A little help please.
I have checked the forum but didn't see what I need. I bought the India ink but I'm not sure how to get the look. I want the grey but the ink is black. Should the ink be thinned to almost full alcohol????
I appreciate any help.
Lee
You're thinking in the right direction. I suggest getting some scraps of wood and experimenting with progressively more concentrated solutions until you find the one that works best. Start with some isopropyl alcohol in a jar, and add india ink until it looks right on the wood (after drying). A little india ink goes a long way.
I first spray wooden parts with a gray primer before adding a wash of India Ink/alcohol. After this dries a white wash is added and then by light sanding/scraping one can get a variety of colors typical of aged wood. After sanding I might also apply a second coat of india ink wash. I'll also scrape the washes down to the original wood layer which also makes for interesting color combinations.
Experiment with a primer, India Ink, white wash, in different combinations and you'll find the weathered look you are looking for. But experiment first ! Oh, I use Polyscale Reefer White for my white wash and my India Ink is prepared by adding one teaspoon to a pint of isopropyl alcohol. Dry brushing with white also works very well.
I don't have any experience preparing a weathered wooden look on plastic.
Good Luck,
Wayne
Modeling HO Freelance Logging Railroad.
Oops, one addition: I also use a brown wash using Polyscale Roof Brown. Just try different washes, in different combinations to see what works best for you. When working with wood it is also a good idea to add braces/supports to help minimize warping when using these various washes. I'll usually add the braces immediately before spraying with a primer coat.
Just a few drops of India ink in the alcohol. I also use black shoe dye for a different look. The India ink is a little blue, the shoe dye is more of a black color. Get yourself some big jars.
I like to cut the pieces for the project and then put them in the jar to dye them. I close the lid and shake the jar (slightly) and them let the wood soak...the longer the soak, the darker the color. You want the dye solution pretty light so that it takes at least 5 minutes to color. This gives you some leeway to adjust the degree of darkness of the finished product.
When the wood is stained to my liking I pull the pieces from the dye and put them in a paper bag with a couple of paper towels and then I shake em up like pop corn. This gets rid of the excess dye and prevents the dye from drying on the wood with dank splotches. I them turn the pieces out on to a piece of aluminum foil to dry.
The alcohol/shoe dye/Ink is a great technique that is easy and look s great.
A deck done in weathered wood.
.Guy
see stuff at: the Willoughby Line Site
I too have soaked strip wood in various aqueous solutions of acrylic paints, but I'll soak them for several hours, up to 12. The strip wood is removed at different intervals and it surprisingly doesn't warp. I put the solution in a zip lock bag and then add the strip wood. When drying it is important that the various pieces are not in contact with one another or they will stick together after drying. I use various combinations of burnt and raw sienna and umber.
Yes
Thanks every body, I printed out all the reply's and will use for some experimentation. At least I know were to start now.
Appreciate the reply's.
Here is a short primer on staining strip wood that I've found very helpful:
http://www.rustystumps.com/RSSMDownloads/Staining%20Stripwood.pdf
I've used several of these formulas and they work very well,
Here's my technique:
Spray paint down a tan layer
Wait 1 day. You want this layer good and hard.
Spray paint down a grey layer
Wait 1 hour
Spray paint down your surface paint color (if painted)
Wait 1->2 hours.
Then use this:
http://www.micromark.com/distresser-weathering-brush,8057.html
If it's not to your liking, then apply a really diluted india ink solution down the sides.
I wish I had a pic of how it turns out. But people who look at my models really like the effect.
Don - Specializing in layout DC->DCC conversions
Modeling C&O transition era and steel industries There's Nothing Like Big Steam!
Hey Wayne
Thanks, I printed the PDF from your site, looks like it will be a great help.
Have a good day.
We have 3" of snow today and the snow is still coming down.
yankee flyer Hey Wayne Thanks, I printed the PDF from your site, looks like it will be a great help. Have a good day. Lee We have 3" of snow today and the snow is still coming down.
You're welcome, and it came from Rusty Stumps.
3 Inches of snow....geez, we had 6 the other day and we were having a lot of warm weather around here.
I use liquid leather dye mixed with alcohol. This dye is available in 4 oz. or so containers from shoe repair shops or in large stores, and is available in brown or black, I use both . I have used it to stain ties and wood timbers with great success. After it dries it leaves a kind of dry wood patina which is nice. Also makes a good wash for weathering plastics.
Mel
For plastic weathering, I do mine a little differently. I spray first with the gray, then a wood brown, then the final color. When using a fiberglass brush, it wears the paint off to the wood, then the wood off to the gray aged wood. You have to be careful that you don't go too far and go down to the plastic.
Elmer.
The above is my opinion, from an active and experienced Model Railroader in N scale and HO since 1961.
(Modeling Freelance, Eastern US, HO scale, in 1962, with NCE DCC for locomotive control and a stand alone LocoNet for block detection and signals.) http://waynes-trains.com/ at home, and N scale at the Club.
Hi Lee,
When I want that grey unpainted weathered look. I first make a wash of white, rub it on like you would do with stain. Let that dry. You might have to brace it so it doesn't warp while drying. Ounce dry then give it a coat of your India Ink mix. Try it on scrap first
Sam
I did this plastic building by spraying with gray primer, and then dry-brushing over that with white acrylic.
This one is a wood kit. I used an India Ink wash for the walls. I think the window frame was first painted gray, then coated with some rubber cement, and finally brush-painted with red acrylic. When I peeled off some of the rubber cement, I was left with the peeled-paint look.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
All really good answers. As you see, there are dozens of different methods, all easy as pie. The key is to mix it up and change your techniques to get variations in your different projects. One I'll add that I've used is to prime basswood with Klitz primer. This is just a white primer you can get at Lowes so it's cheap. Be sloppy with it, 100% coverage is not needed. When dry, wipe on black shoe dye ( I buy mine at Kroger's supermarkets), let sit for a few minutes and then wipe off with an old shop towel. Vary your wiping pressure and amount you wipe to get variation. Let dry and assemble. Big key advantage of the Klitz is you can do this after assembly and still get good results. Some of the other methods HAVE to be done on the raw parts before assembly as glue joints will prevent stains from absorbing into the wood. I do all mine before assembly anyway but you can use the Klitz/shoe dye after if that's your desire. Here's an example if the code works:
Robby Modeling the L&N CV Subdivision in 1978 http://s226.photobucket.com/albums/dd247/robby-ky/CV%20Subdivision%20Layout/
WOW!That is a great scene. For the last six months or so I've been working on redoing my control panel and fine tuning the track, I want to get back into scenery and that sort of thing.Thanks to all of you guys for your input.
Have a good one.
Here is another source of methods that appear to give good results. I say "appear" because I haven't tried them yet but the results sure look good.
http://www.pacificcoastairlinerr.com/weathered_plastic/
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Paint the wood with a thinned mixture of white acrylic. It should be about the consistency of heavy cream. The paint should make the wood white but not fill in the grain. It works with tube and craft paints. Let the paint thoroughly dry. If it is not dry the paint will leach into the stain and it will be essentially grey paint. Mix waterproof India Ink with Isopropyl Rubbing alcohol until it produces this stain you want on a paper towel. Apply the stain until the wood is the right color. ---------OR------ Apply a coat of Kilz2 Acrylic primer to the finished project. The old finish completely covered.Stain the project with a wash of Black Rit Liquid Dye straight from the bottle. Put a small amount of the dye on the surface and add water to make a wash. Spread the dye around to make a mottled effect. Add more water to lighten and more dye to darken. The finish will dry lighter. The Kilz primer works better with this than an India Ink/alcohol stain. ----
Thanks for the web site. I book marked it. I just started another post on weathering rolling stock. and my thanks to all the others that have helped. Now I have to practice.