornby's most recent rendition of BR green is quite different from what came before. I do hope they keep that colour in their inventory as it is superb. With two or three carefully applied coats of Klear, it just brings the green out a treat.

 

Now I could really do with a Royal Scot like this......!

[davidw]

Wow - you weren't exaggerating Tim!

[Timara]

Wow - you weren't exaggerating Tim!

 

Thanks David! I wish Hornby had done everything in this shade of green now........

[Guest Tom F]

Seriously....after looking at the work you have done on 60012. Who would want to buy a Golden Age A4?

[mikemeg]

Tim,

 

That is simply beautiful. I can remember when, in 1961, I read that it was rumoured that 60012 might be the first A4 to be withdrawn as it had serious problems with its mainframes. Only a week or two after reading this we were at Doncaster and managed to see the newly painted locos standing outside the Crimpsall erecting shop. There, in all of its glory was newly overhauled and newly painted 60012 and Haymarket A4's only really ever came that far south on the Lizzie or for overhaul at Doncaster.

 

I'd completely forgottten that sight until I saw the photographs above. I know many would disagree with this but, for me, there are few machines which were more intrinsically right than a steam locomotive (and I'll concede Clipper Ships, Spitfires. perhaps Concorde) and within that steam locomotive 'genre' there can be few, if any, to rival Gresley's A4's. They have thrilled the generations for over seventy five years; they continue to thrill to this day.

 

Thanks for the reminder of a fleeting glimpse, which was all I ever saw of Number 12, but a glimpse of her in all of her green, lined glory.

 

Cheers

 

Mike

Edited June 22, 2012 by mikemeg

[landscapes]

Currently in 'shops is 60012 'Commonwealth of Australia', which is destined for Gilbert's Peterborough North layout.

 

 

 

I've still got the "in service" dirt to add, as would be expected for a loco having done 300 or so miles from Edinburgh (or even just 90 or so miles from Kings Cross)

 

 

I'm really pleased with how this has come out so far, even if I say so myself. It's funny how Hornby's most recent rendition of BR green is quite different from what came before. I do hope they keep that colour in their inventory as it is superb. With two or three carefully applied coats of Klear, it just brings the green out a treat.

 

Now I could really do with a Royal Scot like this......!

 

Hi Tim

 

60012 look fantastic all ready for the Elizabethan, how do you apply the Johnson's Klear, by brush or airbrush?

 

Regards

 

David

[Timara]

Hi Tim

 

60012 look fantastic all ready for the Elizabethan, how do you apply the Johnson's Klear, by brush or airbrush?

 

Regards

 

David

 

Hi David,

 

Thanks for the kind comment. I use a Humbrol number 8 flat hobby brush to apply the Klear. Depending on the surface to be treated, I work in either an up-down or side-to-side motion. I make sure I have just enough Klear in the brush to do the job, but neither too little or too much (otherwise it floods and looks horrendous after it dries!). Some surfaces need a bit of preparation in order to get them to even take Klear properly. There's been some hilarious debate in this topic starting here. I did manage to have a giggle at what was posted....!

 

60012 has had three coats, which has given a lovely sheen on it. As I've already said, the new shade of green used by Hornby helps matters tremendously. Once I've got enough other locos (also for Gilbert) ready for weathering, I shall get the airbrush cranked up ready for what little needs doing on her. Tiny bit of soot on the boiler and just a few minor oil marks on the motion and little bits here and there. For a virtually spotless loco on a premier train, it's actually harder to weather one of these, in comparison to something that is just plain grubby. I enjoy the challenge .

 

Cheers!

[landscapes]

Hi David,

 

Thanks for the kind comment. I use a Humbrol number 8 flat hobby brush to apply the Klear. Depending on the surface to be treated, I work in either an up-down or side-to-side motion. I make sure I have just enough Klear in the brush to do the job, but neither too little or too much (otherwise it floods and looks horrendous after it dries!). Some surfaces need a bit of preparation in order to get them to even take Klear properly. There's been some hilarious debate in this topic starting here. I did manage to have a giggle at what was posted....!

 

60012 has had three coats, which has given a lovely sheen on it. As I've already said, the new shade of green used by Hornby helps matters tremendously. Once I've got enough other locos (also for Gilbert) ready for weathering, I shall get the airbrush cranked up ready for what little needs doing on her. Tiny bit of soot on the boiler and just a few minor oil marks on the motion and little bits here and there. For a virtually spotless loco on a premier train, it's actually harder to weather one of these, in comparison to something that is just plain grubby. I enjoy the challenge .

 

Cheers!

 

Hi Tim

 

Many thanks for the information, you have done an excellent job on A4 60012, I am sure Gilbert will be very pleased to see it running on Peterborough North, the jewel in the crown as they say.

 

You made me laugh with your comments on the Johnson's Klear thread link, as it was me that started that one up.

 

I do enjoy all this debate about the old and new products of Klear.

 

I can tell you first hand there is no difference between the two as far as I can see.

 

Replica Railways who are based in Swindon kindly let me have one of their white plastic coach bodies to try our the new Johnson's Klear, so I applied the old and new side by side on the coach roof, I thought white plastic would show up any colour cast, I could not see any difference what so ever.

 

I know the new product is a milky colour but it does dry Klear.

 

I was interested to see A4 60012 as I am scratch building a 4mm scale model of Haymarket MPD 64B, I originally tried cutting out the walls in Balsa Wood but found it too difficult to cut the circular and arched window openings required so I have now got York Modelling Ltd to laser cut them for me in 3mm thick MDF, the model of the main shed building would be 1200mm x 510mm at 00 scale so I have reduced the overall length to 720mm to make it more manageable.

 

I am also building up a fleet of Haymarket 64B based pacific locomotives and 60012 is one of them, here's A3 60097 Humorist one of my favourites

 

Keep up the good work

 

Regards

 

David

[Timara]

Hi Tim

 

Many thanks for the information, you have done an excellent job on A4 60012, I am sure Gilbert will be very pleased to see it running on Peterborough North, the jewel in the crown as they say.

 

You made me laugh with your comments on the Johnson's Klear thread link, as it was me that started that one up.

 

I do enjoy all this debate about the old and new products of Klear.

 

I can tell you first hand there is no difference between the two as far as I can see.

 

Replica Railways who are based in Swindon kindly let me have one of their white plastic coach bodies to try our the new Johnson's Klear, so I applied the old and new side by side on the coach roof, I thought white plastic would show up any colour cast, I could not see any difference what so ever.

 

I know the new product is a milky colour but it does dry Klear.

 

Now that's very interesting to know! I doubt whether I'll run out of my current stash for a while yet, but come the day it does then I shall have to look at getting a bottle of the new stuff. I suppose it's down to the initial colour it starts life as from the bottle!

 

I was interested to see A4 60012 as I am scratch building a 4mm scale model of Haymarket MPD 64B, I originally tried cutting out the walls in Balsa Wood but found it too difficult to cut the circular and arched window openings required so I have now got York Modelling Ltd to laser cut them for me in 3mm thick MDF, the model of the main shed building would be 1200mm x 510mm at 00 scale so I have reduced the overall length to 720mm to make it more manageable.

 

I am also building up a fleet of Haymarket 64B based pacific locomotives and 60012 is one of them, here's A3 60097 Humorist one of my favourites

 

Keep up the good work

 

Regards

 

David

 

Look forward to seeing more of Haymarket in the layout board soon David . Humorist looks rather fine, if I may say so!

 

Meantime, I forgot to post this slightly more head-on shot up of 60012. I thought I had, but here it is!

 

 

Cheers!

[landscapes]

Thanks Tim

 

I am afraid that Haymarket 64B is a long term semi retirement project for me so it will take some time as I want to get the model layout as close as possible to the real thing, my next quest is to get a superior brick finish cladding which includes brick arch lintels around the top's of the side windows to face up the MDF walls.

 

Harry Knox's two books on Haymarket MPD have been a wonderful source of information for me and using my old building surveying skills I think I have got the profile and size just about as close as I can get without the availability of dimensioned drawings.

 

I have so far 13 pacific locomotives Classes A1, A2, A3, A4, plus a Clan Class as well all Hornby and Bachmann and most have received a coat or two of Klear so I know how it can improve a model locomotives looks but that last photo you have published really makes it hard to believe that its a standard Hornby A4, it looks stunning, lucky Gilbert.

 

When the time is right and funds are available I still hope to have an A2/1 or and A2/3 added to the list of 64B locomotives, you will know what I mean.

 

All the very best.

 

David

 

[Mucky Duck]

I'm really looking forward to seeing how you tackle 60012 Tim. I've seen some great shots of Lord Farringdon in similar sunlight and I love that combination of dirt stuck in nooks and crannies on a shiny loco - especially on green - and we don't see that too often in model form. Either it's a fettled 'out of the box' satin look, which just doesn't convince me as a realistic option, or full-on grubby filth, as you've regularly demonstrated to perfection on this thread.

[Timara]

So, the next item fresh (ish) off the workbench: It's an A3. 60088 Book Law, from Heaton (52B).

 

The remit for this one was grubby, but with a good amount of underlying green-ness still apparent.

 

 

 

A quick explanation for this one: I've used Klear to seal the original base colour and painted the wheels satin black (which didn't go entirely satin as I'd have liked, so a thin brush of Klear was added to them). Gunmetal and a hint of matt leather misted over where required to get into the nooks and crannies, then washed off and streaked. This reveals the green again, which then dries quite nicely. A little bit of cotton bud action around the lower sections of the boiler, firebox and cab before a thin coat of Klear is added to seal some dirt in. It dries very quickly, as most will already know. A final mist and streak before final hints of neat gunmetal are applied.

 

This final shot shows the effect I wanted to get when backlit with the big light in the sky. It seems to have caught the edges of the Pressfix transfers too, even though they're not very visible when viewed close-to.

 

 

I'm really looking forward to seeing how you tackle 60012 Tim. I've seen some great shots of Lord Farringdon in similar sunlight and I love that combination of dirt stuck in nooks and crannies on a shiny loco - especially on green - and we don't see that too often in model form. Either it's a fettled 'out of the box' satin look, which just doesn't convince me as a realistic option, or full-on grubby filth, as you've regularly demonstrated to perfection on this thread.

 

Thanks Ryan! Anyone attending the Members' Day tomorrow will be able to see 60012 at close quarters, which has had some beginnings of the minimal "in service" dirt applied. The A3 above.will also be coming along.

 

Cheers for now,

[davidw]

Lovely

[landscapes]

Hi Tim

 

Regarding the Hornby A4 60012 you have altered recently for Gilbert, I am sure I have read somewhere that this was originally the new Hornby A4 60027 Merlin.

 

May I ask how did you went about removing the plastic namelpates that come usually welded to the A4 body, the last version of 60027 Merlin I altered caused some damage to the surrounding loco body area which still shows after fitting new 247 brass etched nameplates.

 

I have just purchased a new Hornby 60027 Merlin on Ebay which I intend to change to 60004 William Whitelaw and I do not want to have the same problem again removing the plastic nameplates.

 

Any advice would be very much appreciated.

 

Regards

 

David

[Timara]

Hi David,

 

My usual method is to use a Swann-Morton scalpel with a Sabre D/15 blade. They're superb little blades that cause little or no damage whilst slicing the glue away. Eileens sell them (at my recommendation, I should add!) and they're very useful for other jobs where you want to get in somewhere and not catch anything in the process. They fit the #3 handle.

 

Hope that helps.

 

Cheers,

[Buckjumper]

So, the next item fresh (ish) off the workbench: It's an A3. 60088 Book Law, from Heaton (52B).

The remit for this one was grubby, but with a good amount of underlying green-ness still apparent.

 

For me, this weathering job stands head and shoulders over everything else on the thread to date. It's fantastic - you've set yourself a very high benchmark, Tim.

[Timara]

For me, this weathering job stands head and shoulders over everything else on the thread to date. It's fantastic - you've set yourself a very high benchmark, Tim.

 

Why thankyou Adrian! From someone whose work I've been admiring over the years I take that as a huge compliment!

There are times that I look at models I've done in the past (including recent ones) and thought "Hmmm, I've missed a bit there...." Ongoing development I suppose?

 

Cheers!

[Guest Tom F]

Those painted wheels make such a difference! Such an easy job that saves replacing them!

[Timara]

Those painted wheels make such a difference! Such an easy job that saves replacing them!

 

My thoughts exactly! My biggest gripe has always been the blackened tyres on view, but I don't make a huge song and dance about it. What I do do is see how their effect can be lessened, if not eradicated from view. The former is done for most Hornby models in 00 and the latter is when they're replaced with aftermarket wheels in EM. As they are not two-part tyres, they're easier to deal with and vanish under a coat or two of satin black!

[landscapes]

Hi Tim

 

Many thanks for your help and information, 60027 Merlins nameplates and cabside numbers have now been removed and just waitiing for 247 Development's brass etched nameplates and number 60004 William Whitelaw.

 

There is still a small amount of glue on both sides of the loco body following removal but I do not want to chance any damage and I am sure the new nameplates will cover this ok.

 

Thanks again.

 

David

[Timara]

Hi David,

 

My pleasure . I too found the plastic plates left some glue residue on the bodyside, which was carefully removed with the scalpel blade mentioned previously. It helps to give a level finish too. You might wish to very carefully notch the leading boiler strap so as to allow the nameplate to sit on the cladding for its entire length. Offer the plate up to the model, mark the top and bottom of it on the band and then slice that small section away. It really makes a world of difference for plates that straddle the bands.

 

Cheers,

[Captain Kernow]

Hi Tim,

 

Some very good work on here, very good indeed.

 

You mentioned about preparing the surface for the Klear - could you possibly elaborate a bit on that, as I'm most impressed by the finish you've obtained. How long does each coat take to dry, before the next can be applied?

 

Also, what about driving wheels and motion? I've always labouriously brush-painted everything, which takes an age, and still requires wheel treads and backs of wheels to be cleaned afterwards. Do you spray weathering on with the wheels in motion, a la Iain Rice, using that as the basis for more dry brush type weathering of the wheels and motion?

 

I've just done my Stanier 2-6-4T, by the way, thanks for your previous advice on that, and ran it successfully at Hartlepool (photos on my blog soon).

 

 

Cheers.

[Timara]

Hello CK,

 

Hi Tim,

 

Some very good work on here, very good indeed.

 

You mentioned about preparing the surface for the Klear - could you possibly elaborate a bit on that, as I'm most impressed by the finish you've obtained. How long does each coat take to dry, before the next can be applied?

 

It largely depends on the model really. Some models have a really even finish which takes Klear without a moment's thought (recent Bachmann models in particular) and others can see the Klear just vanish in seconds where it just does not stay where you want it to. All down to surface tension I believe. On those ones I give them a good scrub with warm water and a non lanolin-based washing up liquid (no Fairy!) before doing any new decoration on them. Usually it solves it, but there is always the rebel that doesn't want to play ball!

 

Also, what about driving wheels and motion? I've always labouriously brush-painted everything, which takes an age, and still requires wheel treads and backs of wheels to be cleaned afterwards. Do you spray weathering on with the wheels in motion, a la Iain Rice, using that as the basis for more dry brush type weathering of the wheels and motion?

 

Up until I worked on the pair of A2/3s for Peterborough North, I too used to brush-paint everything. The airbrush is just another tool to achieve the desired effect. I generally give everything a quick dulling-down first and then work on various areas with both the airbrush and whatever paintbrushes will do the job for different areas. I prefer sometimes to work with the bodyshell off so that I can turn the wheels by hand or PP3 battery and avoid the stripey effect that results from just spraying it in situ.

 

Final dry-brushing and powder work is the bit I enjoy most, though I will admit that 60088 above didn't require much (if at all) of that.

 

I've just done my Stanier 2-6-4T, by the way, thanks for your previous advice on that, and ran it successfully at Hartlepool (photos on my blog soon).

 

Really glad the Microsol treatment worked! I shall look forward to seeing photos of it

 

Cheers,