Trying to 'save' a foob with weathering?

[ednadolski]

Hi Everyone,

After I originally bought this N-scale MT Evans hopper, I considered it a foob because I was disappointed in the relatively crude level of detail, including the cast-on roofwalks and other details.   But then I decided to follow Gary Hinshaw's advice and see if doing some weathering could create a more appealing model, in essence 'saving' it from being consigned to the back of a drawer somewhere.

My goal was not to add a lot of detail parts, but I ended up breaking off one of the stirrups (even oversized stirrups can be delicate) and so I decided to make new ones from phosphor-bronze wire.   I also wanted to add body-mount couplers, so I used the McHenry couplers in the coupler box from a pair of MT 905 Z-scale couplers.  The McHenry couplers don't have the internal spring and thus will not 'pogo' when run in a long train.  Since I don't like the trip pins, I cut these off, and installed a pair of the BLMA cast-plastic air hoses.   I also installed a set of FVM 36" metal wheelsets.

For weathering I used a couple of different proto pix and did not try to create a specific prototype car.  I started with a clear coat of Dullcote from the spray can, and then added a layer of grime using artist's water-mix oils and gouache paints, with Micro-Sol as the thinner.  The Micro-Sol flows without puddling and dries quickly, so you can see the result quickly; however it can also be used to 'erase' the freshly applied paint in case it goes on in a way that you don't like.   I then sealed the applied paint with Dullcote and went to work on the rust spots.  To make these I use a very fine sable pointed brush to apply Burnt Umber (with some Burnt Sienna) gouache in very small spots, trying to approximate the rust patterns on the proto pix.  Once these spots dried, I used the ultra-fine brush dampened with just a bit of Micro-Sol to try to create the downward streaks from the rust areas.   It's the application of a solvent like water or Micro-Sol that causes the dried gouache to re-flow and create the streaking.  For small/subtle streaks it's important to use only the very tip of the brush and a light touch -- with gouache, you can easily wipe out the entire spot if you are heavy-handed or if the brush is too wet.   This part was time-consuming, as it was a learning experience for me to try to develop the right touch.  Like any skill, it should improve with practice.

Once satisfied with the spots/streaks, I again sealed with Dullcote and then added some additional grime -- basically the larger vertical streaks of grime, plus more grime on the underside.   On one side, I had a hard time getting the look I wanted for the streaks, and after several re-tries the paint had started to stain the underlying base car color and was no longer coming off with the Micro-Sol.  (The Micro-Sol will also eventually remove the Dullcote layer, if you use too much as I did in this case.) Then I made the mistake of trying 91% alcohol to remove the staining, which it did -- along with the base factory paint!   This turned out to be the inspiration for the large re-paint areas on that side of the car.  On most proto pix, the re-painted sections are usually to cover up repairs or old lettering, so it is not too common to see the re-paint section running the entire height of the car from sill to roof.   However I did find the full-height repainting on a few proto pix, so I felt justified enough to use it in this case.

Anyways after the final grime the car got one final coat of Dullcote to seal everything for handling.  In looking at the final car, I'm not terribly happy with the way the reporting marks turned out -- I originally masked these over during the initial layers of paint, in order to try for that re-numbered look.  However I think that they don't have enough contrast to be convincing of that.   I may decide to create some decals with re-numbering patches and see how those work out.   I didn’t attempt graffiti, as this was not prevalent on the proto pix I was using.   And lastly, in a deviation from the proto pix, I decided to wear down the letting using 1000-grit sandpaper. Even tho the lettering on the prototype was not worn like that, I wanted to see if I could achieve a reasonable effect by doing that.

Anyways, here are the results, please let me know your thoughts!

Ed

[James Costello]

Looks nice Ed. I've got one of these to do up too, I just hope that it turns out half as good as yours 

[tom mann]

Looks nice Ed!

FYI:  MicroMark sells a pack of very high grit sandpaper that works very well in that it allows you to get a more even wear pattern across the lettering or herald.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

I sure wouldn't complain one bit about having that car running around on my layout.

Not one bit.

Nice work!

[wazzou]

I think it looks great Ed.

[Ntrainz1]

Looks good. I had the same idea.



Still needs another layer of dirt, trucks & couplers.

Bob.

[John]

awesome .. folks ..

[GaryHinshaw]

Looks great Ed!  I like the rust work and paint outs quite a lot. (Looks like a nice spring day in CO too!)

How do you like the McHenrys?   I find them to be a bit "big" but they look pretty good on this car.  (I've been obsessed with couplers since I started messing around with BLMA trucks.  I need to get back to some real modeling...)

Cheers,
Gary

[James Costello]

I like how Ed has nearly completely changes the color of the car.....

[stuntman]

 That looks great Ed!    All your work is top notch! ;D

[pfs]

Bravo.

Both impressive and pleasing to the eye.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Reading a book about Baltimore's harbor over the years, I just realized that that's probably a hometown car.

I may need to snag one now.

[wm3798]

Louis Dreyfuss bought the WM's grain elevator at Port Covington around 1972 or 3.  It was George Leilich's last job on the WM, to sell the grain facility... :'(

They now operate the crappy little silo down on Hawkins Point.  Stupid Cat, and stupid St. Lawrence Seaway!.

Lee

[ednadolski]

Thanks everyone, for taking the time to look this over, and for your kind remarks.  In looking at the pix I realized that I didn’t do a good job of showing the roofwalks or the trucks/underside.  I'll see if I can get the chance to post a few more shots this weekend.

James, you’re right about the color change.  I think some of that came from using the Micro-Sol to ‘erase’ the rust spots that I didn’t like, so I could try again.  One thing I tried for was to get the spots to look in-scale, and not be too overly large. I’ve found that takes a very fine-tip brush in N scale, plus a pretty light touch.

Bob, your pix are looking really good!  I see that you’re ahead of me in the patched reporting marks, and the yellow stripes.  Are you going to install body-mount couplers?  I was pretty pleased with the way the FVM wheels worked out, with those this car rolls pretty freely (esp. outdoors in a wind…..)

Gary, even tho they are definitely oversized, I do like the look of the McHenrys better than any other N (or Z) scale coupler.  I don’t hold out much hope for a (near-) scale coupler in N; just seems to me that would be so small that too many folks would have operating issues.   (Even the Sergents in HO scale take some getting used to, and with those  I find myself wishing for a lamp & magnifier mounted on the magnetic wand uncoupling tool.)

Thanks again everyone, glad you enjoyed the pix!

Ed

[Ntrainz1]

Are you going to install body-mount couplers?

I need to order 905s and some 100 ton trucks.

Bob.