MikeTrice

I would be interested in hearing how you get on.

Thought I would give the Humbrol Black Wash another go. Interesting! Painted a coat over the "teaked" side then removed surplus whilst the Wash was still wet with cotton wool buds. It gives a lovely heavily weathered finish for which the attached photo does not do justice. If I get a chance to re-photograph in daylight I will post another image.

I havn't used it extensively. Of the two methods I currently prefer using the Model Mates dyes. With the Humbrol product I used a brush to run the wash along the beading. In theory I should be able to use a similar technique to the Model Mates e.g. paint over the panels and use a cotton wool bud dipped in white spirit to 'clean' the panels. BTW it is worth watching the two videos on YouTube for using the Humbrol Washes.

Errant panels overpainted and weathered with Model Mate's dyes: T'other end weathered using the new Humbrol Black Wash:

I think it is the Yellow Ochre that looks odd. I must admit that the variations showed up more than I expected so another option is to thin the overlay colours. I think in future I will drop the Yellow Ochre but keep the remaining colours.

Should be able to. Just need the right combination of colours.

What more could he possibly add about varnished teak? As you quite correctly point out prototype coaches show distinct variations in shades between panels: As stated previously I have ignored this in the past however it is evident that even on brand new ex-works coaches panel variations were evident. As a result I felt I had to attempt reproducing this and present my efforts below. Whether or not I was successful I will leave for others to comment. Having applied the base coat of light orange various panels were picked out in other Vallejo shades: For identification of the colours used: It all looks very odd. One coat of Clear and a graining coat of Burnt Umber later and it looks like this: What do you think?

Thanks for posting these, they are really nice. How did you remove the lining and what did you use for the roofs?

So for those of you not able to get Modelmates dyes. I mention the old fashioned way of weathering: create a heavily thinned wash and apply. The following shows the result. I took some Humbrol matt black, added brown and thinned using Humbrol thinners then applied to the panels. After drying a cotton tip was used with the thinner to remove the excess (as with the ModelMates) resulting is this: First attempt at a weathered roof. Revell Anthrocite base with Humbrol Gunmetal dry brushed over it. Not really happy with the result.

In the past I simply used heavily thinned Humbrol Black however you will be working against the clock applying it. I prefer the Model Mates dyes as they remain water soluble and can be removed it you do not like the effect. It might be possible to make something similar using black washable ink.

No. Every time I try it, it never looks right even if it might be prototypical. If you look closely at img_3311 in the original post you might notice that the graining of the lower panel is slightly heavier than the others.

I said yesterday that I would go on to illustrate a weathered teak finish. No great secret, I simpy use Model Mates dyes: The dye is watered down and applied over the side and allowed to dry: Once dry a wetted cotton wool bud is used to remove the stain from the panels: Continue treating the other panels: When dry give another coat of Humbrol Clear. You will end up with something like this: If I was doing this for real I would line and apply transfers before using the dye. Just the roof to do now!

I have tried most methods and as part of this exercise had a go at using Ronseal Teak Varnish as advocated by others. To be honest I was not over impressed and the use of multiple coats might obliterate detail in 4mm scale. Unfortunately I have never got on with the Precision option and prefer the longer working times of oils. It is also much easier to make corrections. Hopefully you should find equivalent products at your local artists suppliers which was part of the reason for going with more common products.

Taklon which I assume is synthetic. Handles beautifully. Yes I did not use Clear on the second coach as I want to see if it added anything. The answer is no, however the cheap acrylic was not as matt as the Vallejo. Also only one coat was needed using the cheap alternative.

The Vallejo paints are excellant quality however are not so easy to source. As an alternative look out for the craft acrylic paints which are available in much larger bottles. "Pumpkin" was a close match to the Vallejo colour and at £1.99 represents good value: This time I did not apply the Clear layer so kept the masking tape in place: Graining then followed as before: With the graining coat being performed using artists oils, drying times are more generous and there is no rush trying to complete the graining before the paint goes off. The layer applied is quite thin and the Liquin acts to speed up the drying. Typically the side is touch dry in around 8 hours so leaving it overnight is ideal. Once cured the masking tape can be removed and another coat of Clear applied. Anyway, that is enough for tonight. Tomorrow I will try and show how to represent a weathered appearance.

I should add at this stage that whilst preparing the base orange colours for the coach I also treat a piece of prepared paper (i.e sprayed with Halfords primer and cut into strips) to the same two base coats finished with Clear. Now the fun starts. I must admit that this is the one job in railway modelling that satisfies me the most. Blend the mix together, dip the 1/2" brush in the mixture and start applying over the orange base coat using the sample paper as a test piece: When you are happy with the blend start applying it to the coach: At this stage it looks pretty messy but using the brush it can be gradually worked out, avoiding build up around raised details. At this stage the direction of graining needs to be taken into consideration whcich is generally vertical above the waist and horizontal below. I say generally as there are variations, for example it should be horizontal on the door ventilator hoods and vertical on the door frames: Continue working along the coach graining as you proceed. You can be as sophisticated with the graining as you wish. Make sure the graining is repeated in the window recesses and leave final cosmetic graining until last: If you make a mistake, or do not like the result, then apply a cotton wool bud soaked in Turps and clean off the graining coat. I use this technique to clean the paper sample ready for reuse in the future.

Every now and then I like to re-evaluate how I produce a varnished teak finish as applied to LNER coaches. Since I first started reproducing teak in model form, a lot of the products I used are no longer available. Changes to the Royal Mail regulations banning the conveyance of enamel paints can make obtaining tinlets of specialised paints, such as the Phoenix range, expensive, unless you are fortunate to be visiting an exhibition where they are stocked. My next statement may sound odd, but I am finding the use of typical enamel paints increasingly difficult to use as they seem to dry too quickly. I also find that what works one day, may not give such good results on another. Apart for weather differences just changing a brush can make a difference. So I have decided to go back to my roots and adapt a technique I have used in the past, suitably modified. The method is very forgiving and does not noticeably obscure details. I am aware that there are lots of other techniques around, some looking better than other, but this is the one that suits me the most. For the purpose of this demonstration I am using some spare bodies from the earlier Gresley range now under the Railroad range. So lets start with a photo of the prototype: Closer examination suggests that a base colour of orange with some form of transparent graining would give the depth of the real thing. This simple observation is the basis of many teaking techniques. So my first stage is to spray the coach with Halfords White Plastic Primer. Oranges and yellows tend not to be as opaque as the darker colours so a white base proves invaluable. On top of this I have applied two coats of Vallejo Light Orange and a final coat of Humbrol Clear to seal it: To apply the base I use a 1/2" Golden Taklon brush after masking the roof line with Tamiya masking tape. When dry the tape is removed and the Clear applied: I mentioned brushes and find the Golden Taklon brushes ideal for the job. They are available as assorted packs from art and craft shops. These ones by Royal & Langnickel are exceptionally good value, containing 1", 3/4" and 1/2" for £2.99 from a branch of The Range: Let the base coat and the Clear harden for a couple of hours and reapply the masking tape. For the graining layers I use artists oil colours combining Burnt Umber with Windsor and Newton Liquin Original medium in roughly equal quantities. Very little is used as can be seen in the following image. I buy packs of 50 foil ashtrays from the pound shops which make excellant mixing pallettes:

I theory yes, however you would need to source an alternative chassis.

This has a new handle made from a length of Aluminium tube. The bow is glued in and t'other end filled in with Millput which has subsequently been painted. I have a number of these, so different coloured ends help identification.

A few more:

A couple of Re 6/6s this time:

A real mix of Ae 6/6 here:

I really did not expect to produce this one, but felt in the mood last night. So here for Southern fans: SR4WheelCoachV1.pdf

Brought the GWR version in line with the LNER ones and added panelled ends. As before, use with SimpleBody above. GWR4WheelCoachv4.pdf

Updated LNER variant. Similar in style to GER. Use in conjunction with SimpleBody above. LNER4WheelCoachV3.pdf