Weathering with ink and weathering powders - O Gauge Ruston 48DS

[Barry O]

Looks good

[Barry O]

If anyone wants to have a go on their stock using ink and powder and you are attending BRM Doncaster bring something with you and I will help you to get going with weathering!

[Barry O]

With the cold weather giving more time to weather I have been weathering wagons - but have yet to get some decent photos of this - as a precursor to demoing at Doncaster and the ALSRM Bolton Show I have found a nice shot of a Welsh O gauge loco to show what you can do with ink and powders

 

Hope its OK

 

Edited November 18, 2022 by Barry O

[Barry O]

Getting everything ready for the tuition sessions at Doncaster.

 

I will have some test pieces to have a go at but you can always bring a loco or wagon along to have a go yourself - just a reminder of what you can achieve....

 

couldn't resist a Doncaster built loco - I will have Colombo at the show as i haven't finished it quite yet - the one pictured has been modified by Mike Edge.

 

 

Hope to see some of you Saturday or Sunday

[Barry O]

Some additional info following on from the "tuition" area at Doncaster Show:

 

1  I use Windsor and Newton and Rotring inks - these are water based

 

2  Not all acrylics appear to be water soluble - so if you do use then try them on a piece of plasticard painted with grey car primer to see if - a) they are dilutable and you can remove them once dry if you don't like the colour/effect achieved.

 

3  I remove inks and powders using a bit of "cif" and a tooth brush if required. You can just try plain water on a cotton wool bud if you want to - you can get back to the original paint finish with a bit of work.

 

4  For lime-scale etc I do us a Rowney poster paint - put a little blob on the washout plugs (a little goes a long way) then using a fine paint brush with water feather the paint down the vehicle as shown below

 

 

Hope this helps

 

Barry O

[Metr0Land]

Some additional info following on from the "tuition" area at Doncaster Show:

 

Not all acrylics appear to be water soluble - so if you do use then try them on a piece of plasticard painted with grey car primer to see if - a) they are dilutable and you can remove them once dry if you don't like the colour/effect achieved.

 

 

 

Barry O

 

I went on an airbrushing course before Xmas and one of things they taught us was that some acrylics are water based, and some solvent based.

[Barry O]

I went on an airbrushing course before Xmas and one of things they taught us was that some acrylics are water based, and some solvent based.

Which can be a problem if you try to wash it off or dilute it with water.

 

Having said that it appears that Rowney now do an acrylic Indian ink(!) I haven't got any to try but I have asked someone who has to try it and we can see if we can use it with water.

[Barry O]

A quick update.

 

I have been doing some experiments - sometimes the surface of the wagons/locos is too gloss to take the ink easily. In the past I have just gone over the surface a few times to get it to adhere.

 

Coachman adds some washing up liquid to his weathering mix - and I have tried this with ink

 

Pros 

1 the ink will adhere to a gloss surface more easily 

2 the wash will migrate into nooks and crannies a lot more easily

 

Cons

1 It can leave the surface "sticky" to the touch - which is a pro as it gets the weathering powders to stick more BUT it attracts dust...

 

Once I get it to a level of usability I will report back in the meantime ..

 

Happy Weathering!

[Eric & Gripper]

Some fine work and skills on display here.As ever 

 

I'm really enjoying this thread,and will in due course have a go.

It is a baautiful method and closer to "art" than can be accomplished with an airbrush.

Thanks again for explaining what have mysteries until now.

The step by step is very good. I feel a trip to Hobbycraft is on the cards next time i'm in hull.

 

Warmest regards (it speeds the drying time too)

 

Eric & Gripper.

I only wish my fingers would type as fast as my brain

[Barry O]

Eric and Gripper, 

thanks for the comments. I have a very expensive airbrush but it doesn't give me the finish I like when I do weathering - its all a bit "flat" if you know what I mean. The weathering powders add to the texture of the model - I am happy with it as are my clients. Mind you I always continue to look of improvements and I am always looking for new colour photographs of locos and stock as weathering seems to be turning observation into a model.

[Eric & Gripper]

Hello again Barry.

 

As you can tell i am a big fan of your work. I probably love weathering as much you. All the different techniques we use to achieve "reality".It really is the Dark arts.

I would wholeheartedly agree you can't expect an airbrush to create the depth and texture, that building up layers,creating highlights and shadows does for a model.

Your work has that lovely feel and texture to it. Powders permanent or otherwise are definitely the answer to this texture in a world of Soot and pollution .,

I tend to go down the permanent route.which isn't for everyone but stems from my military modelling background.I can appreciate the benefit you get from removable weathering.

 

It does seem to have taken the railway modelling fraternity a long time to come to terms with weathering. It effects, (yours especially) are simply stunning and well worth the time and effort to finish this "reality". 

It is often underestimated how much time and reference goes into weathering.since it isn't an official livery,but without it something is obviously missing.

 

Keep up the excellent work sir

For my own part I the  delivered finished wagons and was promptly given a box of green diesels and maroon Mk1s to "have a go at" happy days.

 

Best regards,

Eric & Gripper.

[Barry O]

Hello again Barry.

 

As you can tell i am a big fan of your work. I probably love weathering as much you. All the different techniques we use to achieve "reality".It really is the Dark arts.

I would wholeheartedly agree you can't expect an airbrush to create the depth and texture, that building up layers,creating highlights and shadows does for a model.

Your work has that lovely feel and texture to it. Powders permanent or otherwise are definitely the answer to this texture in a world of Soot and pollution .,

I tend to go down the permanent route.which isn't for everyone but stems from my military modelling background.I can appreciate the benefit you get from removable weathering.

 

It does seem to have taken the railway modelling fraternity a long time to come to terms with weathering. It effects, (yours especially) are simply stunning and well worth the time and effort to finish this "reality". 

It is often underestimated how much time and reference goes into weathering.since it isn't an official livery,but without it something is obviously missing.

 

Keep up the excellent work sir

For my own part I the  delivered finished wagons and was promptly given a box of green diesels and maroon Mk1s to "have a go at" happy days.

 

Best regards,

Eric & Gripper.

Thanks for that - one of the reasons for my using the techniques I use is that some of the stock I weather has had an expensive paint job on it - and if the owner doesn't like the weathering then I like to remove it if possible.

 

In the demos I do at exhibitions I like to get people to be "hands on" - a lot of them can quickly master the basics of the "dark arts " as you say.  Keep on with the weathering -  being a military modeller really does help - a lot of what I do is gleaned from conversations I have had with IPMS guys over the years - as military vehicles are another interest of mine..

 

Barry O

[Barry O]

In one of my latest weathering jobs I was provided with some nice photos of a real engine - not the same colour as the model  but it gave me a lot of information on where the weathering needed to be.

 

Its a Judith Edge Kit made up by Mike Edge and it is a Hunslet 50T 0-6-0 diesel. Painted dark red it looks very smart.

 

However, on the prototype photos you can see a nice spread of oil and yuck coming from the oil level indicator.

 

To copy this in 4mm is reasonably easy to do - I first used a ink/water wash all over the loco. This was followed (when dry to the touch) with some black weathering powder. I then applied more ink to the shape seen on the proto photos and before it was dry - added more black weathering powders - tapping it on over the wet ink - and voila!

 

any questions - please ask

 

Barry O

 

 

 

 

Edited November 18, 2022 by Barry O

[Barry O]

Updating some of my stock and have done a bit of work on the insides of some of my Iron Ore wagons - powder on wet brown ink/water. And please note this represents Haemetite ore - a very different colour to that seen in trh Corby iron ore fields (which are very yellowy and seem to be limestone with added iron...)

 

 

and also dug out some of my older weathered vans - this one is ex Ratio with destinations inked on..

 

 

any questions - please ask...

Edited November 13, 2013 by Barry O

[Barry O]

and for green diesel fans..

 

 

 

note the grease/oil streaks and the odd bit of roof rust (taken from a picture i took at the NYMR some time ago)

 

and roof detail

 

 

the texture is a mix of ink and powder.

 

I have now been asked to do a dirty loco which has been cleaned... off to do some black magic and then I will tell you how I did it (I hope!)

[Barry O]

Well after a couple of attempts here are some dirty locos - now "cleaned" - this one is a Bachmann Jubilee which had been weathered and has now been cleaned - to represent a loco cleaned with paraffin and a rag... hope it looks OK First up a "dirty" loco.

 

 

and now a "cleaned" one

 

 

and close ups....

 

 

and a "cleaned" tender..

 

Edited June 18, 2013 by Barry O

[Barry O]

Some of you may have seen this

 

 

well its back with me to turn it into a loco which has been hand cleaned and then I need to fit sound to it. Well first attempt at a "cleaned" loco...

 

 

and a bit more detail - smokebox and boiler

 

 

and now the cab and tender

 

 

this takes a bit of doing but due to the water based nature of the weathering doesn't require any abrasives or T cut type applications - just water and some cotton buds

 

Hope its looks OK.

[Barry O]

Well the A1 is back with the customer - I also fitted a sound chip to it.

 

Some of how I did it - 

1   using a cotton wool bud and some water/cif I cleaned off the weathering powder and ink on the boiler - leaving  the top of it dirty ( its hard to reach up there - I have some experience of this on the real thing)

2 Same again on the cab sides and tender sides and back

3 Polish the clean areas with the cotton wool bud till its nice and shiny - the job is done

[Barry O]

Note that like a lot of things I weather I used a good quality colour photo of a similar loco to work out where it is clean and where it gets dirty.

 

If only our RTR guys did this we might not have as many "brown" weathered steam locos.

[Barry O]

Sometimes I do the strangest things - like weathering the overhead on Herculaneum Dock

 

as seen "clean"

 

 

and after a bit of ink, water and some desert sand (to represent the gunk which congregated on the decking.

 

 

but I am going back to do more weathering as its still too clean!

 

 

[Barry O]

I have been reading a lot of the posts on weathering recently and would say that there are some great techniques around but try and use good quality colour photos of your subject before you embark on weathering anything be it stock. locos , buildings etc.

 

Weathering needs a lot of observation rather than perspiration - in other words some points to note:

 

1 not all steam engines ended up coated in brown rust or dust

2 not all steam engines suffered from lime scale

3 coaches were reasonably clean - unless the washers froze or ran out of cleaning fluids...

4 Not all wagons were rusty ( tremendous number of new wagons delivered during the late 1950s and into the early 1960s.

5 Wood doesn't go rusty but nails, bolts and metal fittings do and the rust stain can leach down the sides of vehicles and doors

 

sorry to be a bit blunt.....

 

So try the photographic route and see what stock, locos and buildings  in the late 1950s and early 1960s did look like...

[class"66"]

Some nice work here!! and handy tips too....  

[Barry O]

Some nice work here!! and handy tips too....  

Thanks very much.... Any time anyone needs help I am happy to try and help them.

[southern42]

A very good morning, Barry.  It is when you think modelling.

 

Well, first, I came across pannier tank No. 7730 with cement wagon on the Brentford branch (1958) and No. 3620 with two of them (1960) in Branch lines of West London (Vic Mitchell and Keith Smith)

 

So, I picked up one of these in Carlisle last week - a bit clean, don't you think?

 

Then saw this beauty, the next day at Shildon.

 

Now I have a question.

We have a bottle of Green Scenes "Cement" textured paint.  Will this be suitable as a weathering (cementing) agent?

I was thinking of using dilute white ink or acrylic paint as a colour fading agent, first, instead of black - but the same process you showed me some time back.

Would this be a sufficient key for the "Cement" paint do you think?

 

I'll try it out on scrap, first, whatever.

 

Any comments or suggestions most welcome.  Thanks.

 

Polly

[jwealleans]

I'm sure someone on here has used cement powder to weather cement wagons. Seems logical.

 

At the risk of stealing Barry's thunder, talc in a suitably coloured paint would be an alternative to give texture - but remember the talc will tend to lighten the paint and try not to use a scented one (unless you want your trains to smell of flowers).