Author |
Topic  |
TomPM
Fireman
   
Premium Member
 |
Posted - 10/07/2020 : 5:00:42 PM
|
After getting back into modeling I found that I had forgotten how I did some of my weathering. The last few months I have been experimenting with different methods. I have given up on airbrushing as a method. I was growing dissatisfied with it back in the old days.
In the past and now I have used a combination of washes and dry brushing for weathering. I have used craft paints exclusively. I have had in my opinion varying degrees of success with these methods. For washes I used blue windshield washer fluid with great success. However, recently I have not been happy with it. They must have changed the formulation and I believe lowered the alcohol content. I can’t prove this, but I had an old bottle and things were better than the bottle I bought earlier this year.
I was also a big fan of Folk Art paint but their color selection has been reduced in the stores around here. Gone are many of my favorites. I have tried other brands but they are usually too watery for my purposes.
I have searched YouTube and found several videos which at first seemed helpful. After trying the methods, I was left frustrated with my level of success. The videos always seem to be missing some important pre-starting step or just became boring ramblings.
I purchased a couple of books. I tend to like printed instructions. For me, the videos can be great to show something, but it is hard to repeat the instructions or in some cases find the particular technique I am looking for in a 30-minute video.
One thing that caught my eye was weathering chalks. I have tried them in the past with no luck. The car would look great until I sealed it. All the work I did would disappear. I would do multiple applications but, in the end, it looked like I did nothing.
I started to read and see examples using the newer weathering chalks. The more I researched the more I liked what I found. A couple of months ago I purchased some Pan Pastel chalks. My first attempts were to add the chalks to cars that had been previously weathered using washes.




|
Country: USA
| Posts: 4764 |
|
TomPM
Fireman
   
Premium Member

|
Posted - 10/07/2020 : 5:04:12 PM
|
After reading more about using the chalks I decided tonight to weather a car entirely with chalks. I selected an Athearn Gulf Mobile & Ohio 40-foot boxcar. I recently obtained the car off a certain auction site for $5. The kit was built and came with Kadee #5 couplers installed. It is proper weight. The only drawback was the plastic wheels. I will change them once I get more metal wheels.
I wiped the dust off the car and checked for any other dirt or stains. Once I was satisfied I gave the car a spray of Dullcoat. I let it dry for a few days. AKA other things came up.
I started with an off-white chalk to fade the car. It was then I discovered a problem. Apparently, whoever handled the car before did not have clean fingers. Fingerprints appeared in several locations. After a few under the breath comments. I decided to go over the car with a medium gray. This appeared to cover the fingerprints. I then used shades of umber and sienna along the bottom of the car to show splashes and dirt accumulation. I went over the roof with gray and black. Happy with the way the car looked I sealed it with Dullcoat.
After letting it dry for most of the day, I retrieved the car. To my horror several fingerprints were back but now in gray. I now went over them with shades of red oxide. This seemed to do the trick. I also added the red oxide to the roof.
I weathered the trucks using all the above-mentioned colors. I did not do the wheels. As I stated before they are plastic and will be replaced.
I was happy with the car until I took the following photos. You can see of the second one there is still a smudge. I will do some additional weathering there to blend something in at that spot.
The sides


The roof


The trucks

|
|
Country: USA
| Posts: 4764 |
 |
|
deemery
Fireman
   
Premium Member

|
Posted - 10/07/2020 : 5:38:40 PM
|
I've gotten interesting effects by applying alcohol on top of Pan Pastels.
dave
|
Modeling 1890s (because the voices in my head told me to) |
|
Country: USA
| Posts: 8741 |
 |
|
TomPM
Fireman
   
Premium Member

|
Posted - 10/07/2020 : 6:33:12 PM
|
quote: Originally posted by deemery
I've gotten interesting effects by applying alcohol on top of Pan Pastels.
dave
Dave how do apply the alcohol and how much?
|
|
Country: USA
| Posts: 4764 |
 |
|
TomPM
Fireman
   
Premium Member

|
Posted - 10/07/2020 : 6:37:06 PM
|
Here is a second car I just finished. I am quickly becoming a big fan of these Pan Pastels.



|
|
Country: USA
| Posts: 4764 |
 |
|
TRAINS1941
Engineer
    
Premium Member

|
Posted - 10/07/2020 : 7:07:54 PM
|
Very nice!
|
Jerry
"And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years." A. Lincoln |
|
Country: USA
| Posts: 13044 |
 |
|
tloc
Fireman
   
Premium Member

|
Posted - 10/07/2020 : 7:43:39 PM
|
TomPM
I like what you are doing, looks good
TomO
|
|
Country: USA
| Posts: 4200 |
 |
|
deemery
Fireman
   
Premium Member

|
Posted - 10/07/2020 : 7:45:38 PM
|
I've done alcohol streaks with a soft brush and just sprayed on alcohol and let it run 'naturally'.
On wood, the Pan Pastels will sort of soak into the wood after you apply the alcohol.
dave
|
Modeling 1890s (because the voices in my head told me to) |
|
Country: USA
| Posts: 8741 |
 |
|
Michael Hohn
Fireman
   

|
Posted - 10/07/2020 : 8:17:50 PM
|
Tom,
What you’re doing works very well. Excellent job.
Where do you get ideas for degree and pattern of weathering?
Mike
|
|
Country: USA
| Posts: 6989 |
 |
|
TomPM
Fireman
   
Premium Member

|
Posted - 10/07/2020 : 11:24:59 PM
|
Mike
I use photos. I get them from the Internet, books, magazines, and my own.
Sometimes I take an educated guess. I was a civil engineer in highway design for 35 years. Understanding and observing water and how it flows and what it leaves behind was an important part of my job. Water is the biggest problem for roads, bridges, and walls. We used to do a mental exercise of following a drop of water and where it goes.
When photos don't help I fall back on that thought process and follow the path of the drop of water. What path will it take. Where is going to accumulate. Water/moisture attract dirt, dust, and grime. Water carries it from one place to another. Where water lays for long periods, rust will eventually appear.
|
Edited by - TomPM on 10/07/2020 11:30:20 PM |
|
Country: USA
| Posts: 4764 |
 |
|
George D
Moderator
    
Premium Member

|
Posted - 10/08/2020 : 07:27:39 AM
|
Interesting point on water, Tom.
George
|
Fly Army |
|
Country: USA
| Posts: 16578 |
 |
|
Tyson Rayles
Moderator
    
Premium Member

|
Posted - 10/08/2020 : 08:39:41 AM
|
Great job on the weathering!
|
|
Country: USA
| Posts: 13393 |
 |
|
deemery
Fireman
   
Premium Member

|
Posted - 10/08/2020 : 08:51:40 AM
|
My wife would assert "It's really easy for you to think like dirt" :-) :-)

dave
|
Modeling 1890s (because the voices in my head told me to) |
Edited by - deemery on 10/08/2020 08:53:38 AM |
|
Country: USA
| Posts: 8741 |
 |
|
BurleyJim
Fireman
   
Premium Member

|
Posted - 10/08/2020 : 11:36:41 AM
|
They look "nasty", just like the real ones! Nice job Tom!
Jim
|
Take the red pill |
|
Country: USA
| Posts: 6025 |
 |
|
quartergauger48
Fireman
   
Premium Member

|
Posted - 10/08/2020 : 5:41:45 PM
|
You can't beat Pan Pastels on all surfaces..especially rolling stock'... Nice job'..
I would recommend wiping down the car with alcohol before DullKoating, what happened was you sealed the finger prints with the dullcoat. WHen I started weathering I used Thomas Yorke's and Dr.Ben's techniques. Both were very informative.
You'll find covering the Pan Pastels with either dullcoat or alcohol will give you great and realistic results..
|
Ted |
Edited by - quartergauger48 on 10/10/2020 11:06:46 AM |
|
Country: USA
| Posts: 6169 |
 |
|
Philip
Fireman
   

|
Posted - 10/08/2020 : 11:47:31 PM
|
Great work Tom!
Philip
|
|
Country: USA
| Posts: 3436 |
 |
|
Topic  |
|