Weathering Flat Cars (TOFC)

[tompm]

I am weathering some trailer on flat cars. One area that truly needs weathering is the flat car decks. On the Athearn blue box kits the decks are the same color as the rest of the car as shown below:

Since they look very out of place this way I decided to weather them. I will be using Folk Art acrylic paints.

First I brush paint the decks with unthinned Barnyard Gray.

Next I drybrushed Burnt Umber. I brushed in the direction of the wood grain.

 

[tompm]

Next color I drybrushed was Raw Sienna

Next is Raw Umber

Last color is Asphlatum

Now the deck is done. The cars are ready for the rest of the weathering process.

Other color variations could use different tans, grays, browns, and even some reds.

 

[CBCNSfan]

Ugg! what a mess! but it sure looks good Tom, think I try a couple, the way I look at it anything will be an improvement. You do nice work I only hope mine will turn out half as nice.
Cheers Willis

 

[UP2CSX]

Tom, the flats look good but I really like the look of the decks when you got to the burnt umber. In the pictures, at least, it looks more like the usual worn looking flatcar decks I've seen.

 

[NYSW F45]

i like it up to the raw sienna. but may i ask what is drybrushing if using the acryllic paints?

 

[tompm]

Thanks!

Drybrushing is dipping the brush in the paint and then "drying" it off on a piece of paper. Then with the "dry" brush paint the object. Drybrushing tends to bring out the details in an object.

 

[NYSW F45]

Thanks!

Drybrushing is dipping the brush in the paint and then "drying" it off on a piece of paper. Then with the "dry" brush paint the object. Drybrushing tends to bring out the details in an object.

ohhhhh, a bit slow up stairs but just learned something.

 

[HaggisKennedy]

When I drybrush with acrylics, I wipe as much paint as I can on the side of the container holding the paint. The rest of it, I wipe off on the back of my hand (the one that holds the model). The next time, if it's dried, a bit of water will bring it back.

When I do multiple colors, the back of my hand becomes a small palette, and I can mix right there. All I have to do is turn my hand a bit, and the palette is right there, right next to the model I'm painting. You get all kinds of different shades right there.

When I'm done for the day, I just go wash my hands.....



Kennedy

 

[OldGettysk]

Tom they look really weathered and good . I kinda like a lttle grey . Like old barnwood with some dark brown or black drybrushed on to give it that oil residue !!!!

 

[jbaakko]

Wow Tom, that is some amazing work!

 

[windbag]

I get some 2"x8" scale lumber, cut a two pieces (one short over the stake slot, one slightly longer for the overhang around the stake hole) as patterns, then lay them board-by-board across the desk with superglue, scar them up and use some rough sandpaper, then age them with a wash of grimy black. You can also cut out some of the molded floors, build up the under frame with strip styrene, then lay the wood deck over the gap leaving some empty space to see through the deck, and use the flat as a beat-up idler car pushing frieght cars into buildings or on a ferry. Be sure to leave space underneath the car to put in adequate weight; I've cut out the floor at the two outer thirds of the cars, leaving enough at the end to secure the coupler pocket, and using the center sill to stuff moldable lead under the frame--you lose the use of the steel car weights in the box if you do the see-through trick. It also works with Athearn gondolas. And add various crap from the leftovers box (jewelry chain, scale pallets, scraps of ground foam, leftover stuff) to the decks for the effect of trash and plants sprouting in dirt on the deck.

 

[tompm]

Thanks everyone! There are some great suggestions here!

 

[tompm]

Here are some of the trailers weathered.

I weathered them with a wash of Folk Art Charcoal Gray (1 part) and Blue Windshield Washer Fluid (6 parts). I brushed the wash on heavy and then with a dry brush I removed most of it. The trailers were sealed with Testors Dullcoat.

 

[IronBeltKen]

Nice work Tom! I'm just now starting to get involved in freightcar weathering myself, and it's not easy - now I understand why guys like Aggro and MellowMike are able to get rich off of selling their work.

 

[OldGettysk]

Nice Job Tom !!