Mortar lines without whitewashing the walls.......... how to

[Anonymous]

Ok chocolate covering, a three tiered cake with squashed pears and fresh whipped cream between each layer. Any flour left over can be used thanks to ukguys great tip.

[MisterBeasley]

What kind of icing are you going to use? I vote for chocolate. [(-D]

[Anonymous]

This is a good tip, another advantage is that the wife will be pleased if she see's me working with flour, I'll have to bake a cake.(or buy one).
Your brickwork looked great, just as I would like it.

[Medina1128]

I have an assembled building in the basement, er, train empire room that I haven't put window glazing into yet. Heading down as soon as I post this and give it a try.

[electrolove]

ukguy:

Looks awesome. Can you please post a picture of the finished building when it's done. I want to look at the final result.

[TomDiehl]

The main advantage I've found from using the hair spray as a sealer is, if you really mess it up, some work with running water and an old toothbrush, you are ready to try again.

As long as you didn't use a water based paint for the brick color.

Another advantage is the cheap stuff seems to work best. And a big can does a LOT of buildings.

[ukguy]

Tom, i was going to use talc but there wasnt any in the house, flour was my second choice but it turned out well for me.

Possibly Chip, although the other thing I dont like about the paint, and especially the joint compound/spackling methods are the mortar to brick ratio. Even if you do clean off the brick faces successfully I find that the mortar lines are far too thick (approx half or one third the thickness of the bricks).

Maybe its me doing it wrong, maybe I'm too critical of my previous results but you will notice that the mortar in my above pics is very thin but well defined, more in scale than any of my other results. As I said maybe my technique was lacking previously but the time I personally was spending to get a less than satisfactory(for me) result I wasnt happy with.

This is just another option I found and wanted to share, the other methods just didnt work for me. If it helps just one guy I'll be happy, I know it wont suit everybody, just trying to help out.

Have fun & be safe,
Karl.

[SpaceMouse]

I too have used the thinned acrylic grey-wash. Although, there are some "chalky" areas, with grey color, they look more natural than a white wash. I've also found the brick to clean up very nicely with a very slightly damp paper towel. It seems far lees work than the flour.

[Pruitt]

Very interesting idea, but I wonder if the flour will yellow over time?

Or maybe you'll get HO scale weevils.... [:o)]

[chateauricher]

QUOTE: Originally posted by georgev
Sounds like a great idea. I too have not had good luck with thinned paint. However, a word of caution on buildings already assembled.... If the building has windows with some form of glazing, the Dullcote will make them instantly frosted.

A few well-placed pieces of masking tape should protect areas from unwanted overspray of Dullcote.

I think I'll be trying UKGuy's flour technique on a fully assembled roundhouse (I bought it already assembled several months ago). I'll just mask over the parts I want to keep clean of Dullcote.

Thanks for the tip !

[georgev]

Sounds like a great idea. I too have not had good luck with thinned paint. However, a word of caution on buildings already assembled.... If the building has windows with some form of glazing, the Dullcote will make them instantly frosted.

I found this out the hard way when I was younger on a building which I detailed the interior.......
George V.

[TomDiehl]

Sounds similar to a method I've used since the '70's. Talcum powder held in place with hair spray.

[SilverSpike]

Karl,

You are correct, the walls are all assembled I just glued them together a few days ago. I will be sure to keep the walls face up while applying and drying one at a time.

Thanks,

Ryan

[ukguy]

Silver spike, if your buildings are already assembled, which it sounds like they are (but I may be wrong) use the process on one wall at a time and leave face up to dry.. I discovered that when doing a constructed building and then applying doesnt work, I guess it didnt like the vertical surfaces.

Karl.

[Anonymous]

You must be careful here, if you use self raising flour and it gets a little warm in you layout room your HO scale building may end up being G scale.

[ukguy]

Thanks guys, I hope it helps at least one person out.

Thanks for the added tips Robert. As you mention, I also use minwax on wood although not in the pens

QUOTE: Posted by ukguy Posted: 25 Jul 2005, 17:46:01

Something I played with, firstly prime the wood(it also works on styrene or any other material) with kilz primer, preferably the latex, (I cant comment on the oil or spray yet) this gives you a base to work on. Then just use regular 'minwax' wood stains depending on the effect you want. You are actually staining the primer not the original material so you should get consistent results, it also helps on any over glueing mishaps.

If you put the stain (I used provincial 211) straight on the white primer you will get a 'new wood' effect.

For an aged, but not decripited wood paint the item with a mediem grey(auto primer tonish) then a quick wash of dilute black or india ink, leave to dry overnight and apply the stain(thats the method I used for the fishing pier in my sigpic).

To get a really aged grey/silver look use minwax ebony stain directly over the white pimer.

After figuring all this out for myself I delved into Harolds(hminky) page and discovered he was experimenting along the same lines!!! his web address is-

http://www.pacificcoastairlinerr.com

the specifiac address for weathered wood is -
http://www.pacificcoastairlinerr.com/weathered_wood/

I would also paint/stain/age the items prior to final assembly, I learnt that the hard way.

I like the results also, I also just used the minwax over grey primer on the trunk of my new pinetree, looks great !

Have fun & be safe

[robert sylvester]

Karl:
I forgot to add, I have also used sheet rock mud. Use a clean spatula, smooth it on the brick, one might want to practise first, do a very thin layer let it dry, then using a damp cloth gently rub over the surface to remove the powered dry look. If you bare down enough withe the spatula you will actually scrape off enough of the mud and leave just a little residue.
Rob
WTRR
Hub City Division

[robert sylvester]

Karl:
Great idea, I have actually used talcom powder on buildings, but regular flour works well too. Also, I have used this same idea for snow scenes. A light dusting of baking flour or baby powder looks great. In fact it makes the scene look cold, I like the talcom or baby powder because of the despenser. You could also use a sifter to spread the flour for snow scenes. After application I have used Dulcote, also I have used just a clear coat spray, it's big can.
I know this is nothing new, but I put together the Woodland Scenic Water Tank, the barrel part is real wood. I choose two ways to stain the wood. I have used Floquil stains and they work great, but I tried staining marker pens, both on the water tower as well as some wood structures, and wow. They come in a variety of stains, and simple to use, no brushes, no thinner, no clean up; just pull of the top and stain the wood, like using a magic marker. Minwax comes to mind.
Rob,
WTRR
Hub City Division

[SilverSpike]

Timing of this great tip could not be more perfect. I started a structure-building project this weekend and needs one more coat of paint before I set in the mortar effect. I was going to go with a thinned out mixture of 50:50 white latex paint with water, but I will have to try your flour method, it looks easier and I love the ability to start over if I don't like the results.

Thanks,

Ryan

[MidlandPacific]

Joint compound also works: just get a little bit of it on your fingers and rub it into the brickwork.

[Anonymous]

And what's wrong with a 5/0 brush with half of the bristles removed and six months to do one wall? JUST KIDDING

I spray the wall with the color that I want the morter to be and then wipe it of with toilet paper, don't use Kleenex as it isn't strong enough. Here's an example:

[selector]

Karl, once again, you have shown your abilities. Thanx, and I WILL do this on my laundromat.

[davekelly]

Aways used massively thinned acyrlic paint - but I'm gonna have to try this. As you say, if I don't like a quick dunk in water makes it go away. Can't beat that!

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: I have always wanted to put mortar lines on my buildings but when I try using thinned paint (acrylic, waterbasted, testors...) I always end up with an appearance of chalky bricks, washed out walls and really not very prominent mortar lines. I've tried all different paints, methods, colours and thinness, even sheetrock mud and spackling all to no avail. In my quest for a solution I came up with flour.

[#ditto]

This shall be my new method Great Idea!!!!!!!!!!

[NZRMac]

I've four brick buildings that need some work, thanks Karl I'll give it a try.

Ken.

[ukguy]

I dont know if this is 'old hat' or not but here goes anyway.

I have always wanted to put mortar lines on my buildings but when I try using thinned paint (acrylic, waterbasted, testors...) I always end up with an appearance of chalky bricks, washed out walls and really not very prominent mortar lines. I've tried all different paints, methods, colours and thinness, even sheetrock mud and spackling all to no avail. In my quest for a solution I came up with flour.

Yes ordinary baking flour (no I dont know if its self raising)

Application....Step 1 :- Apply the flour liberally with a cottonbud in a circular motion ensuring all lines are filled.

Clean up .... Step 2 :- Lightly blow off access flour. ( now you wall will look like mine did with paint, all chalky and washed out.) Use an exacto and gently scrape the flour from the window frames, cornices and any other corner where it will accumulate, blow off the little flour balls this produces. Lightly wipe a fingertip accross the bricks, this will remove any chalkyness from the brick face but leave the flour in the mortar lines. If you remove too much flour just reapply, it takes seconds to do.

(this sounds like a lot but I just did the new walters passenger station in 10 mins start to finish, unassembled)

Finishing off..... Step 3 :- Apply a light coat of dullcoat to set the 'mortar' (it will seem to disappear when wet but then reappear when dry) If you need a little more mortar when dry just repeat the process from step 1.

Here are some pics to illustrate.







I forgot to add, one BIG advantage is that if you err, or just dont like the effect you can simply rinse it off in water or brush it off with a clean dry paintbrush (before applying the testors obviously), try doing that after 3 applications of alcohol thinned paint ! [:D]

Have fun & be safe,
Karl.