Mortar ... or not?

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Has anyone tried a slightly lighter red color? I think I might give that a go.

[MVW]

Another side-by-side test:



The sample on the left is pastel chalk rubbed on a nekkid piece of NSA brick sheet.

In the center, the sheet has been sprayed with a light coat of flat gull grey, then rubbed with the pastel chalk.

Finally, we have the boxcar red treatment followed up by the tempera paint routine.

In real life, the last treatment looks best, followed by the first, then the second. (Sorry, didn't mean to sound like an Abbott & Costello routine.) Tempera paint may yield the best result, but it's going to take a little practice. And it appears the mortar lines are not even throughout the sheet. I hit that bare band three times in an effort to get more mortar action going, but it consistently wiped off no matter who lightly I wiped.

I'm gonna hit these three with an ink wash and see what happens.

Jim

[peteski]

I've tried many methods.  One I like though, is Flour affixed w/Dullcote.

I'm not a fan of using perishable food items for modeling due to possible mold problems (after being on a layout in a damp basement for a while).  Does anybody remember an article (many years ago, in the N-Scale Magazine) showing how to make modern street lamps from uncooked noodles?    That almost made me stop subscribing!

But I suppose that when sealed with Dullcote, the flower will be well protected from any moisture or critters.  One question: How do you keep the flour from blowing away while it is sprayed with Dullcote? 

[Bangorboy]

I'm not a fan of using perishable food items for modeling due to possible mold problems  << clip >> .

Perishables can be a problem.  I once belonged to a club where members used dried coffee grounds for ground cover.  It looked wonderful.  The roaches loved it....

Bill B
South Okaloosa N Scalers

[wazzou]

This is an old Heljan kit built a minimum of 20 years ago that was mortared using the Gold Medal All Purpose Flour and Dullcote method.

The mortar has held up well and there are no cultures or critters. 

[peteski]

This is an old Heljan kit built a minimum of 20 years ago that was mortared using the Gold Medal All Purpose Flour and Dullcote method.

The mortar has held up well and there are no cultures or critters. 

Bryan,
let me repeat: One question: How do you keep the flour from blowing away while it is sprayed with Dullcote? 

[wazzou]

Well, it has been along time, however I don't recall it being much of an issue.  I'll see if I can find a structure to throw together soon and try it again.
I think the benefit of the flour is that a structure with a lot of windows and arched brick like this one has, it's easier to get a uniform mortar in all of the tight areas where wiping away can be difficult.

[nkalanaga]

Flour is actually quite sticky.  It doesn't wipe off even smooth surfaces well if spilled while cooking.

[Mark.S+10]

Byran,

That looks really good.  Was the flour applied dry or damp?  Please let us all know your technique.  Thanks, Mark.

[Dave Schneider]

I know that others said it first, but it really looks like the shape of the NSA brick is the limiting issue here. Bryan's old kit with well defined bricks and mortar lines looks great, but I doubt it would have looked as nice on the NSA bricks.

Jim have you tried your techniques on some different materials to see if that have you better results? I realize that you are trying to make this work for the material you have on hand, but it might be an interesting exercise to see if you got more pleasing results with different bricks.

Best wishes, Dave

[MVW]

I know that others said it first, but it really looks like the shape of the NSA brick is the limiting issue here. Bryan's old kit with well defined bricks and mortar lines looks great, but I doubt it would have looked as nice on the NSA bricks.

Jim have you tried your techniques on some different materials to see if that have you better results? I realize that you are trying to make this work for the material you have on hand, but it might be an interesting exercise to see if you got more pleasing results with different bricks.

Best wishes, Dave

Unfortunately, the NSA brick is all I have on hand. I don't have a LHS, and my modeling budget being what it is, I probably won't order any different material for a month or so.

I did get somewhat acceptable results using the tempera paint method that was suggested earlier. I'll try to post some pics tonight. I think the main reason it doesn't look even better is that boxcar red -- which is what I'm using as my base color -- is too dark. The shades used by Bryan and Chris would likely yield better results. I'll try that next.

I may also paint up a sample and try out the flour routine tonight.

Jim

[MichaelWinicki]

Unfortunately, the NSA brick is all I have on hand. I don't have a LHS, and my modeling budget being what it is, I probably won't order any different material for a month or so.

I did get somewhat acceptable results using the tempera paint method that was suggested earlier. I'll try to post some pics tonight. I think the main reason it doesn't look even better is that boxcar red -- which is what I'm using as my base color -- is too dark. The shades used by Bryan and Chris would likely yield better results. I'll try that next.

I may also paint up a sample and try out the flour routine tonight.

Jim

I'm not a big "box car" red for bricks guy.

I've tried several red auto-primers and those have produced shades that I thought were better.

Also don't hesitate using a quick spray of a lighter color red over the top of the boxcar red to get a combination that is more to your liking.

[peteski]

Bricks in real life come in a large variety of colors: from creamy yellow through rusty reds to maroons and almost to brown.  So, unless you are modeling some specific (existing) building then you are pretty much free to use any brick color.

[MVW]

Michael and Peteski -- I'll likely use several different shades for different buildings, as the level of variety in real life is considerable. The (fictitious) industry I'm working on now encompasses six different brick buildings. I'll probably use box car red for the three that are supposed to be the oldest.

It will be interesting to see how this first sample photographs. Could be acceptable, could suck big time.

Jim

[wazzou]

Byran,

That looks really good.  Was the flour applied dry or damp?  Please let us all know your technique.  Thanks, Mark.

Dry.
On one wall at a time, I just dump on some flour, and using one of those big fluffy make-up brushes, swish it around until the mortar joints are filled and the bricks are clean.
I then hit it with some Dullcote, from probably 6 inches away, initially to affix the flour and then move in a little closer to seal it all.
As far as colors, Peteski is correct about the variety in colors. 
I tend to favor PollyScale Zinc Chromate Primer as a base and use other colors like PollyScale Earth and Light Freight Car Red or Mineral Red to change things up a bit.