This past week, I found an Alco S1 sitting on a shelf that I had long forgotten about. I figured it was about time to get it ready for service. All it really needed was to make sure the geartrain was lubed, new couplers (it came with the Proto Kadee clones, so they got replaced with Kadee #5s) and some weathering.
I sprayed the trucks with rail brown, then added some weathering powders from Bragdon.
Marlon
See pictures of the Clinton-Golden Valley RR
Nice job! The weathering looks very realistic.
Chuck - Modeling in HO scale and anything narrow gauge
Doggone it, that looks good.
Rich
Alton Junction
Looks great!
Thank you all for the compliments. Believe me weathering is an acquired talent. I can't tell you how many I've had to remove it all and start over. Part of it was finally getting over my intimidation of airbrushes. Once I got one I was like, "Why did I wait so long??"
Medina1128 Once I got one I was like, "Why did i wait so long??"
Once I got one I was like, "Why did i wait so long??"
Excellent Marlon, you did the right thing by not overdoing it, which is very easy to do.
"The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination."-Albert Einstein
http://gearedsteam.blogspot.com/
Really fine job, Marlon. I've never been able to get the hang of using a spray gun, but your results look terrific!
Tom
Tom View my layout photos! http://s299.photobucket.com/albums/mm310/TWhite-014/Rio%20Grande%20Yuba%20River%20Sub One can NEVER have too many Articulateds!
twhite Really fine job, Marlon. I've never been able to get the hang of using a spray gun, but your results look terrific! Tom
Medina1128 twhite Really fine job, Marlon. I've never been able to get the hang of using a spray gun, but your results look terrific! Tom Thank you, Tom. Tom, I picked up a bunch of inexpensive trainset cars to practice on; Tyco, Bachmann, etc. Once I got the settings down, it became a piece of cake. The other thing was that I used acrylic paints, so if I messed one up, it was just a matter of removing the paint with water or Windex. Then, just start over.
Thank you, Tom. Tom, I picked up a bunch of inexpensive trainset cars to practice on; Tyco, Bachmann, etc. Once I got the settings down, it became a piece of cake. The other thing was that I used acrylic paints, so if I messed one up, it was just a matter of removing the paint with water or Windex. Then, just start over.
I do the same--pick up inexpensive rolling stock to practice weathering on. I recently made a video of how I weathered a economy line Trainman car. Sometimes the effects of weathering make me overlook the lack of detail. Below is a link to that video of how I do it if you are interested.
https://youtu.be/oKZWsIOHCBU
Owner and superintendant of the N scale Texas Colorado & Western Railway, a protolanced representaion of the BNSF from Fort Worth, TX through Wichita Falls TX and into Colorado.
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Medina1128 I picked up a bunch of inexpensive trainset cars to practice on; Tyco, Bachmann, etc.
I picked up a bunch of inexpensive trainset cars to practice on; Tyco, Bachmann, etc.
This is excellent advice which I also give in my own weathering clinics. If a technique is new to you, you don't practice and learn it on that nice new Tangent or ExactRail or Intermountain car. It does not even have to be the same kind of car you intend to weather -- often Tyco cabooses are the cheapest things in the box and an acceptable way to practice techniques meant for house cars (and cabooses of course). It doesn't even have to be the same scale as yours if the cars can be had cheaply enough. I have practiced techniques on beat up Lionel car bodies that I got cheap.
Particularly needing practice is the use of a soldering pencil or wood burning tool to soften the panels on gondolas and hoppers for bulging out using a blunt stick. Ditto for the various methods of aging and damaging flatcar decks. Like any talent these things take practice.
Even the trucks and wheels from trainset quality cars are useful for practice purposes, if you have not previously weathered trucks and wheels.
I also suggest finding cars that you are not even tempted to use on the layout, on the slight chance that you get the hang of it the first time. Better to go all out with your practice and really learn the technique than to hold back in the hopes of using the car.
Dave Nelson
Wow; excellent work!
Good of example of the "Less = More". The weathering appears natural and not overdone.
Medina1128 This past week, I found an Alco S1 sitting on a shelf that I had long forgotten about. I figured it was about time to get it ready for service. All it really needed was to make sure the geartrain was lubed, new couplers (it came with the Proto Kadee clones, so they got replaced with Kadee #5s) and some weathering. I sprayed the trucks with rail brown, then added some weathering powders from Bragdon.
"I like my Pullman Standards & Budds in Stainless Steel flavors, thank you!"
I agree...nicely done, Marlon!
Wayne
That’s how I like weathering, used but not abused. Nice job, what did you airbrush on your model?
I also use Bragdon powders. They are the best I have used and hope they stay around for a long time.
Airbrushing is not that difficult with a little practice, I just wish the cleanup was easier sometimes. I'm wondering how others clean their airbrushes for speedy clean up. I always tear the whole thing down and clean all parts. I think the set up and cleaning is what deters me from using my brush more. I guess it's called lazy or something like that.
Randy
Hi Randy,
I often encourage modelers to give airbrushing a go because I was stubborn at first, felt intimidated, therefore...had no interest in it. However, a friend convinced me to try it.
I purchased a new Paasche' VL airbrush and then, a used compressor. I practiced on scrap Bachman and Life Like freight car shells. As I saw and appreciated the versatility of being able to mix what ever color I wanted, manipulate tones and hues, control the width of the spray pattern, and control how smooth or textured the paint went on....I became hooked!
Don't let the cleaning thwart your efforts and enjoyment. After doing it a few times, it becomes easier and faster over time. You reach the point where you don't even think about it as your hands go through the simple motions.
Acrylics: For waterbased products such as Modelflex, Pollyscale, Testors Acryl, or Duncan I flush my airbrush out with a mix of distilled water and 70% alcohol. I partially disassemble the airbrush, wipe off the needle, aircap, clean the nozzle with a tip cleaner. Then I re-assemble it. Have been doing that for years and have had zero problems.
Solvent Paints. For solvent based paint products Scale Coat 2, Alclad, Model Masters, I clean out the airbrush with automotive lacquer thinner. Cheaper to buy a gallon at an Auto Body supply store instead of a hardware or home improvement business. (one little trick...you can thin Scale Coat II with it!). A gallon will last you a long time even if you perform 20 to 30 airbrush jobs per year.
To make life easy, buy a set of airbrush cleaning brushes at Harbor Freight or Northern Tools. They range between $2 and $5 and are worth it! Amazon sells them for about $4, plus change.
Here's mine:
Cool factor is that if you IMMEDIATELY flush out your airbrush, you don't have to go this far after every job if, for some reason, you are squeezed for time or you are spraying similar colors back to back. However I do so out of habit and it still only takes me about 2 minutes.
In my former career, I learned to keep my work environment simple by keeping equipment easily accessible. Cuts down on stress. So instead of putting my airbrushes away in the box, I keep a pair of them hanging over my compressor, ready for action! The iso-alcohol is on a shelf above, lacquer thinner on the paint table and the cleaning brush set is hanging on the shelf from a screw. (KISS principle).
For wiping cloths (if you're on a budget) save those old retired T-shirts that you, your siblings, your wife, your kids, parents, etc., no longer wear. Toss them into the washing maching one last time. Dry them, and cut them up into 5" to 7" squares. They work nicely!
BTW, Attitude is critical: If you look at cleaning as a "chore" than yes, it will be just that. But think of your airbrush as a fine tool that helps you perform amazing work. Take care of that tool and, 99% of the time, it won't let you down. My first airbrush lasted 20+ years! Keep your materials together and cleaning becomes an afterthought.
Last thing. When prepping, painting, and cleaning in my work area, I always play music that relaxes and keeps me in a good mood. Part of the "having fun" in this hobby. This helps me to enjoy the process instead of trying to "get it over with".
I hope this helps
Rusteespikes ................Airbrushing is not that difficult with a little practice, I just wish the cleanup was easier sometimes. I'm wondering how others clean their airbrushes for speedy clean up. I always tear the whole thing down and clean all parts. I think the set up and cleaning is what deters me from using my brush more. I guess it's called lazy or something like that. Randy
I use a Paasche VL, and did my first practice on cardboard boxes, free from any supermarket: cut 'em open with a utility knife and there's lots of blank "canvas" on which to work.The VL kit contained some suggested exercises for learning about air brush useage, and one of the most useful for me was the one learning to make dots of paint (rather than splatters). Once that is accomplished, the next step was to connect the dots with lines, making the lines as thin and straight as possible. With a little practice, you can make a grid that looks like it was done with a pencil and straightedge. I doubt that I can still do it, but it certainly taught me a lot about control of the tool.
For cleaning, no matter what type of paint I'm using, lacquer thinner works very well, and is cheap. If I'm painting a number of items using the same type of paint, I don't bother cleaning the brush when changing colours. If possible, I paint using clear finishes first, then light colours, and work through to darker ones. If necessary, I'll shoot a little lacquer thinner between colour changes, using the colour cup. I never use the colour cup for painting: it's usually too small (I paint in batches, often dozens of items at a time), and if you use it for paint, you need to clean it thoroughly every time you change colours. When I empty a paint bottle, I clean it thoroughly, so I always have a supply of clean bottles that fit the siphon cap which came with the airbrush. I also almost never use a colour straight from the bottle, and often re-tint colours during painting. For example, if I'm painting a dozen boxcars, either all for the same road or for multiple roads, I'll paint a couple, then add a little black or white or red...whatever, to the original colour, then paint a car or two and then alter the shade of the paint again. All of the cars will end-up "boxcar red", but they won't all appear exactly the same. Paints weather over time, and the colours are often affected by the service or area in which a car is used - this is a first step in weathering.If I'm painting using different types of paint (water-based and lacquer-based, for example), when changing paint types, I fill the colour cup with lacquer thinner and run at least half of it through the airbrush. The brush is then disassembled completely, with the tip, air cap, and aircap body tossed into the lacquer thinner in the colour cup. The needle is wiped with a thinner-dampened rag, and a thinner-soaked pipe cleaner is pushed through the airbrush body, both the needle passage and the paint passage. The small parts are then removed from the colour cup, dried, and the airbrush re-assembled. It takes only a few minutes, and then painting can be resumed. I used the same procedure when all painting is done, and store the airhose hanging, rather than coiled-up. As noted, once you establish a routine for cleaning, it becomes automatic and many times I switch paint types more than once or twice during a session.
Rusteespikes That’s how I like weathering, used but not abused. Nice job, what did you airbrush on your model? I also use Bragdon powders. They are the best I have used and hope they stay around for a long time. Airbrushing is not that difficult with a little practice, I just wish the cleanup was easier sometimes. I'm wondering how others clean their airbrushes for speedy clean up. I always tear the whole thing down and clean all parts. I think the set up and cleaning is what deters me from using my brush more. I guess it's called lazy or something like that. Randy
Randy, I have two Paasche 200Hs; one with a medium tip for general painting and one with a fine tip for weathering. I have some Bragdon powders that I keep on hand for larger weathering projects; buildings, whole sides and roofs of locomotives and rolling stock. I general use light colors to "fade" the base color. Before using powders or chalk, I spray with Dullcote. This helps give the surface some tooth.
Thanks for the clean up tips, I don't have a dedicated airbrush bench and it takes me time to set up everything and then put it away. It would be nice to have a bench to organize everything. I'm going to have to come up with something to help expedite the process.
Marlon, Did you use a fade on your S1? Also do you spray your Dullcote with your airbrush or from a can?
Rusteespikes Thanks for the clean up tips, I don't have a dedicated airbrush bench and it takes me time to set up everything and then put it away. It would be nice to have a bench to organize everything. I'm going to have to come up with something to help expedite the process. Marlon, Did you use a fade on your S1? Also do you spray your Dullcote with your airbrush or from a can? Randy
Randy, I used a medium brown Bragdon weathering powder to weather the locomotive body. I weathered the lower part of the locomotive with a medium gray, letting it cover the trucks, as well. I then brushed on the same medium brown weathering powder on the trucks, applying it a little heavier. I use Testors DullCote from a rattle can to finish the model. I haven't tried airbrushing the DullCote on, yet. I'll have to check the brick and mortar shop where I get most of my modeling supplies to see if they have DullCote in a bottle. Do you thin it, or just spray it as is?
TIP: I brush off the model with a VERY soft-bristled brush, then I use the airbrush by itself to blow off any stray dust particles. While I'm cleaning and painting the model, I ONLY handle it while wearing latex gloves. NOTHING will screw up a paint job faster than oily fingerprints left behind. You may not see them, but the paint will sure find them.
I use the rattle can of dullcote myself. I was wondering if it was worth using an airbrush to apply the dullcote or not. The can seems to do a pretty good job and is easy to use. I'll have to do some more research on the pros and cons of dullcote from an airbrush. There are several threads that deal with this subject, now just to wade through the information to get to the bottom of it.
Randy,Don't sweat it. You can (and should) read up on the pros and cons of cans vs airbrushes. However, what is critically important is that you're most comfortable with what you're using and obtaining good results. Do WHAT'S BEST FOR YOU. Some modelers perform a combination of applying paint to a shell with an airbrush and then seaing it with a rattlecan of clear, then Dullcote. I've used rattle cans years back as well and achieved decent results. There are some on the market that spray out a very fine mist. I have a can of Dullcote that's nearly full, sitting on my shelf that's at least 15 years old....and it still sprays! I've kept it as a backup. I no longer use Dullcote as, imho, Alclad's flat clear lays down even more smoothly through the airbrush.
Just my "personal views" regarding spray cans: Since I need a variety of colors the bulkiness of cans and the amount of space they take up, having to shake them as I spray, having to unclog nozzles, and if the can loses pressure...having to put the can in a bucket of ice and HOPE that the pressure builds up after it warms up again. Nein Danke, LOL But to be fair; airbrushes aren't peaches and cream either. Without practicing basic application techniques, one can easily produce paint jobs so rough that you can file your fingernails on the finish! Or spray too slowly and closely and wind up with dripping wet runs. Paint must be properly mixed and/or thinned. Other issues are: moisture in the airline (that's why you should always install an inline trap), tolerating a noisy compressor (which is why a compressor with a 3-gallon or larger tank is preferable instead of the small hobby units), replacing worn seals, replacing damaged parts on the airbrush (usually from dropping it) and keeping it properly cleaned. Airbrushing can become very challenging for persons that lean towards the lazy side or become frustrated easily.
Regardless of preference....patience and a positive mindset are most helpful.
Remember, this hobby is about relaxing and having fun!
Rusteespikes I use the rattle can of dullcote myself. I was wondering if it was worth using an airbrush to apply the dullcote or not. The can seems to do a pretty good job and is easy to use. I'll have to do some more research on the pros and cons of dullcote from an airbrush. There are several threads that deal with this subject, now just to wade through the information to get to the bottom of it. Randy
Medina1128...I haven't tried airbrushing the DullCote on, yet. I'll have to check the brick and mortar shop where I get most of my modeling supplies to see if they have DullCote in a bottle. Do you thin it, or just spray it as is?...
I usually thin Dullcote (and Glosscote) about 50% using lacquer thinner. It dries to the touch almost instantly, and with the light coats permitted by airbrushing, its appearance isn't overly apparent. I don't usually, however, apply Dullcote over weathering, even that done with pastels, as it makes the finish too uniform for my tastes.
The advantage of airbrushing clear finishes is that you can mix gloss and matte finishes to achieve any degree of semi-gloss. This allows passenger cars to look well-cared-for, and with a little light weathering over the clear finish, not toy-like.This works for an almost new freight car, too - just a trace of the original gloss of the new paint showing through some lightly applied weathering.I also find that I get more mileage out of the bottles than the spray cans, but I must admit that it's probably 40 years since I used Dullcote from a can.