Bryan B.
You can spend plenty of money on weathering products, if you like. You can also, as I mentioned earlier, use some gray artists acrylics, watered down with water and make a wash. Acrylics should be something you have for painting scenery, anyway. One of the best/simplest methods would be to paint the plastic a wood color and then wash with either acrylic; or, India ink, diluted with alcohol.
NP 2626 "Northern Pacific, really terrific"
Northern Pacific Railway Historical Association: http://www.nprha.org/
I used Floquil Earth as a base coat and when dry I brush on a wash of india ink in 70% isopropol alcohol. This coal tower was finished this way and came out looking like weathered wood. There are many other good suggestions here and they all have their merits or advantages. Do some test pieces to see what you like.
-Bob
Life is what happens while you are making other plans!
Mark R. One more link for a suggestion .... http://www.pacificcoastairlinerr.com/aging_wood/ Mark.
One more link for a suggestion ....
http://www.pacificcoastairlinerr.com/aging_wood/
Mark.
Mark, thanks for that link. Some excellent stuff. Used it to modify methods just for this purpose, however, I lost the link some time ago.
Modeling B&O- Chessie Bob K. www.ssmrc.org
¡ uʍop ǝpısdn sı ǝɹnʇɐuƃıs ʎɯ 'dlǝɥ
spray can down a wood like tan. Let it sit a week for it to outgas and harden.
spray can down a grey on top. (Weathered layer) Wait 1 day.
(optionally) spray can top coat paint color (like barn red) overtop. Wait 1 day.
Take a wire brush and scrape in the direction of the wood grain.
http://www.micromark.com/2-piece-mini-brush-set,6564.htmlThe doors and the siding are two examples here. Not my best work, but my only photos available on hand.
Don - Specializing in layout DC->DCC conversions
Modeling C&O transition era and steel industries There's Nothing Like Big Steam!
Hello Bryan,
Timely post, as I too am looking for methods to make styrene look like wood. I'm hoping that the methods suggested by the esteemed forum members might also apply to resin kits as well.
Built this Tichy styrene crate last year. The wood grain was already molded in. Started with an airbrushed coat of Floquil Foundation, when totally dry added a wash of India ink/alcohol, followed by a few acrylic craft paint washes, finished up with some weathering pigments.
Thanks and regards, Peter
The top two flatcars here have plastic decks weathered to resemble unpainted wood. I used acrylic craft paint to build up both color and texture. I started with dry-brushing black over most of the deck, keeping the brush moving in the direction of the wood grain. Similar shades of gray and tan were then layered on, and once those were dry a black wash finished things off. Using a small brush no wider than the cast-in board width helps. The same idea works with one-piece cast structure floors or loading docks, and smaller details are even simpler as they usually don't require differentiation to look like separate boards.
Rob Spangler
For wood car sides I will take various color pencils and very lightly rub them down the boards vertically. I use a variety of browns, tans, greys and dark reds. For decks and loading docks I use a grey or tan base and then as others have said a variety of dry brushing and washes with other colors. I have seen people use a piece of terry cloth towel to "dry dab" color onto wood to make it look like peeling paint, either a grey/tan/brown color on the paint or the paint color on grey/tan/brown weathered "wood".
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com
wabash2800 The best method I've used is the PBL, Star Brand wood weathering paints. If you'd like to see the results, copy and past the Model Railroader links below of the bridge planking and guards on my Overland brass bridge. The wood was simulated with the Star Brand paint, painted on distressed styrene with simulated grain made from a razor saw blade. I finished it off with some diluted indiana ink. The finished product has no resemblence to styrene. http://cs.trains.com/mrr/m/mrr-layouts/2044677.aspx http://cs.trains.com/mrr/m/mrr-layouts/2044670.aspx Victor A. Baird www.erstwhilepublications.com
The best method I've used is the PBL, Star Brand wood weathering paints. If you'd like to see the results, copy and past the Model Railroader links below of the bridge planking and guards on my Overland brass bridge. The wood was simulated with the Star Brand paint, painted on distressed styrene with simulated grain made from a razor saw blade. I finished it off with some diluted indiana ink. The finished product has no resemblence to styrene.
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/m/mrr-layouts/2044677.aspx
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/m/mrr-layouts/2044670.aspx
Victor A. Baird
www.erstwhilepublications.com
Lots of good info for the actual painting/ weathering. I agree w/ victor as to distressing the surface first. Razor saw, small strips of sandpaper to scratch/ gouge helps prior to applying a "base" paint. if additional distress is wanted, carve the boards/ planks and open seams or split board ends. Sharp chisel works to scrape any excess or uniform lines. Don't go nuts unless it's an almost fallen down wreck
I use gray acrylic paint and water it down some to get a wash and paint it on.
Matt Snell's article in the November 2014 issue of MR about weathering the wood deck of a flatcar has tips that are readily adaptable to your purpose.
Faced with similar issues my typical decision has been, how weathered? My own technique is usually to reverse the natural process. That is, I start with the grays (more than one shade) and browns, and only lightly apply the lighter tans of the original wood. For very lightly weathered wood such as you'd see in a depot floor I start with the tan (Tamiya makes a rattle can of Wood Deck Tan that I like very much, TS-68) and darken it with washes, powders, and dry brushing.
I'd go easy on the blacks and stick to various grays and browns.
Running a sharp pencil down the lines between "boards" helps too.
Don't forget that just as carpet wears in the center of the room more than the edges (and you are showing your age if you remember having your wall to wall carpet reversed with the edges moved into the center, with a seam running down the center of the room), so too wood floors can remain almost original along the walls, quite worn in the center of the room, and very worn and even damaged near the doors.
I use a mascara brush that my wife discarded because in many ways the application of this type of weathering is remarkably like applying make-up.
In a sense both make-up and weathering are aimed at creating a deceptive illusion although my strong sense of self preservation would never permit me to suggest that to my bride.
Dave Nelson
I am building a styrene Grandt Line brand storage shed. It is the old looking corrugated steel roof and siding type building with wood floor and structural columns. I wanted to simulate the greyed wood look and was wondering what methods you guys used to create that look. I was thinking of shooting a base coat of some light grey and then dry brushing some brown or black accents. Any recomendations on this would be appreciated. Thank you.