Once it is finished, plastic or wood can both look just fine.
-Photographs by Kevin Parson
I prefer using real wood for unpainted, stained, or weathered wood models. It takes stain and washes better.
For a well maintained wooden building, plastic is just fine, usually better.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
What I like for to use for making styrene decks look like wood is watercolor pencils, make a mistake, wash it off, get it perfect, seal it.
Thanks maxman, your kind words are much appreciated.
I have some flatcars with "wooden"decks, but since they're often subjected to loads (or methods of loading) that can severely damage the deck, I simply opted to paint the "boards" in a variety of colours that might have been used when deck repairs were required...
This old depressed-centre flatcar (from Authenticast), has the "suggestion" of boards on the end decks, so I painted them similar to those on the flatcar, but left the car's boxcar red paint intact near near the ends of the boards and on the few unscuffed boards at the car's ends...
This one, from Concor (I think), has a "board" floor, but because it represents a fairly new car, I simply painted the "boards" in various shades of grey to suggest some wear, then carefully airbrushed the car's inner faces of the steel sides with a "rust" colour, allowing some of it to "bleed" onto the ends of the planks near the sidewalls...
This gondola (one of four) was scratchbuilt onto a Tichy flatcar, and while it's in reasonably good condition, the lading has removed a lot of the interior paint, causing the interior to rust, and bleed onto the floorboards...
For some Tichy flatcars, I used a variety of grey paints to simply make the boards look weather-beaten...
...then added a few scrapes and gouges. There are lots of ways to make open rolling stock look used (or well-used).
Wayne
I've enjoyed seeing many 'Is it live, or is it Memorex' examples of making plastic look like wood, but my skill level is such that my results have been hit or miss. I like working with wood. My late father, a machinist by trade took up wood working as a hobby in retirement, cracked me up when he said; "Now I can burn my mistakes."
Good luck with your projects. Regards, Peter
doctorwayneIf you're referring to the station's platform, the strip styrene was first distressed by dragging an X-Acto saw along the material to create some "woodgrain", which was then brush-painted with brown paint, likely Pollyscale. I then followed up by dry-brushing the strips, using black paint, to better resemble creosote.
Yes I was. Thank you. I presume you used the same method for the stips you showed in one of the other photos. Looks excellent to me.
I have some gons with wood floors. Think I'll try that there.
maxman What mixure of "stuff" did you use to obtain that look? Thanks
If you're referring to the station's platform, the strip styrene was first distressed by dragging an X-Acto saw along the material to create some "woodgrain", which was then brush-painted with brown paint, likely Pollyscale. I then followed up by dry-brushing the strips, using black paint, to better resemble creosote.Next, I used my NWSL "chopper" to cut the material into planks, cementing it to some heavier strip styrene, also painted in the same manner. This was followed up by brush-painting all of the cut-ends black.All of the parts were assembled using lacquer thinner as glue.
Here's a couple of close-up views...(click on the photos for a larger view)
doctorwayne
What mixure of "stuff" did you use to obtain that look?
Thanks
ChrisVAUnfortunately I don't know what name such a product would go by on their website.
Scribed siding.
I've always known such products as "scribed sheetwood", but you can also find scribed sheet styrene. Once either are painted (or the wood stained), they can look pretty-much the same.
I used to model structures and freight cars using wood, but once I discovered the plethora of plastic shapes and sheet material, I abandonned wood, as the styrene bonds permanently, and seldom warps or falls apart due to age.
If I want to create something that looks like wood, I use an X-Acto saw to create a woodgrain effect on strip styrene (simply drag the blade along the strip material), then paint it a suitable colour to represent either newly-cut, weathered, painted, or creosoted wood.While the photo isn't much of a close-up, the station platforms in the upper left of the photo, were all done using strip
styrene...
Here's another project using strip styrene...
...and the "wooden planks", painted in a variety of colours, to represent creosote applied over many years...some represent older planks, others more recently replaced ones...
Here's a view with the "planks" cut to size and cemented to the support structure...
I'm not suggesting that you not work using wood, but in my experience, structures built using styrene generally remain as-built, while wood structures, like the real ones, deteriorate over time.
I've built quite a few structures using sheet styrene, too, and the one shown below has lapped plank detail in two different sizes, one representing the original structure, the other an added building when business was booming.
When working with wood, you can use a variety of glues and adhesives. Some dry quickly, others need to be clamped together while the glue sets.For styrene, lacquer thinner acts as a solvent, softening the plastic, and once the pieces are mated together, the bond is quickly made, so you're able to continue on, with little to no waiting time while glue "sets".
A few more plastic scratchbuilds...
Northeastern 1/16" thick, 1/8" scribe sheathing worked for my cannery dock. Regards, Peter
I'm trying to find a product from the http://northeasternscalelumber.com site that would essentially be a flat sheet that looks like "planks" or boards nailed together. I want to use it as a wooden depot platform.
Unfortunately I don't know what name such a product would go by on their website. I see beadboard, battenboard, but I don't think they are what I want for this? Any link to specific product that could be used as depot platform appreciated!