Weathering hoppers

[svedblen]

Following Master Ed's (  ) latest tip I went along to add some earth/mud spatter to the car ends and the bays near the wheels, by 'flicking' mud colored washes onto the car by running a finger over a toothbrush.

Since I had never used this technique before I first practiced on a piece of paper. First with water and then with a wash. When I thought I had the hang of it I turned to the car. That was a total disaster! The car looked like it had the measles or something!  Way to much of the wash was released, although I thought I knew how to control it. But maneuvering the toothbrush as far in as possible into the end cage at the same time was not that easy.

Fortunately I had had sense enough to seal all the previous weathering with dull-core before attempting the splatter trick, so it was easy enough to wash the spatter away under the water tap.

The second try was more successful. Still a little too much spatter, but I got rid of the excess using a few cotton swabs. In the end I'm quite satisfied, even if some of the individual splatter spots are a little too large I think. And more importantly, I learned a new technique along the way!

Here are a few pics of the, now finished, car.

[milw12]

Absolutely stunning! Especially that last shot 

Lucas

[ednadolski]

Nice! it's often the extra, subtle touches that make the difference between a good effort and an outstanding one.  BTW any chance you have a high-res image?   I have a 32-inch 4k monitor and I like to fill the screen with these kinds of images   

If the spatter come out to large then sometimes it can help to add a surfactant like Micro-Sol or alcohol to break up the surface tension of the water and get a finer spray effect (or even just use straight Micro-Sol).   Another trick (haven't tried it myself, but seems it ought to work) is to use some screen mesh between the brush and the car.  That should trap out some of the larger droplets but let the finer ones pass thru.

Ed

[ednadolski]

Another point: I want to reiterate how nice those scale-profile wheels look, particularly in 1:48 scale.   With conventional 2-rail O scale it seems that all too often those oversized treads and flanges just jump right out and distract attention from what is otherwise some very good modeling work.  In-person,  I think it's even more noticeable in O scale as opposed to say HO because the models being physically larger have much more "shiny metal" surface showing.  So thanks once again for sharing -- these pics are definitely a pleasure to view. 

Ed

[svedblen]

Absolutely stunning! Especially that last shot 

Nice! it's often the extra, subtle touches that make the difference between a good effort and an outstanding one.

Thank you guys 

BTW any chance you have a high-res image?

Sure. Here are links to them, taken with an iPhone 6S:

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoaAu4PAuXa6igzuKuao_tHrHLsOwEDquevZTaCddSKvt-Pdxhv4fOqhpwNG02TEurQ4cxw6-cUwGJmZBHPuVJL2c9BJMqag275C_3SG6sgh3LRgFd8Pp7Wo6S-oFssXaKG7x8RXrOdOgFNGbO-0NlU0b2ZWqjE1wk9JHlhdKfIYPfF41gV4NTRvr7/s16000/IMG_0152.JPG

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkovuZC7_ICDTkICWpcMgGu-OqvuhJ_BKJ3rdBv4FdDpQjJW1wGiF4woiH5OPXEZUqdFcPgx89R3doXuWaIV3_sEQBc9FC7eQ4O8l34v1qWQDHPk-PlxD7FHoCMqU91THSaHwqIx1ylEy6sE7OZ63Ul4eu7qB5vMDBiZwwlBeACTRhX6qDk4O8gCHb/s16000/IMG_0153.JPG

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRT39LjwSLgJ_POtguq2LtMlU4JtFAgNyDKjtslGm6n0y2Gvx6nFr_yUiQBAJp3hxxBhgrWlW6_LVLuR-D2fHcieiST6Obf9dGKgT_wVSo7cCYLZcMiPmBnqn5zazOUuBugbzTn8fZZHyC3W6_kSQI_vKzCq0q1al7eks7qwhc-AsDAbljHhp8mU93/s16000/IMG_0159.JPG

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnEtiM6Oiu5VWpe2W4f_otx4cJC2xKHLpB0wisNh7ky_AJPtmnLaSMeCfasxNHpJ4THUsoNXdioowERHn7D24IAuesUsvRBGJcHUKgQqDgrPdakNjHplAbF5ekCC8nfGRc46xT4MoqhwYXi-BvWAzJaEu95AZTUR1FlJBdC6j9v7hFWrts1ikbJbu_/s16000/IMG_0164.JPG

Another point: I want to reiterate how nice those scale-profile wheels look, particularly in 1:48 scale.

I totally agree. And the couplers are not that bad either. Once again, thanks for all the advice. Without your generous knowledge contributions this car, and the others to follow, would be far from this good looking.   

[svedblen]

I have finally weathered one more car.

[Santa Fe Guy]

Superb.
Rod.

[nscaler711]

Any chance I can send you a G scale boxcar to weather?  those look amazing!

[svedblen]

Thanks guys!

Any chance I can send you a G scale boxcar to weather?

Ha ha! I do not dare try this on some else’s stuff    Unless heavily insured

[nscaler711]

Thanks guys!

Ha ha! I do not dare try this on some else’s stuff    Unless heavily insured

I don't mind really! 
I just don't know where to start in reality, Between HO, N and Z I'm at a complete loss when it comes to weathering G, my pastels and chalks are no match, and I'm such a noob when it comes to airbrushing I'm afraid I'd screw it up.
Though I'll have to look into the oil paints like you used for sure though.

[svedblen]

To be honest, the only thing I used oil paints for on these cars was the initial fading. If you try that be sure to use a proper oil paint only. It is essential that you use a paint with a long drying time when using this fading technique. I have tried artis's acrylics (no good at all in this case) and water soluble oil paints (better, but actually useless for fading, at least in the larger scales where larger areas must treated in one go).

The rest is weathering powders in different shades. I use AIM products weathering powders, and I really like them. Just be sure to use large and soft brushes. When done, I seal the powders with a spraying of Testors Dullcote. Spray lightly, or the powders may start to run or even "disappear".

[nscaler711]

Ah ok so not too much different than the smaller scales. I had meant to say powder as well but forgot, oh well.

Anyway sorry for the thread drift!

[ednadolski]

Looks pretty good.  As usual I'll put on my  and offer a bit of feedback:

- Overall impression is very good. I see a nice balance of the fade, grime and rust layers that is very convincing.
- The subtle tones over the large lettering are well textured -- very nice touch there.
- I notice a few of panels where the grime has left some watermarks. Grime tends to run down the sides of cars in a fairly straight downward path. If you haven't already clear-coated then it still may be possible to brush some of that out.  Alternately these could be covered over by a few additional (light) layers.
- The rust on the ladder bolts is rather fresh/bright/orange looking.  On a prototype by the time the bolts start to rust over they have been oxidizing for a long time, and the aged rust tends toward more a darker burnt umber looking color.  If any brighter color remains it's likely to be around the edges  (where some oxidation still may be going on, eating thru the paint layer).
- Similarly the wheels are looking pretty fresh, tho the rest of the weathering suggests a 20+ year old car.  In proto pics the RB trucks tend to look more grimy than rusty, so you might want to consider more toward the brownish/greyish/tannish tones on the next set  -- perhaps closer to the tone that you've used on the couplers (And of course you can still go that way with these if you are so inclined).
- Could be a reflection but in the end-on shot the axle looks rather shiny.


Keep up the great work! 

Ed

[svedblen]

As usual I'll put on my  and offer a bit of feedback:

Thanks Ed, appreciated, as always. Actually, I was not unaware of what you are pointing out, but I was hoping no one would notice. Fat chance!    But seriously, thanks!

- I notice a few of panels where the grime has left some watermarks. Grime tends to run down the sides of cars in a fairly straight downward path. If you haven't already clear-coated then it still may be possible to brush some of that out.  Alternately these could be covered over by a few additional (light) layers.

These are the remains of an attempt to use a wash, of India Ink and alcohol. But I have still not found anything that really runs in a realistic way. I think the texturing and color is fairly good, but I agree that the pattern in which in it has flown is not correct. Gravitational forces with a horizontal component?   It migth be possible to tone this down.

EDIT: I think a problem with using washes is that you don not use enough of the liquid in question. Since you don't want to overdo things, or risk to destroy any previous work, you keep the amount of liquid down. The consequence of that is that there is not enough of it to flow downward all the way. It simply stops when there is none left, creating this V-shaped pattern. To make a run from the top of a panel all the way down to the bottom you must dare create more of a proper waterfall. Any thoughts on that?

- The rust on the ladder bolts is rather fresh/bright/orange looking.  On a prototype by the time the bolts start to rust over they have been oxidizing for a long time, and the aged rust tends toward more a darker burnt umber looking color.  If any brighter color remains it's likely to be around the edges  (where some oxidation still may be going on, eating thru the paint layer).

True. My impatience prevented me from trying to mix a better color.

- Similarly the wheels are looking pretty fresh, tho the rest of the weathering suggests a 20+ year old car.  In proto pics the RB trucks tend to look more grimy than rusty, so you might want to consider more toward the brownish/greyish/tannish tones on the next set  -- perhaps closer to the tone that you've used on the couplers (And of course you can still go that way with these if you are so inclined).

True again. How about this: The original wheels were worn down, and these are fresh replacements 

- Could be a reflection but in the end-on shot the axle looks rather shiny.

I did not see that one. Thanks!

[ednadolski]

... but I was hoping no one would notice. Fat chance!   

Aha yes, 1:48 scale does sometimes have its drawbacks       (And the camera is all the more unforgiving too )

These are the remains of an attempt to use a wash, of India Ink and alcohol. But I have still not found anything that really runs in a realistic way. I think the texturing and color is fairly good, but I agree that the pattern in which in it has flown is not correct. Gravitational forces with a horizontal component?   It migth be possible to tone this down.

I don't use India Ink any more.   It doesn't have any advantages over paint, and I've found that it usually looks too stark and sometimes even shiny or glossy.  Plus you have to worry about what the alcohol might do, exp. if you try to put it over a layer of Dullcote.

EDIT: I think a problem with using washes is that you don not use enough of the liquid in question. Since you don't want to overdo things, or risk to destroy any previous work, you keep the amount of liquid down. The consequence of that is that there is not enough of it to flow downward all the way. It simply stops when there is none left, creating this V-shaped pattern. To make a run from the top of a panel all the way down to the bottom you must dare create more of a proper waterfall. Any thoughts on that?

Heavy washes will almost certainly leave watermarks.  Like so many other things, the behavior of fluid flow does not scale -- it will do the same thing regardless of whether it's on a model or a 1:1 rail car.  Sometimes you can use this to your benefit, like with Tom's "dirty puddle" technique for horizontal surfaces (and even that can leave you with watermarks to clean up).   But I don't know of any way to make water or other liquid run vertically down a surface that leaves a scale-sized version of a flow pattern that it makes on the prototype.  You have to use a brush, sponge, or whatever to make it go the way you want it to.

On the 1:1 cars the weathering patterns accumulate over many years of rain, snow, dust, wind, sun, grit, etc. etc.  So to simulate that appearance we have to use multiple layers of paint, pigments, etc. selectively in the right places.  It's basically a miniaturized way of replicating the processes that happen to the prototype as it ages, exposed to the elements over time.

My impatience prevented me from trying to mix a better color.

I'll pretend that I did not just read that 

The original wheels were worn down, and these are fresh replacements 

All of them at the same time?    


Ed