Brick Structure Mortar Lines

[Bangorboy]

I find painting mortar lines in brick buildings to be tedious.  Was watching a video about using "panel liners" for automobile and Gundam kits to define the edges of panels, and thought, "I wonder if..."

Has anyone tried using panel liner paints/inks to highlight brick mortar in N Scale?
Bill B

[NtheBasement]

How would it look?  The mortar around here is lighter than the surrounding brick.  Usually we fill those horribly over-sized mortar lines with white, not black.

[Usili]

How would it look?  The mortar around here is lighter than the surrounding brick.  Usually we fill those horribly over-sized mortar lines with white, not black.

Presuming that NtheBasement is talking about the kind of like, Tamiya Panel Line stuff, there is gray+light gray which could probably work for doing in white imho?

[Lemosteam]

Look here for one potential solution.

https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=56721.0

[Bangorboy]

Thanks for the answers, guys.
To NtheBasement:  Your reaction is right.  I agree that most mortar lines are light colored.  I have actually seen some that were charcoal gray, and even some that were black.  However, I am also opposed to modeling extreme oddities, so I rule out those colors and also stark white.
To Usili:  I saw the Tamiya light colors.  Was asking if anyone had tried them.
and Lemosteam:  Thanks for the link.  I'll check it out now.

[cec209]

Have you taken a look at Roberts Brick Mortar? robertsbrickmortar.com

Charlie

[Bangorboy]

Nope!  On accounta I never heard of it.  Thanks for the lead.

[Doug G.]

You mean you are individually painting mortar lines? Yikes! I have done it the way it's done in that link since I was a kid. Just cover the whole surface, wipe off the excess from the surface, and the paint (I even used to use white shoe polish) stays in the mortar lines.

Doug

[wazzou]

I’ve used a number of methods depending on the width and depth of the gaps for the mortar.
This is plain enriched White Flour sealed with Dullcote.

[thomasjmdavis]

On mortar color-
Mortar color varies regionally (as does brick color) depending on the color of the sand (mortar) and clay (brick) in a given area.  Also, of course, with color preferences of the time period in which a building was built.  In Chicago, where I did a lot of my growing up, you might see one building that was dark "brick" red next to a building built in a brick that was colored with yellow ochre.

A couple other considerations- on many buildings, the street facing side is done in a uniform color brick, and often the mortar has pigment added to match or complement the brick color.  The other walls would be done in common brick- that is, no pigment added, and color would vary from brick to brick, and the mortar would be whatever gray, tan, off white was common to the area.  Additionally, those side and rear walls were seldom, if ever, washed, so would collect at lot more soot, in the days of steam locomotives, coal furnaces, and numerous coal fired steam driven factories. 

[Bangorboy]

Thanks again, guys
Up until last week the technique I would have used would always be the "Dab on, Wipe off" method (apologies to Mr Mioggi).
I just saw a video on using panel liners on automobiles and mecha models.  It seems to run along the panel lines without much need for touching up, and I was wondering if anyone had tried it on structure brick.  Nobody mentions doing that, so I guess not.

That aside, you guys have provided a lot of things to consider in my efforts, and I thank you.
Bill B

[peteski]

The models where those panel liners are used have smooth (gloss or semi-gloss) finish.  Most model RR brick structures have a dead flat finish.  I suspect that the panel liner liquid would wick out of the mortar lines and spread out onto the brick surface.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

I've tried this myself, but I am hamstrung by the fact that that the Tamiya Panel Liner doesn't come in a mortar color.

I'd be really curious to try it, but one of the consistent issues with N Scale mortar is that the mortar lines on structures are often too large and exaggerated. This can be mitigated to some extent with various techniques, but the panel liner might be a bit challenging to do it with.

[Lemosteam]

@Ed Kapuscinski they have expanded the panel liner to include light grey.

https://www.tamiyausa.com/shop/paints/supplies/enamel-detail/

[Ed Kapuscinski]

@Ed Kapuscinski they have expanded the panel liner to include light grey.

https://www.tamiyausa.com/shop/paints/supplies/enamel-detail/

I think I have some.

I wish they’d do a tan.