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Clinic
- If It Ain't Dirty...It Ain't Done Pt 1 |
Things to consider when starting a
project.
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1. |
What does the car haul? |
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2. |
Where does it haul it? |
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B)
All kinds of things coat, cover, stick to, land on and are spilled
on rolling stock. |
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1. |
These cause the 5 Keys to good weathering:
Grease, Grime, Rust, Dust & Mud. |
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1. |
Pastel Chalks (Grays & Blacks, Oranges & Browns) |
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2. |
Paint (I like
Floquil. Acrylics don�t cover
to well yet but they great for weathering. |
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3. |
Thinner (I use Lacquer
Thinner. You can buy it by
the gallon. It is much
cheaper and works as good as Dio-sol.
For Acrylics, use Distilled water.
The additives in tap water can effect the color of the paint. |
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4. |
Paint brushes - fine points, standard, and fan brushes. |
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5. |
Dirt. The same that
you use on the rest of your layout. |
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6. |
Airbrush. Not a must
but the effects are much better and most of the tips in this clinic will
use one. |
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7. |
Dull Coat. I like
Testors. It�s easy to find
and cheap. |
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1. |
By
thinning the paint and dropping the air pressure on the airbrush you can get a cloudy effect.
The idea is to go over the area once, twice at the most. |
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1. |
Dip
just the tip of the brushes bristles in the paint.
Wipe most of the paint off on a rag.
Then apply the brush to the model.
This will produce a streaked effect. |
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1. |
One of
the most universal tools is a stain made with one jar of Rubbing Alcohol
and 1 teaspoon of India Ink. This
stain is applied to EVERYTHING!! It
will create shadows on objects and makes the details stand out.
I also have a second jar that has 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons of ink for darker
stains. |
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1. |
To apply chalks, you rub some off of the brick and apply with a dry
paint brush. |
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2. |
These
add a nice effect, but there is a problem.
They have to be sealed with dull coat. This usually blows most of the chalk off of the model.
You must either back way off the model (so the dull coat is almost
dry when it lands and the pressure isn�t very high) or you must OVER DO
the chalks and let the sealer tone down the effects. |
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1. |
This is a 4 step process of paint, stain,
dirt, and sealer. I often use
only the first 2 parts that consists of a rust color paint and black
stain. |
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1. |
Nothing
beats plain dirt. This can be
added like chalks. You can use other colors of dirt or chalks to represent other sources of dirt.
(i.e.: cars that have come from interchange traffic or other parts
of the railroad. |
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1. |
Any
clear FLAT paint. Unless you
are working on some passenger equipment the paints will be flat.
All weathered surfaces should have a flat appearance. |
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A)
General weather principles for all rolling stock. |
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1. |
Freight cars are DIRTY!!!!!!!
Freight cars are beat up, banged up, rusty, muddy�This is where the 5 keys come into play.
You can use Grease, Grime, Dust, Rust and Mud to do most of the
weathering. Other things to
keep in mind are faded lettering and soot. |
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2. |
Passenger
Cars are, usually, pretty well cleaned up.
They are cleaned both inside and out. Nobody wants a
customer climbing into a filthy coach. |
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1. |
The bottom of any car will have elements of the 5 keys.
Trucks and Couplers are a part of this as well.
Again, with passenger coaches being cleaner the trucks are not as
dirty as freight trucks.
Passenger trucks are often painted to keep them from rusting. |
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TECH
NOTE:
To
achieve the effects of the 5 keys, I usually prefer to use paint for the
most part.
You don�t quite get the coverage or color with most chalks.
With the car apart, spray the underside with whatever color is
correct or the color you want. Then
mist a coat of Grime.
Mud is often kicked up onto the bottom of the car - usually around
the trucks.
I used a couple of different methods for this.
You can dry brush or you can dip a brush into the paint jar, wiping
off the extra on the side of the jar. Then aim the edge of the brush at
the model, and drag your finger across the brush.
This will send paint flying onto the model�..and everything else.
Please remember to cover your work surface and anything else you
don�t want to be �Muddy�.
I then use RustAll to rust any �metal� parts (ie around trucks,
couplers, brake gear).
Next go over it with a mist of Grimy Black on any part that would
move on a real
box car.
After the paint has dried, rub dirt into the part, or mist on a
very thin coat of Dust. |
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C)
Bodies (Sides, Ends,
and Roofs). |
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1. |
The lettering will look faded on any car that has been in service
for a while. |
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2. |
The 5 keys apply here as well.
On tankers and covered hoppers, you will have spills around the top
which will often run down the side. |
TECH
NOTE:
For the sides and tops
of a car, the first step is to make the lettering look faded.
This is achieved by misting a thin coat of paint that is the same
color as the car�s base color. So
if the car is Red Oxide then mist Red Oxide over the lettering.
The color does not have to be a perfect match, but it is important
to get it as close as you can. Then
I add some rust, usually by dry brushing.
Remember anything on a vertical surface that streaks or runs will
do so up and down due to gravity. Chalks
also work well for this. You
will want to add something to represent dirt around the bottom of the car.
This can be done with Dirt or chalks.
It can also be done with the airbrush.
Remember to use up-strokes so it looks like the wheels have kicked
up dirt. If it�s a wooden boxcar or a new 60 footer it�s
going to rust. Rust any metal
supports and parts on the older wooden cars and the entire side of the
metal cars if you wish. Rust
colored paint can also be thinned and misted onto the sides.
Stock cars will also have a white-ish stain around the bottom of
the car. The lime placed on
the cars floors causes this. If
the car is a double deck car (For Sheep and Pigs) you may want to have
this stain start at the bottom of the top deck and continue down the side
of the car. For this, you can
thin white paint, or you can use chalks.
The roof, or top of the car will have soot of some sort regardless
of which kind of motive power you use.
It is heavier on steam era cars.
Cinders and soot can be done with chalks or the airbrush. Take
a bottle of Grimy Black and use it full strength. You will have to
add some air pressure to pull the thick paint out of the jar. Back
away from your model and spray. The idea is that you want the paint
to be almost dry when it lands. Remember to rust any metal parts like break wheels and stove pipes
(on passenger coaches and cabooses).
You will want to add the rust before the soot. Once
the car is weathered to your liking you will need to seal it with a dull
clear coat. |
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1. |
These are the dirtiest of all railroad equipment because they
create it.
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2. |
Soot, especially on engines that are coal or wood fired, is
EVERYWHERE.
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A)
Newton�s Law. What goes up must come down!
Sides of smoke boxes and boilers are filthy.
These will streak down.
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B)
The water that produces the steam will leave behind calcium
deposits. These will build up around pipes and fittings.
These, like rust, will also run down following seems, joints, and
pipes. Providing that the engine is in constant use and sees very
little shop time. Most lines kept a fine eye on their engines...most
of the time. This effect is more useful if you are modeling little
backwoods railroads where maintenance wasn't as important as moving freight. |
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C)
Coal is dusty! Its
dust will be all over most of the tender and the cab.
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D) The
5 keys apply here too. |
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1. |
Exhaust stains. |
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2. |
Fuel spills. |
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3. |
And
as always...the 5 Keys. |
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TECH
NOTE:
Like weathering a boxcar you use
the same principles. Cinders and soot are put in place as
before. The calcium deposits on leaky fittings can be created with
chalks. When making an old
stain that has run down to a joint, seem or pipe you can first dip a small
brush in water. Place a drop of water on the model and let it, or
help it, run where you wish. Dry off the brush then dip just the tip
of the brush into a jar of white acrylic paint.
At the highest point of the water you just put on
the model touch the white paint to the water.
The
paint will then mix with the water and run down.
This will dry and leave a nice thin white stain that has run just
like the real things.
Coal
dust should be heavy around the cab, tender floor, and around the front
part of the tender. Remember, tenders tend to overflow and spill when they
are being filled.
This will wash the coal dust off and cause rust.
Again, the 5 keys apply.
Faded
lettering also applies.
Most steam engines where black with white lettering.
Either by dry brushing or with chalks you can create the illusion
of the paint washing off and down the side. Using the same color as the
lettering dry brush down the side starting at the top of the letters.
On diesels you will also use the 5 keys, faded lettering, a small
spill on the fuel tanks, and exhaust stains on the top of the engine.
The spill can be done with chalks.
The exhaust stains can be done with an airbrush.
By using full strength paint, adding more air pressure, and backing
away from the model it will create a unique effect.
The reason is that the paint falls onto the model.
It is also dry when it hits.
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A)
Mother Nature�s Effects. |
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1. |
Rain
will cause several stains to any building.
It will cause stains where the rain runs down the roof and walls.
It will also cause a dirty/muddy stain around the base of most
buildings (Unless surrounded by concrete). |
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2. |
Any exposed
metal will have rust.
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3. |
You
can�t go wrong with Dust and Grime.
Both will age any structure and should be misted over the
entire structure unless you are trying to achieve a special effect.
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4. |
The
black stain, again, for the details. |
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5. |
Use
the dry brush technique or an airbrush to fade and weather signs. |
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1. |
Soot stains
should be added to buildings that are close to the tracks.
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TECH
NOTE:
The
alcohol stain is wonderful for making water stains on any surface.
I use the light stain for the general weathering and for details.
For water stains, I like to use the darker stain.
If the stain is a little too dark you can dry brush over the stain
with the same color as the wall.
For the dirt around the base of the building you can use the real
dirt or chalks.
Start at the bottom of the building and pull the chalk up the side.
You don�t want to go very high.
Remember, this is representing dirt that has been kicked up by
rain. It
shouldn�t go much over 2 - 2 1/2 scale feet.
Rust
any exposed metal.
On older buildings use a general misted top coat of grime and or
dust. This
will add age to the building and give it character. On
buildings with a painted surface you can make the paint look like it is
peeling.
There are several methods to doing this.
My personal favorite is the dry brush.
If you are working on a house and you want it to look old, the
walls first need to be painted a light gray color.
Then dry brush the paint color over the gray.
The gray will look like the wood has been exposed to the elements.
Follow that with the stain and you have it.
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1. |
The
alcohol stain applies to everything here as well.
People, sidewalks, and vehicles�the effect you can get from this
alone is dramatic. |
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2. |
Cars
leave oil on the streets. |
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3. |
All the junk
and detail parts that are tossed about need to be weathered as well.
Take into consideration what the detail part is and where it is.
What will it be exposed to. |
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TECH
NOTE:
For oil
stains on the streets nothing beats chalks.
You can brush the stuff up and down the road.
It is easy to correct mistakes.
Always keep the 5 keys in mind. |
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Addendum. |
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I have recently started using a weather technique that I
read about in the Jul/Aug 1982 Narrow Gauge and Short Line Gazette. In the
article written by Keith Brown he talks about a scratching method to
weathering. This is used mostly with styrene molds. First he adds the
�wood grain� and other details to the styrene with Exacto knives and
Files. Next he paints the model with successive coats of paint that are
mixed 50/50with thinner and allowed to bleed through. Between each coat of
paint he using a scratching process with a tool called a fiberglass
eraser. It looks like a large mechanical pencil with a rod of fiberglass
in it. This is �scratched� along the model to expose the color
below.
For freight cars as an example you start with a base coat of paint is
Grey Primer followed by Roof Brown, Depot Buff, Grimy Black And lastly by
what ever version of box car red you use. For any other type
of car or structure you simply substitute the box car red coat for what
ever color you choose.
I have found that this creates a great effect but you want to be
careful about your hands and your work surface. This will leave small
strands of fiberglass around and will have to be carefully cleaned. The
eraser tool that I bought came from PBL (The Sn3 people) Micro Mark also
has this tool available from their catalog. Mine also came with a brass
brush that you can load into it that is handy for cleaning locomotive
wheels as well as the scratching method of weather.
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PBL
also makes a wonderful product called Neolube. If you model steam
you need this product. You paint this onto your drive rods and tire
edges. It will turn them a good looking dark gray color and it works
as a lube for the rods. |
Weathering is a handy
tool to age and dirty up your little world. It's also handy for hiding
blemishes. You can't really make a mistake.
If you find model
railroading to be a frustrating experience just remember...The problem is only
1/87th scale...and that isn't very big at all.
Back
to Clinics by Duane
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