airbrush weathering

[Anonymous]

Ive always weathered wit chalks and washes. and of course the occasional drybrushing, but now that i have my airbrush i thought i would try that out. Im going to practice on some scrap styrene of course but do any of you know some good airbrush weathering techniques?

[Dough]

Check out the various techniques on this guys site. Many of them involve airbrushes...

http://www.trainweb.org/chessie/skills.htm

[Anonymous]

In the "Building a Model Railroad Series" Tape #6 or 7. (I cant remember which. Its the one on Freight Cars.) Covers wheathering on freight cars, and they cover wheathering with an airbrush.

Also look in back issiues of MR for Articles by John Pryke. He has covered many aspects of model railroading over the years, including wheathering steam engines and freight cars. Also in one one of the more recent issiues. (Within the last two years) is an article on wheathering diesles by Terry Thompson. These could all be of use to you.

James.

[mondotrains]

Hi Joe,
I've got some suggestions for you. As you know, practice is the key to success. I got some old engine shells at a train show for a couple of bucks each and used them for practice along with some old pieces of rolling stock. Once you've mastered spraying a nice, fine mist of weathering, the next key to success is knowing where and how much weathering to apply. I spend a lot of time looking at pictures of engines and especially rolling stock, to see where to apply the weathering.

Since it takes time to clean up your airbrush, it's always a good idea to line up several projects to spray in assembly-line fashion. I mix up my paints in those little "pill" cups you can get at pharmacies. They look like little shot glasses made of plastic and have demarcations on them so you can accurately mix your various colors. They only cost about $2.00 for 100 (2 cents) each and are worth it because their so convenient. In one session, I've weathered several pieces of rolling stock, a few engines, and then gone on to lightly rust some oil storage tanks. Again, if I'm going to set up the airbrush and spray booth, I like doing several projects at a time. If you're going to use solvent-based paints, be sure to wear a protective mask (I'm talking the ones with charcoal filters in them which are specifically made to filter out all airborn particulates and harmful chemicals). These masks cost around $25.00 but can save your lungs and life. I've found that I can do a great job with water-based acryllics and therefore don't use solvent-based paints.

Hope this helps.
Mondo