chaz

Have a go, do one to get the feel and then......away you go!

Very nice pictures Kevin. And interesting how your photographic style varies from that of GN's. It's difficult to put one's finger on what is different, apart from the soft edges, but they are distinct. Chaz

The instructions on the jar of “Worn Effects” suggest that you should attack the top coat as soon as it is dry but I have found that the process works fine if you wait longer. Even overnight is OK although the process is a bit slower to activate. I wetted the first two panels and worked at the first one mostly with an old toothbrush. The soapy look on the second panel is the “Worn Effects” fluid being activated by the water. As I work down the car on each panel the next panel will be wetted and be softening. Here’s the whole side - done, or is it? One of the problems with this process is knowing when to stop. I had decided to leave more of the black paint on this car than on #80 (at top of this post). Of course if you keep going it might be possible to remove all the black - but that would defeat the object of the exercise. However the great strength of this process is the random way that the top coat breaks up to reveal the rust beneath - very difficult to achieve that look just by painting. I paint on a patch of Johnson’s Clear to get a gloss surface for the decal of the car’s number decal. The whole car will get a coat of matte varnish to protect the black paint and the transfer so the shiny patch should vanish. Here are the three brushes I use to get the worn effect. The soft one with the green handle I use only to wet the surface, stirring it around until the soapy effect is showing well. The old toothbrush has had its head narrowed and shortened on a disc sander and I use it to break up the topcoat. The brush at the bottom of the picture has stiffish bristles which I have cut shorter. It’s useful for getting into corners where the toothbrush won’t go. I also use a cocktail stick to help start things off by breaking through the top coat here and there and for putting scratches in the paint. I find the modified toothbrush the most effective with just the right abrasive quality. You will recall that I took the trouble to vary the colours of the rust undercoat? The resultant colour variations are quite subtle once they are seen through the worn black over the top. You could decide to use just a single rust colour. This would be quicker to apply but I think that with weathering subtle is good. Chaz

Making a start on the supporting timberwork for the water tank with plastic! I made a jig to assemble the basic frames with some Plastruct square tube glued to a piece of HIP. A dry run to test the jig. I applied PVA to both ends of the two uprights and assembled the frame in the jig. I made sure the timbers were pushed down (that’s the blade of an engineer’s square). The two smaller frames now ready to be cross-braced - no jig needed for this. Two advantages of a jig - it makes the assembly easier and both frames should match. The advantage of using plastic is that PVA does not bond properly so any excess squeezing out of a joint will not cause damage to the jig or the work. Should the work stick to the jig it can be released by carefully inserting a blade between until the PVA comes away from the plastic. Chaz

Well Steve, the first time I sprayed Vallejo black it sprayed beautifully but later when I was touching in some areas missed the first time it clogged and needed thinning. I suspect that on the first use I hadn't shaken it quite as thoroughly as I should. If you have done much airbrushing you get a "feel"for how thin/thick the paint should be. I will admit that on the second occasion it did look thicker - I could have saved time by trusting my instincts! My very limited experience of Vallejo acrylics (this was the first time I had used them) makes me hesitate to say more. The matte varnish definitely needed thinning. I found a 50:50 mix suggested on the internet and when I tried it this seemed spot on. HTH Chaz

Once the third coat of "Worn effects" chipping fluid was touch dry I removed the small bits of masking tape and sprayed on a coat of Vallejo Model-Air black (71.057). I am very impressed with this product. It comes in a small squeezy-style bottle so is easy to dispense into the airbrush colour cup. It sprays beautifully and has excellent coverage. I looked at the car from all angles to check for any areas I might have missed with the black. Those missed patches under the hopper chutes (IMO) are not worth painting - they are quite invisible when the car is on the track. The one potential problem spraying the Vallejo black is that, like most acrylics, it dries fast and this can cause a build up of paint in the airbrush. When this started to happened I sprayed some water but this did not dislodge a crusty blob on the end of the needle. A quick disassembly and a squirt of airbrush cleaner did the trick. You can see the cleaned parts lying on the card drying off. Tomorrow we get to the good bit! Chaz

You can see that I haven’t been overly worried by the surface finish. Indeed a slightly uneven effect will help with what comes later. This doesn’t look very convincing yet does it? Don’t panic - I hope that later work will transform the model. I have been more careful with the LH panel, making sure the paint on it is smooth. This is where I will add a decal for the car’s number so this panel will be treated differently. I want to be able to handle the model whilst I airbrush fluid on to it so I put a foam rubber block inside it with card inserts against the model. The inserts can be replaced if they get too mucky. There are lots of other ways of holding models while you paint - this one works well with these hopper cars. I chose a jar of AK fluid, “Worn Effects” but I could have used “Heavy Chipping”. These are both thin, like water, and spray easily. I don’t know if they can be brush painted but if you put them in an airbrush to spray it’s very easy to saturate the surface. Three light coats are better than a soaking. If I happen to get the model too wet I turn the air pressure down on the airbrush and use it dry (no colour cup) to blow air gently across the surface. I put a scrap of masking tape on the area where I will be putting the decal for the running number and gave the car three coats of “Worn Effects”, waiting for each coat to look dry before spraying the next. I find it best to hold the model at an angle to the light from time to time as I spray: the fluid is colourless and I need to see that I have covered the area but avoided soaking it. I do all the spraying in the box so any overspray is contained. Chaz

No, because we can no longer see the N5(?) to the extreme right which I think is a very nice feature of the earlier picture. Distant locos included almost inadvertently were often seen in snaps taken in steam days. We would "discover" them whilst poring over photo and get a little thrill as we struggled to identify. But there is room for both (shouts of more are echoing round my room).... Chaz PS - the shot that "doesn't work - too much light" might work if you could reflect some of the light onto the front of the loco, revealing some detail. A piece of white card would do the trick - put the camera on self-timer and you could then hold the card at a suitable angle. Worth a try?

Right, let’s get started…. I first remove the trucks and couplers from the hopper car (safely stashed with the screws!). The trucks and wheels will be weathered separately. I dip my brush into one of the four colours (but not black) and splosh a patch onto the side of the car. Then I dip the brush into one of the other three and add another patch - by just dipping, not stirring I avoid contaminating one colour with another. I don’t wash the brush out in water, the effect will be to thin the next colour. I mix and blend the patches on the model. I continue adding patches of colour until the side is done, checking around raised detail, especially the angle along the bottom edge where there may be a build up of paint. I remove this with the brush and use it on the next blank panel. I am careful with black - what I do is just touch the brush to the surface of the paint in the pot so a very small amount is taken. Then I brush most of the black off onto the grey card box liner. It's then safe to dab traces of black to the colours and blend it in. I don’t want black patches, just mixtures. I paint the other side of the car and the top rim then put the lids on the paint pots, clean the brush and walk away. I leave the model for a couple of hours for the paint to dry so that it can to be handled to do the ends and the underneath. Once the paint on the sides is dry I can finish painting rust colours on the ends and underneath. I don’t bother too much about those parts that can hardly be seen when the car is on the track - I just get some paint on them. Any parts that are invisible when railed can be ignored - it would be like painting the inside of a tank car. I make sure that all the detail parts - ladders, handrails etc get painted. I leave the model to dry again - it can be left upside down on the previously painted and dry top rim. I prefer to leave it overnight as it will get some harsh treatment later on... Chaz

I have started a topic in the painting and weathering section of the forum to cover some weathering projects. The first one will be a detailed look at the Bachmann hopper cars so if you would like to have a look.....follow the link. http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/137349-some-weathering-projects/?p=3293321 Chaz

I thought I would start a topic here about some of my weathering techniques. The first model I will describe is #95, a Bachmann On30 hopper car, but the techniques could be used on any steel wagon - a BR 16 tonner for instance. Above is a picture of #80 which I hope will get you interested. First I set up my bench - I had to clear a space of clutter first! Cardboard box cut so the top and front are open - this will contain any overspray from the airbrush. Grey card liner - cereal box - can be thrown out when it get’s too mucky. On the grey card is a stencil brush which I use to dust the model before I start weathering. On the left an old palette containing... 5 acrylic colours for the first step - Humbrols - they stay wet longer than Tamiya. RC401 dirty black RC402 or 113 rust (I think they are the same colour) 62 leather RC426 orange RC418 EWS maroon red - a browny red A water pot for brush cleaning And two round brushes - what I call “sploshy” brushes - they are not my best ones but they do need to hold a reasonable amount of paint. I also have a paper towel or two or some kitchen roll to hand. The next post will feature some action. Chaz

Bonus! But two shots? When I am out and about with my DSLR I often shoot in bursts - it's not unusual for me to get a dozen from which to choose the best one. But then butterflies are a bit more unpredictable than your (excellent) models!

Well, although I am largely in agreement with that sentiment it is a peculiarly British habit to think of such a functional machine as a railway locomotive as needing to look pleasing. Of far more importance is that it should be as efficient as possible; the clutter on foreign machines was there for good reasons - aesthetics rightly took a back seat. Could the 9F locomotives be improved? Would they be better for having air brakes? A decent headlight mounted on the top of the smokebox? Buckeye couplings, dispensing with the need for separate buffers? The reality is that their shamefully short working lives precluded any sensible development (I wouldn't call the Franco-Crostis sensible!). The 9Fs were magnificent machines and a huge improvement on some of the archaic, worn out stuff they replaced. It's just a pity they came so late. Chaz

Sometimes I think airbrushes are the devil's own. After working faultlessly yesterday, spraying AK's "Worn Effects" and Vallejo black, today I have spent a couple of frustrating hours getting the da**ed thing to work. Despite giving a good blast through with soapy water at the end of yesterday's session this morning it stuttered and blocked with the same black acrylic and required a strip down and several squirts of airbrush cleaner on the parts and into the various orifices before it would even spray water. I have gone back to brush painting for much of my modelling. Anybody else got experience of using chipping fluids? Do they clog airbrushes (they spray like water)? Can they be brush painted? Would it better to end a spraying session with a blast of IPA rather than water? Chaz

Spring is long gone but this month offers a last chance to see those little gems - small coppers. They have a third flight period in September and, as I have had little luck finding them this year, I set off today to Old Winchester Hill with my fingers crossed. They really are quite small and the ones I found perched on the bare chalk path were hard to get near being easily spooked. The ones busy taking nectar from flowers were easier to get closer to. Chaz

Not sure I'd want to travel from PN to The Cross in a Cravens, definitely not in the Motor Brake Second, whose seats used to blur with the vibration until the gear change when everything would go quiet and serene - but only for a moment. Those in the know got a seat in the trailer car - the E564xx one.

I discovered something today - it might already be widely known in which case SORRY! I have been using Tamiya acrylics for a while and have been in the habit of saving the glass jars "in case they might be useful". incidentally soaking them in water overnight usually dislodges any dried on paint. I use a Badger airbrush and I wondered if the jar adapter.... ....with the nylon pipe suitably shortened.... ...would fit on a Tamiya jar. The thread doesn't seem quite right but it does tighten nicely and appears to stay put. Could be a useful source of free jars? I haven't tried spraying with the combination yet but I can't imagine why it wouldn't work. Chaz

A decision has been made... I collected all my enamel paint cans and jars into a box. It may well be that many of these pots have no usable paint in them - just a solid slab of dried out colour - but I really can't get excited about the job of opening them all up to see. However I am not quite ready to throw these out so they will be stored away. If after a year or so I haven't had cause to go to the box then they will be disposed of. I have converted all my painting to acrylics and I need the paint cupboard for my rapidly growing collection. Chaz

I have taken several photos of my FVRR layout with the camera in positions where I couldn't see the rear screen. Swapping my compact to my DSLR was no better as I couldn't get an eye to the viewfinder. I resorted to shooting blind with several, sometimes lots, of exposures. I usually managed at least one "keeper". I found the trickiest aspect of shooting blind was getting the horizon level, but some generous cropping was often a solution. The above photo was shot blind with the camera on delayed exposure to eliminate camera shake. This one wasn't hand held, so it was easier but the same approach could be used with the camera in hand, at arm's length. Chaz

Propped up on a steel block which is probably not the right height.... Still a lot of work to do but encouraging.

Cramped and uncomfortable? I'm not seeing that. Impressive? Certainly! Those enthusiastic shouts of "More!" are coming from me.... Chaz

Oh well, GN should just get one of his own and remove its coupling (neuter it?) and use this one whenever the end of the rake is visible in close up. SORTED!

A roof for the water tank 2 I decided to use shingles to surface the roof. My first step was to make a second card cone and separate the pieces. I marked the short side of these six triangles with an arrow; the short side being only 6mm shorter than the other two, it would easy to confuse them. I already had a packet of Evergreen 12” cedar shingles - these would do fine. The first step in applying the shingles is to fix a spacer piece along the bottom edge. The shingles are self-adhesive - all you have to do is peel the backing and a very sticky glue is revealed. The spacer strips can be seen on the piece of a shingles sheet. I stained the shingles with Indian ink diluted with IPA, aiming for a variety of colours. It’s pretty essential to cut the strip to length before removing the backing - the glue grips really well to anything it touches. I found I must only handle the strips by the edges once the backing is off. They will stick tenaciously to finger or thumb and are very difficult to remove without damage (see below). I drew pencil guide lines as the instructions suggest. I found the best way to align a strip was to allow the adhesive on one end to grab and then adjust the position before smoothing down the rest of the strip. A silhouetted close-up showing why it’s so easy to damage the shingle strips. The cedar they are cut from is very thin and the narrow links are easily torn apart whilst try to unstick them from your thumb! However it's not a disaster if a link is broken you just butt the two pieces together as you set them in place. The links are hidden as each new layer is added. I carried on applying the strips, cut long enough to overlap the card shape on each side. I was able to use the cut off pieces higher up the triangle, so there wasn't too much waste. All the lines of shingles in place on one of the triangles. I am happy to tolerate a slight unevenness in the alignment. Turning the card over I trimmed the overlap from the two long sides. The overlap at the bottom is intentional and will be kept. All six faces with shingles applied - not a quick job as so much care is needed. The face nearest the camera has the inspection hatch (modelled with strips of scrap ply left over from the engine house kit) which gave access to the inside of the tank. I glued the six faces to the hexagonal cone with PVA. I represented flashing over the joints using grey paper also secured with PVA. To make the crease along these strips I score the paper lightly and form the bend before I cut the strips to width. Forming a crease in strips this narrow is virtually impossible. On the left is the roof’s base - mounting card with strips of balsa section glued along the edges on the underside. I leave you to speculate what the plastic bead - purloined from Sue’s nick-nack box - is for. All will be revealed later! Chaz

I made the trip to Guildex at Telford today and bought a number of weathering potions, so I'm hoping for more good effects on the stock.

Yes, that first shot is excellent - it does have real impact and a fairly tight composition is a lot to do with that (just a pity about the ploughing attachment on that 7 planker). Chaz