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I am in the middle of doing this for my own fleet, as I change out trucks and couplers for Kadee's and just generally revamping my roster. I have never considered doing it for a fee, but I can tell you that it really is not that difficult. I use pastel chalks, specifically "Nupastel" brand, although I don't know if they are still in business; the set I have is one I purchased over ten years ago, and I've only run out of the white and black sticks, the rest seem to last forever. I picked up a mixed colors set that includes a couple of browns that look like rust and dirt colors. What you do is take an X-acto (preferably one with an older dull blade) and scrape it over the chalk stick, to produce a small pile of powder. Then, get a good fluffy brush (dry!) and use it to apply chalk to your model surfaces. You can put it on heavier than you ultimately desire, because what you'll do is wipe some of it off with a paper towel or even your fingertip, leaving chalk accumulated in the cracks and around details. This will look very good on its own, but it leaves the chalk still loose, which means your weathering will deteriorate over the years as you handle it. The solution is to fix the chalk in place. Most modelers just spray a clear coat over it, but when you do this, the chalk tends to disappear. You have to re-apply and spray several times. What I reccommend, instead, is that you fix it with water. I use a supple brush (long and thin tip, not broad) loaded up with water, which I flow onto the car face over the chalk. I work one panel at a time (most cars have rivet lines or seams between panels), trying to flow onto it without disturbing chalk; the more water that it in your brush, the better. Now, pure water may be difficult to work with, as it does not adhere to the surface; I have found it easier to mix in a very small amount of black paint (I use acrylic-based paints, from a craft store, as they come in easy-to-use flip-top bottles and are mixed to a thin consistency) to create a black wash. It's almost like water color paints, which now that I think about it, probably would work as well. The black wash will also settle into cracks and help to pop the details. The whole point is just to get the Nupastel wet, because it will basically turn into paint at that point. Where you dusted it on before, it will stick to the model without fading away to nothing. Start at one end of the car and keep moving all the way across it in order to do one entire face; let that face dry while sitting nice and level, so that the black wash does not pool on one edge... unless you want that effect! As for adding weight, I picked up some weights that come with an adhesive backing once at a train show; I don't know who it was that made them, but they are easy to snap apart and the peel-and-stick to the car interior. I have also scavenged the sheet weights from some of my retired cars, the kind with holes in them. On the original car, there was a plastic prong which popped up through this hole, which was them melted down to become a sort of rivet, to hold the weight in. I re-install these by just using spare sprue material to glue on a new prong, and then glue a crossbar to the top of this prong after the weight is in. I could also use a soldering iron to melt the prong down. I think weathering cars is one of the most rewarding tasks, because it improves the look so much, and yet it is so easily done. I encourage you to try it yourself!
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