Interesting article by Cody Grivno. He shows a big modern diesel, a GE ESS44 decorated for the Union Pacific. Cody brush paints a few small details, ditch lights, headlights, steps, MU hoses, coupler lift bars, etc. Then he paints the numerous air intake and exhaust grilles with a black wash, and brush paints the couplers. He finishes up with weathering powders and some Dull coat.
Most weathering articles show a level of artistic ability worthy of painting an old master for an art museum. I lack that sort of artistic ability, but I do some simple weathering with rattle cans. Step one in to merely paint any part of the model that shows plastic shine. Start with the trucks. Cody goes thru a three step process (DullCote, followed by Vallejo Oiled Earth, finished with Gray Wash No 76.531. Me, I just paint freight trucks with Krylon or Rustoleum red auto primer. It sticks to the slippery engineering plastic just fine. Locomotive trucks get a coat of Dark Gray auto primer. Then I brush paint the wheel faces grimy black for friction bearing trucks and dirt color for roller bearing trucks.
Then I spray paint the under side of rolling stock and any canvas roofs (cabeese, milk cars, and heavy weight passenger cars) with dark gray auto primer. Mask the sides of the car with two inch wide blue painters tape. I never paint couplers, partly for fear of gumming them up, and partly because Kadee couplers come from the factory with a nice flat metallic look.
If the entire car is too shiny or too brightly colored, I give a shot of Dullcote. The Dullcote will kill the shine and tone down too bright train set colors.
I don't use weathering powders on rolling stock. If you set the powders with DullCote something bad happens, the DullCote mates with the powder and turns it invisible. Handling, something all rolling stock gets a lot of, rubs off the weathering powder in short order. I'll use weather powders (powdered chalk) on structures which don't get handled much, but not on rolling stock.
Good Luck.
David Starr www.newsnorthwoods.blogspot.com
There are many pieces of rolling stock weathered with Alphacolor brand pastel chalks and sealed with Dullcote on my layout that have been in service and handled for years without any wearing off of the effects that I can detect.
Week before last I followed Gary Christensen's no airbrush weathering method, though I did cheat and use an airbrush to apply the layers of Dullcote.
The initial fade was accomplished with a couple applications of craft paint washes.
Also deviated from G.C.'s method by using some Pan Pastels on the car ends and roof instead of the chalk pastels. The Pan Pastels adhere better than chalks and are less effected by the Dullcote, more of 'what you see is what you get'. But are less forgiving than chalks and take more care feathering in and controlling hard edges.
Regards, Peter
I haven't done a whole lot of weathering of rolling stock, but I have used water colors and, yes, I have used weathering powders. In my limited experience, I've found that the weathering powders can be sealed with Dull Cote (I actually use Krylon matte finish), without taking the powder effect away by going VERY lightly with it. A couple of these light coats may be necessary. I've done it on structures as well.
I tend to use acrylic paints (easy to scrub off if you make a mistake) and seal with dullcoat. I have used chalks in the past but found it to be a pain to get the powders fine enough for my liking. Below is a boxcar I worked on last year thats probably my best to date (has a nice "dusty" look which is what I aim for).
-Jon
LakeErieExpress I tend to use acrylic paints (easy to scrub off if you make a mistake) and seal with dullcoat. I have used chalks in the past but found it to be a pain to get the powders fine enough for my liking. Below is a boxcar I worked on last year thats probably my best to date (has a nice "dusty" look which is what I aim for).
Excellent results.
- Douglas
LakeErieExpress