Weathering Engines a Continuous thread.

[Jaz avalley]

I am reposting this here, as it is more appropriate for this thread.
Hey guys. I love the work here! I go two steam locomotives I plan on weathering, but wanted to ask if anyone had any advice on doing so. In this case, dry brushing with acrylics. Any advice is appreciated!

You should go see TLOCs thread he does lovely weathering.

Edit…lol…next time check the thread you just got a link for…..l

 

[Colorado Midland Modeler]

I am reposting this here, as it is more appropriate for this thread.
Hey guys. I love the work here! I go two steam locomotives I plan on weathering, but wanted to ask if anyone had any advice on doing so. In this case, dry brushing with acrylics. Any advice is appreciated!

I'm not an expert on weathering, but I'll try to help with a couple examples of my work. Both were done with a dry brush and acrylics.
First are some clean engines with just a little bit of soot around the top of the stack, three are coal burners, one an oil burner. I'm also including a couple of prototype photos for reference. The trick in this case is to try and brush it on in the way it would most likely build up on the stack.

Next up is a dirtier engine. In this case, the trick is to make the "soot" look like it settled on the smokebox and flowed down the sides of it a little bit from rain and/or snow. you also want to dirty the firebox with more soot.

Hope this is helpful. Good luck!

 

[Jaz avalley]

You should
1. Look for real reference pictures nothing beats good reference
2. Decide if you want light or heavy, often your layout can decided this if you have a specific era, the older stock looks better weathered …more
3. I think acrylics is the best way, sone will disagree, some use dulcote to dull but also to protect if gear is handled a lot
4. Always start gentle and build up
5 look at stock that is similar notice if
1. The bogie takes the most work
2. If the body has a shape where water settles and dirt is held as it dries in real. Life
3 ensure you carefully protect those parts you do not want aged
4 decide if you want to dirty the glass if so look at real ones and cut a small wiper blade trail
5 dirty is rarely uniform, so often it is best to add 3-5 overlapping layings, other modellers May disagree on this point
6 they may disagree on all the points …winks
7. Pay attention to fans they often accumulate dry dirt and a stabbing motion with a flat headed round brush may help
8 check out the rust, all rust is not the same some is brown on brown sone is orange on brown
9. Never work from memory work from reference
10 be aware this habit is habit forming and can become addictive…l

 

[Jaz avalley]

Ooh and check the associated wagon thread, Cambrian and TLOC excel in both

 

[Jaz avalley]

Oh rats I am having uploading issues atm forgive the picture
This is UK loco.

 

[diesel]

Flat Base fade coat will get you 90% of the way. If you lack an airbrush, no problem because you can get it in a can. The only shiny black steamers you will ever see is in a museum or on an excursion train.

I've got three steamers to do, but I'm holding off until I build up some "chops".

 

[TheXModelRailroader]

Thank you for the reply's everyone!

Colorado Midland Modeler As always, your models look great! Thank you for the advice!

Jaz you always have me laughing. Thank you for the tips. The one on reference I find very good, because as I practice drawing I have learned lately to ALWAYS reference, even if you KNOW how to draw what you are trying to draw. Because even those things, you are referencing from memory. Great Class 08 (At least, that's what I am guessing)!


diesel Good idea. I am assuming that a Flat Base fade coat is the same as Matted clear coat? I just cant find anything in a spray can searching "Flat Base fade coat".

 

[diesel]

There's a thread about Matt/Flat coat. Lots of discussion there. Now that you mention it, for a steam loco single coat, a Matt finish is probably better than flat. Although the choice may depend on how weathered you want the loco to appear. It's far from cast in stone, but real life weathering progresses from gloss and gradually goes to full flat. But in reality, surfaces don't weather evenly so you will always see some gradation between textures. A really old unit can go mostly flat, with patches of matt. But that detail is so hard to see, more impact comes from the detail weathering - washes, dry brushing and area sprays.

My can is, "Mr. Hobby" brand, "Mr. Super Smooth Clear MATT finishing spray". There's lots of other brands, too. I'm not actually sure there exists any flat in a can - I'm airbrushing flat acrylic for that.

 

[TheXModelRailroader]

There's a thread about Matt/Flat coat. Lots of discussion there. Now that you mention it, for a steam loco single coat, a Matt finish is probably better than flat. Although the choice may depend on how weathered you want the loco to appear. It's far from cast in stone, but real life weathering progresses from gloss and gradually goes to full flat. But in reality, surfaces don't weather evenly so you will always see some gradation between textures. A really old unit can go mostly flat, with patches of matt. But that detail is so hard to see, more impact comes from the detail weathering - washes, dry brushing and area sprays.

My can is, "Mr. Hobby" brand, "Mr. Super Smooth Clear MATT finishing spray". There's lots of other brands, too. I'm not actually sure there exists any flat in a can - I'm airbrushing flat acrylic for that.

Ok. I will look into it. Thanks!

 

[TLOC]

I am reposting this here, as it is more appropriate for this thread.
Hey guys. I love the work here! I go two steam locomotives I plan on weathering, but wanted to ask if anyone had any advice on doing so. In this case, dry brushing with acrylics. Any advice is appreciated!

Good morning. Jazz’s list of ten is typical Jazz always spot on, excellent advice there. Colorado Midland Modeler as usual posts excellent pictures with his explanations. Diesel is correct about the use of a flat base fade coat. It’s a great start

My suggestions are limited because I have not weathered a steam locomotive in many a year. One like Jazz and CMM have written, get pictures of a prototype. Steam is harder to find good weathering pictures but you don’t need an exact picture. Any Steam locomotive will do just as you want to see where the concentrations of weathering are. Remember when Steam was in vogue most of the major railroads cleaned them on a regular basis unlike today where many railroads let Mother Nature clean them.

Flat base fade coat and a Matte clear coat in my book would be the same. I use an airbrush and use Tamiya flat # xf86 which is available (sometimes in a spray can) but because of tariffs maybe harder to find. The popular matt finish in a can is Testors Dull Cote which should be available via Amazon. Krylon in the USA also has a matte clear that is useable. Worst comes to worst buy a bottle of flat from Tamiya or Testor and with a fan brush and a light touch apply it. They are self leveling and should be fine

Back in the days of weathering steam we took the unit apart but I’m not sure you need or want to do that. If you do take photos of the process to make re-assembly easier.

You mention dry brushing as your application technique. So I’m figuring you are familiar with the technique. Just keep a light touch as you apply the weathering. Pick a spot and work slowly as there is no rush. Weathering is layers and the comment above about graduation of weathering is spot on. Take pictures, have fun and expect some frustration but remember. With some Isopropyl Alcohol almost any weathering can be removed

 

[TheXModelRailroader]

Good morning. Jazz’s list of ten is typical Jazz always spot on, excellent advice there. Colorado Midland Modeler as usual posts excellent pictures with his explanations. Diesel is correct about the use of a flat base fade coat. It’s a great start

My suggestions are limited because I have not weathered a steam locomotive in many a year. One like Jazz and CMM have written, get pictures of a prototype. Steam is harder to find good weathering pictures but you don’t need an exact picture. Any Steam locomotive will do just as you want to see where the concentrations of weathering are. Remember when Steam was in vogue most of the major railroads cleaned them on a regular basis unlike today where many railroads let Mother Nature clean them.

Flat base fade coat and a Matte clear coat in my book would be the same. I use an airbrush and use Tamiya flat # xf86 which is available (sometimes in a spray can) but because of tariffs maybe harder to find. The popular matt finish in a can is Testors Dull Cote which should be available via Amazon. Krylon in the USA also has a matte clear that is useable. Worst comes to worst buy a bottle of flat from Tamiya or Testor and with a fan brush and a light touch apply it. They are self leveling and should be fine

Back in the days of weathering steam we took the unit apart but I’m not sure you need or want to do that. If you do take photos of the process to make re-assembly easier.

You mention dry brushing as your application technique. So I’m figuring you are familiar with the technique. Just keep a light touch as you apply the weathering. Pick a spot and work slowly as there is no rush. Weathering is layers and the comment above about graduation of weathering is spot on. Take pictures, have fun and expect some frustration but remember. With some Isopropyl Alcohol almost any weathering can be removed

Thank you for the advice TLOC. I have light "weathered" one locomotive before, but these other two I worked hard on, so I want to get it right.

 

[TheXModelRailroader]

So guys, One of the engines I am weathering is my freelanced UP FEF (I will be posting photos soon). Thing is, it is in the Greyhound paint scheme, which is kept fairly clean (In some photos looks very glossy, probably because it is used for excursions). So should I weather it at all? I still think I want to give it a light weathering (Even though I cant find any good references), but what do you all think?

 

[Colorado Midland Modeler]

Thank you for the reply's everyone!

Colorado Midland Modeler As always, your models look great! Thank you for the advice!

Thank you!

Colorado Midland Modeler as usual posts excellent pictures with his explanations.

Thank you as well! I always try to be as helpful as I can.

 

[TheXModelRailroader]

Not bad for my first "real" weathering, aye?

 

[Colorado Midland Modeler]

Not bad for my first "real" weathering, aye?

Excellent! Definitely looks like a heavily used engine now.

 

[TheXModelRailroader]

Excellent! Definitely looks like a heavily used engine now.

Thanks! I am very happy with it!

 

[CambriaArea51]

I have a steam engine to weather coming up. Dull coat, grimy black, and some powders will be used mostly. I'm looking at many engines to get a good idea of the patterns on steamers.

10 be aware this habit is habit forming and can become addictive

Not at all...I'm only here for the coffee.

 

[TLOC]

So guys, One of the engines I am weathering is my freelanced UP FEF (I will be posting photos soon). Thing is, it is in the Greyhound paint scheme, which is kept fairly clean (In some photos looks very glossy, probably because it is used for excursions). So should I weather it at all? I still think I want to give it a light weathering (Even though I cant find any good references), but what do you all think?

Once you get the weathering bug, keep going!

If it’s my equipment it seldom gets on the tracks unless it has a clear matte finish spray applied. I have to get rid of that brand new engine sheen. That said, I had 2 diesels painted for me into my freelance Wisconsin Interstate scheme. When I received them I let my Facebook page group know I was going to wait 6 months until I weathered them. I wanted to get a feel for what I really wanted to do. That extended into 9 months because I received another unit and now I am waiting for yet another unit due here on 10/2. These will definitely be weathered before the USA Thanksgiving. So there are always exceptions beyond the famous line, “it’s your railroad”.

WCIS #4022 has spent the last 6 weeks really in Colorado. It was sent for the Colorado Railroad Museums Colorado Prototype Model Meet. They added a freelance meet and I was asked to send some equipment. It will be home 10/3.

WCIS #4018 is in MAC Transportation corporate colors and WCIS #4021 is in standard Wisconsin Interstate colors of Wisconsin Central maroon and Alaska RR yellow, both colors by TruColor. These are home and have been masked and a got their 1st matte clear coat done yesterday

WCIS #7057 is the newest addition to the roster. Unusual for me as it’s only the 2nd 6 axle I have kept ( or will keep) for my layout. An Sd70Ace it is the 1st of 3 being repainted. It should be here 10/2 but it’s coming via the USPS so any date is possible.

These are my units and I will be posting as I go through the weathering process.

 

[TLOC]

I have a steam engine to weather coming up. Dull coat, grimy black, and some powders will be used mostly. I'm looking at many engines to get a good idea of the patterns on steamers.

Not at all...I'm only here for the coffee.

Here for the coffee, love it.

 

[C&OMtnMan]

..I am assuming that a Flat Base fade coat is the same as Matted clear coat? I just cant find anything in a spray can searching "Flat Base fade coat".

Flat base (like Tamiya X-21) is something that you mix into a paint to ensure it dries with a flat finish. X-21 has Titanium Dioxide to produce the flat effect.

It’s not normally used by itself, although Boomer Diorama does it in some of his Youtube videos. His method has been, uhh, “less than successful” on the occasions I tried it.