Weathering Rolling Stock, a Continous thread

[TLOC]

Trees then weathering, check trees, check weathering. I am on a roll. Dipped the trees into the candle wax, now they dry.

Lets clean some wheels and trucks. Toothbrush and 70% isopropyl aclohol, dip and brush, set aside and do 9 more. Sorry, I don’t do video but image brushing your teeth but instead of your teeth, it a railroad truck with wheels

Set aside to dry, then check the trees. The trees are a good 6 hours (guessing) from being able to be scraped to imitate the bark. (maybe the dehydrator, nope never used the dehydrator on candle wax) Ignoringbthe trees till after supper!

Truck frames. My private secret sauce to painting these

Ok not so secret, 4 drops Vallejo dark rust #302 Panzer Aces line, 1 drop Vallejo chocolate brown #70.872 Model Color line and finally Vallejo German C Black Brown # 70.822 also from the Model Color line. Mixed throughly with a stick in my palette tray! Let dry or if in a rush use the hair dryer on low heat. No rush today

below, it is rustier then the plain shiny black it was out of the box

Below, Vallejo Panzer Aces # 301 light rust will be dry brushed on each truck. After lunch in a couple hours

Finally, while the trucks are drying, over near the paint booth

Tamiya Black #xf-1 mixed 50/50 with Hull Red xf-9 and then 91% Isopropyl Alcohol added to the mix. Nothing too precise.

Then after a quick spin on the handy Vortex Mixer, about 1 minute and then turn over onto the cap and repeat. The 5 cars will have the underside sprayed and set aside to dry till this evening when the whole car with get sprayed with a clear matte finish. I now use VMS finishes, both Matte and Gloss clear. It doesn’t have the now hard to find spray cans of Testors Dull Cote terrible smell.

enjoy the day

 

[TLOC]

Frustration sucks and so is a airbrush that won’t spray. What’s worst? 2 airbrushes that decided not to work at roughly the same time. For 5 years I have used both with no issues.

last week I put clear varnish through both and today they both stopped. That is the only common denominator . One is fixed the other, well it’s still not

 

[TLOC]

Spent the evening mostly in the train room with the Second Section Podcast going. I watch the live show on You Tube but if you are into podcasts they appear at a few other places.

More adventures not relating to any trees.

A slight tragedy at the woodbench! Separation of the side sills from the body of the Centerbeam car.

Dr. Tom, Model Master glue and some clamps to the rescue. All is good now and the patient now has a dirty underside

5 pair of trucks, the picture shows 1 of each pair

I think they look good. The wheels are not painted yet but I will do them tomorrow. BUT, I think the spots of rust maybe too much. Researching for pictures of the cars I could find close prototypes but not the reporting marks on the models. I didn’t locate any pictures with the trucks rusted this obvious. I won’t change this though until I see these mounted back on the cars but keep this in mind. Have a suggestion? I would like to read it!

The above pictures shows 3 of the 5 Centerbeams. The undersides of the 5 did receive a base coat of rust with a darker black underspray to be added. I then played with the blue car and added some shading of rust and grime.

The blue car will be worked on tomorrow. 1st thing in the morning will be a clear matte varnish sprayed on. While that dries in the dehydrator for 2 hours I will work on the 2 TTZX cars (yellow)shown above. A spray of rust and grime, dry and then clear coat.

Both of my airbrushes I was planning to use on this project had issues this afternoon. I have cleaned them out and 1 of the 2 is fine. Airbrush #2, a Badger Renagade Chrome is dead. 3 You Tube videos later and it was back together but the trigger isn’t correct. It doesn’t depress which allows paint into the chamber.

The only common denominator has been that I blew the VMS Matte Varnish through both. I doubt a week or 2 after the fact but… . Tomorrow I will blow the clear varnish via my original Badger (#100, 150 or? not sure anymore) purchased in 1975 and has worked wonderfully all these years. A single action airbrush that suctions the paint/varnish out of an attached bottle. I can disassemble, clean and reassembled this guy in my sleep.


thanks for stopping by

 

[TLOC]

Some prototype pictures

 

[Snowman]

Frustration sucks and so is a airbrush that won’t spray. What’s worst? 2 airbrushes that decided not to work at roughly the same time. For 5 years I have used both with no issues.

last week I put clear varnish through both and today they both stopped. That is the only common denominator . One is fixed the other, well it’s still not

The varnish hardened into a...well...a hard layer. Or something else?

Whatever it was, I would bet it was caused by something you added...or something that was already a part of both paints. It can't be just a coincidence that both failed at the same time.

I know there is a cure for this problem too. Acetone? Paint thinner? Turpentine? Alcohol? Ammonia?............Dish Soap? It's going to one of those, or another one I can't think of at the moment.

I think you will have to take the brush apart, and soak the parts to prep them for a good cleaning.

At which point I could stand on my soap box and say "let this be a lesson to you." Except that I'm a), not entitled to and; b) don't have any more a clue as to which of these...glues...actually effed up your airbrush. If YOU do, then more power to you.

 

[troyphoto]

I've been debating on picking up an ultrasonic cleaning bath for when I get more serious about airbrushing. I spend a chunk of change on a Grex system. Love it, but I know there will come a time when I have to go deeper than just pulling the needle and the front assembly to clean it.

 

[CambriaArea51]

Weathered the BNSF 5831 today with before and after pics. I'm going to have to figure out this new phone. It's weathered a bit darker than it shows.

 

[troyphoto]

good looking loco.

As for the camera on the phone, all cameras "think" in terms of greyscale. The light meter, or whatever passes for one, wants to make everything "middle grey".

the first photo has the loco on a "white" surface, with a white background, and a brighter white light source (the computer monitor). It wanted to make all that white into grey.

The 2nd and 3rd pic came out better balanced because there was less white, and more mid tones or darks in the pics.

There's no real way to correct that on a basic phone camera without changing backgrounds, or getting in closer to cut out more of the light tones.

 

[CambriaArea51]

good looking loco.

As for the camera on the phone, all cameras "think" in terms of greyscale. The light meter, or whatever passes for one, wants to make everything "middle grey".

the first photo has the loco on a "white" surface, with a white background, and a brighter white light source (the computer monitor). It wanted to make all that white into grey.

The 2nd and 3rd pic came out better balanced because there was less white, and more mid tones or darks in the pics.

There's no real way to correct that on a basic phone camera without changing backgrounds, or getting in closer to cut out more of the light tones.

Thanks. I shut off the bright light that was on hoping it would show more of the darker tone in the orange, but I think the camera corrected itself. I'll try your recommendation and see if I can tone the white light down.

 

[TLOC]

The varnish hardened into a...well...a hard layer. Or something else?

Whatever it was, I would bet it was caused by something you added...or something that was already a part of both paints. It can't be just a coincidence that both failed at the same time.

I know there is a cure for this problem too. Acetone? Paint thinner? Turpentine? Alcohol? Ammonia?............Dish Soap? It's going to one of those, or another one I can't think of at the moment.

I think you will have to take the brush apart, and soak the parts to prep them for a good cleaning.

At which point I could stand on my soap box and say "let this be a lesson to you." Except that I'm a), not entitled to and; b) don't have any more a clue as to which of these...glues...actually effed up your airbrush. If YOU do, then more power to you.

Snowman, soap boxes are acceptable here, no problem. I agree it’s to big a coincidence to not be related to using the matte varnish in the airbrushes. But why did it take so long and at the start of a project to rear up?

I thoroughly cleaned both brushes, I just cannot get the trigger assembly correct at this time. I will look at additional You Tube videos to figure it out. If the worst occurs Badger has lifetime service on the brushes and I can return it for a decent fee and they will fix it. I have the one brush and that really is my number one. I also have a couple other brand new in the drawer. Badger before Covid had owner sales for when his birthday popped up you would pay for certain brushes his age. The Renagade Chrome cost low 50’s.

 

[TLOC]

I've been debating on picking up an ultrasonic cleaning bath for when I get more serious about airbrushing. I spend a chunk of change on a Grex system. Love it, but I know there will come a time when I have to go deeper than just pulling the needle and the front assembly to clean it.

Until yesterday I have had not issues with my airbrushes. I was running 70% Isopropyl Alcohol as the thinning mix for maybe 10 years until last Fall when I found Boomer Diorama. He uses the 99% IPA, so I switched over.

I have heard pros and cons on the UltraSonic cleaner being used on the airbrush. If you are a heavy airbrush user, I’d go for it.

Back in the 1970’s I shared a UltraSonic cleaner, it was owned by the LHS and he loaned it out, no charge. We all were painting brass steam engines back then.

 

[TLOC]

Weathered the BNSF 5831 today with before and after pics. I'm going to have to figure out this new phone. It's weathered a bit darker than it shows.View attachment 153897View attachment 153898View attachment 153899

I am not a photographer and even the day after I sleep at the Holiday Inn Express it doesn’t improve my skills. I have now a IPhone 11 something and just point and shoot. I do not use photo shop and the only editing I do is fix occasionally the orientation of the photo. From me you get what I shoot.

 

[TLOC]

Thanks. I shut off the bright light that was on hoping it would show more of the darker tone in the orange, but I think the camera corrected itself. I'll try your recommendation and see if I can tone the white light down.

My camera is left on auto.

 

[CambriaArea51]

My camera is left on auto.

It's a new iphone 13. I have to get use to the features and adjust the lighting.

 

[TLOC]

Client loved the pictures of the wheel sets and trucks. Then decided and IMO rightly so since these are not rustbuckets the trucks needed less rust.

So went from

to these

I did clean up the threads but no pictures

 

[CambriaArea51]

Started weathering the phosphate cars. First I use a wash of burnt umber and burnt sienna, mixed to get all the hard to reach places.

 

[CambriaArea51]

Then airbrushed dirt to blend. After that weathering power for more blending. Tomorrow will be weathering the sides.

 

[TLOC]

Then airbrushed dirt to blend. After that weathering power for more blending. Tomorrow will be weathering the sides.View attachment 153913View attachment 153914View attachment 153915

Very nice Tom. No clear coat between the spray paint and weathering powders? What type of powders? Very happy to see your process.

 

[CambriaArea51]

Very nice Tom. No clear coat between the spray paint and weathering powders? What type of powders? Very happy to see your process.

Thanks, no clear coat, the surface is rough enough with the wash and airbrush for the powders to stick and blend. Dull coat will be done on the whole car when finished to seal.
Monroe (Aim) powers. Delta dirt, Medium Earth, and Ash Gray to blend. This gives the progression from a dirty gray to a dark dirt/rust look.

 

[TLOC]

Thanks, no clear coat, the surface is rough enough with the wash and airbrush for the powders to stick and blend. Dull coat will be done on the whole car when finished to seal.
Monroe (Aim) powers. Delta dirt, Medium Earth, and Ash Gray to blend. This gives the progression from a dirty gray to a dark dirt/rust look.

Thanks