Bottle Car Weathering

[chadw]

The experiment with feathered rust is finished.  Here's pic.

The results weren't as good as I expected but it seems like the paint added to the wet base shows through in the rust so I'll try one more test to see whot happens when I mix some rust paint into the paint I have been using.

Thanks

[chadw]

Right now I have a test application of a blend rusting.  I painted half a piece scrap styrene tarnished black and while it was wet painted the other side with the sophisticated finishes base.  The rusting is still light but so far looks promising as a way to get the fade.  If it doesn't turn out well I may just paint the whole car with the rust paint and airbrush over that to get the texture and the color.

Thanks alot JK

[jktrains]

You can thin the SF with about 25% distilled water.  it will still rust up for you.  This will give you the rust texture you need.  To get the color and the blended colors you're back to either airbrushing or blending with something like oil paints.

Here's some other pics of bottle cars as example as to what I mean when I talk about wanting that rust texture and its importance to weathering this kind of car.

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=174710

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=741976

its definitely a challenge.

[chadw]

I have the sophisticated finishes rust paint set and want to add some rust to the bottom of the car like in this pic.

http://railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=35456&nseq=6

(BTW check out the multicolor cooling fans in the background!)

See how the rust is mostly on the bottom of the car, then it fades into the brown of the rest of the car up the sides.  I'm wondering if there is a way to achieve this effect.

Thanks

[ndbprr]

I think you did a good job but don't overdo it.  personally in 30 years steel mill experinece I never saw a skull that big.  By the way, bottle cars do not carry slag.  They carry hot iron with just enough slag to seal the hole for transport.

[jktrains]

Chad,

There are a few ways to do the rust.  Which technique depends on the look you want.  I'll PM you with some ideas.

jktrains

[dragonriversteel]

What's a good way to model rust.  I have faded paint and done some other weathering effects before with good results, but rust has me stumped.  It always either looks like brown paint or a bucket of dirty water was spilled on the car.  One other detail I would like to ad to this car is the piles of rubble and dust I have seen on the end platforms of these cars in many pics.

Thanks

 

   Chad,

     One of the methods I've used is elmers glue a very fine gray ballast. Mix both together and paint the skull on,being careful not to add to much at a time. Then after it drys for a day,weather with dry chalk powders,spray with testors dull-coat.

 The other method is using the elmers & ballast again,but this time make a templete out-line of the skull using paper.Cut out the skull out-line and then use you favorite rust paint and spray the bottle car.

 I'm sure there are a ton of ways to pull this effect off. These are two I use.

 Patrick

 Beaufort,SC

 Dragon River steel Corp {DRSC}

 

 

[chadw]

What's a good way to model rust.  I have faded paint and done some other weathering effects before with good results, but rust has me stumped.  It always either looks like brown paint or a bucket of dirty water was spilled on the car.  One other detail I would like to ad to this car is the piles of rubble and dust I have seen on the end platforms of these cars in many pics.

Thanks

[jktrains]

Chad, looking better.  I think see what I meant by adding the metallic color to the skull.  I agree, the next step is to add some rust to the top of the bottle.  From the pictures I've seen, the bottle take a beating pretty quick from all that heat.

[dragonriversteel]

 

 Looking really good Chad ! I need to do the same to my fleet of hot metal cars. Can't wait to see the skull after many years of build up. Now your going to need a piece of equipment to remove the skull.

 A small track-hoe with a impact tool.

 Patrick

 Beaufort,SC

 Dragon River Steel Corp {DRSC}

 

 

[chadw]

Here's the car now after some more weathering.  I drybrushed the skull with some flat alluminum paint to make it a little metallic, although it's hard to tell from this pic.  I painted the rest of the car with a mix of pollyscale tanished black and railroad tie brown.  The car was then dulcoted and letting was applied with a white colored pencil to make it look spray-painted on by hand.

I still may add some more weathering like some more rust and dust on the top of the bottle and on the end platforms.

Thanks for the compliments and constructive criticism JK.

[jktrains]

Chad,

The bottle car looks real good.  I have a good friend who is an expert in steel mill modeling and have seen many of his weathered bottle cars.  One suggestion or something to think about - maybe a fair part of the skull should be metallic instead of rusted.  This would look more like a car in use that recently dump a load of slag.  Also, you need more rust on the bottle itself.  Look for some proto pics to guide you.

[chadw]

Today I started weathering a Walthers bottle car.  So far the only part of the car that is finished is the build up of skull around the spout.  Here is the car so far.

The skull was modelled with squadron white putty and then painted with the sophisticated finishes rust paint set.  To get the right color I checked on the progress of the rusting often and sealed it with flat finish when it matched the color of what I have seen in pics of the real thing.  There's still alot of weathering left to do but so far I think it looks pretty good.