I'm looking for a way to make my back roads and parking lots look like they have loose and dusty top soil. I've seen some lay-out were you can just imagine a car going down it just sending up clouds of dust, That's what I'm looking for. Every time I try they end up looking wet or not enough glue and doesn't stick, any suggestions would help.
Welcome to the forums.
Have you tried using finely sifted real dirt? Sift it through a fine tea strainer or piece of nylon stocking or pantyhose. I have a couple places I have used it and I think it looks "dirty." If you sift it directly onto your earth color paint, you may not need to wet it with any adhesive to keep it in place.
Good luck,
Richard
I've been using real dirt sifted, but I've been putting it on wet matte medium, and after it drys it looks wet. That's a good idea putting it on wet paint, close to the same color. Thanks!
You might want to place the dirt in a shallow pan and place it in the over for 250 degrees in order to kill any small insects and other natural material.
Just a suggestion.
Will
There are all shades of weathering powders out there, some that could look like "dusty roads".
Have you tried them?
I would use regular diluted tacky glue partially "dry" and still tacky and see if the powder changes color on a sample or vingette.
Many modelers have struggled to get the "wet" look out of dirt roads, so you are not alone!
Just a thought.
-G .
Just my thoughts, ideas, opinions and experiences. Others may vary.
HO and N Scale.
After long and careful thought, they have convinced me. I have come to the conclusion that they are right. The aliens did it.
I think you're on the right path using the matte medium and sifting dirt over the top of it.
There's just a fine line between too much dirt so some doesn't stick (which is OK too, because you should be able to vac up the excess) or too little, and what's there absorbs too much liquid and dries dark.
I've had much better success with matte medium than I have with regular tacky glue as far as not turning the dirt quite as dark.
Here's a hill-side with some dirt showing through that is adhered and doesn't all look wet/dark...
Sorry I can't post a pic of this, but what I did was, I got my real sifted dirt and mixed it with white glue to make a paste and spread it over the road. When dried it came out pretty good. Try a little bit on the side, and see what you think.
Sam.
Airbrush some Poly S "dirt" or similar color to get rid of the wet look. Poly S dries flat, so it will give it that dusty look...
Real Dirt Caveat -- After mixing with glue, etc, -- the final dirt road has a tendency to dry darker than its original color.
Conemaugh Road & Traction circa 1956
The best ones I have seen were tile grout sprinkled over glue. A good selection of colours are available as well. One guy had the technique of doing mud puddles in the parking lot to perfection by just putting dents in the foam base with his fingers. He then used one of the water products available. It looked very real.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
I use a several tricks to combat the darker dirt color that you get when the glue dries.
On the final coat, use a light coat of glue and sift the dirt into it until you have a dry layer on top. Vacuum up the excess when the glue dries.
Mix the dirt much lighter when dry using plaster and colorants. When the glue darkens it, the dirt dries to the color you want. (this requires experimentation to get it right.)
Sand the dry dirt to bring back the dry look.
I use all of these techniques with pretty good results.
Guy
see stuff at: the Willoughby Line Site
Unsanded grout (the kind you'd use to set tile in the bathroom) gives a pretty nice finish. Since it's cement based, you only have to mist over it with water, and it dries pretty true to color.
(haven't tried it myself, but I saw it on another forum, and it looked really good!)
Lee
Route of the Alpha Jets www.wmrywesternlines.net
One technique a friend of mine uses is to mix pigment with Sculptamold and make your road. Then, when dry, lightly scuff the surface with coarse sandpaper or a rasp and it will get a fuzzy, dusty look to it.
Never tried it myself, but HIS roads look terrific. It's also very easy to model ruts, potholes, etc. in the wet Sculptamold.
Connecticut Valley Railroad A Branch of the New York, New Haven, and Hartford
"If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right." -- Henry Ford
I used sifted fireplace ash over a coating of Woodland Scenics Scenic Cement. The technique is described, with a photo, in this edition of the NMRA Midwest Region Waybill
http://www.mwr-nmra.org/region/waybill/waybill20102summer.pdf
Dave Nelson
I used real sifted dirt around the shore of my lake. I just sprinkled it on and secured it with W/S Scenic Glue and it came out very dry and natural looking.
Thank you everyone for the excellent advice, I've been using real dirt with like colored paint with good results,I'll post pic's soon. Once again many thanks!
wm3798 Unsanded grout (the kind you'd use to set tile in the bathroom) gives a pretty nice finish. Since it's cement based, you only have to mist over it with water, and it dries pretty true to color. (haven't tried it myself, but I saw it on another forum, and it looked really good!) Lee
The non-sanded tile grout does work quite well as mentioned. It can be mixed first and troweled on or as lee mentions, place dry and mist. water/alcohol . You can add tie ruts, puddles etc, before of after wetting. Comes in many colors, you can vary the shades to suit.
I like adding fine sand or later scenicing by sprinkling on various dirts etc. This can be further weathered w/ washes or weathering powders.
Modeling B&O- Chessie Bob K. www.ssmrc.org