Brick Mortar Questions. How do I do this?

[Kenfolk]

 I've been studying this thread with my right brain--you know, that creative side. Its very easy for me to visualize, even without the photos, what these techniques might look like when done well, and I was thinking about how I might try some new techniques (for me, anyway) on some structures yet to be built.

Then I came upon this

I would make small amouts mixed in plastic bowels 

and decided to quit trying to visualize.

 

So,  uh, maybe some pictures of the results achieved might be helpful.

[gatrhumpy]

Thanks for all the advice. I might try the wash this afternoon if the pastels don't work out.

[Lillen]

I've been giving this a lot of thought the last week since I've been busy painting the Milwaukee station. I've tried dry pastels, dry pastels mixes with water and paint, highly diluted and soap added.

 

The last version is the one that I think gives the greatest amount of control, but that is probably dependant on what you like and what you are used with.

 

The most important thought that I have come up was this. When looking at pictures of real buildings in contrast to model buildings the model buildings have to much white in general. I might be wrong but the white is not really an obvious feature on most brick buildings. It should in my mind just be a there but you should not see if it if you stand 5 meters away. That would be like standing 450 meters away from a brick building and then there should be very little white showing.

 

So my attempt shows very little white, it's there(more obvious on some parts where I used the pastel attempts) but it's not a defining feature of the building.

 

I would assume that this depends on a lot of factors, location, choices by the builders and so on. So I do not claim that my idea is correct. But it works for me. I would also guess that any 60 year old brick building next to a steam powered engine terminal would be kind of dirty.

 

Magnus

[loathar]

I just use a thinned down wash of Woodland Scenic concrete paint after painting the brick color. Wash the whole side of the building and wipe off the brick face with a paper towel. Let dry. If it's not enough, do another coat.

If it's too much, you can dry brush more brick color over the brick face. Turns out nice and random.

 

[MisterBeasley]

Really, Hydrocal works very well.  It might even work over the Spackle that you've already done.  Just take dry Hydrocal and rub it into the surface.  Put the surface down flat and spray a fine mist of water above the surface, not at the surface, so it rains down.  This way you won't disturb the Hydrocal, and it will moisten evenly.  Wait an hour or two, and then you can rub the excess off with a paper towel.  If you have lumps in window cracks, etc., chip them out with a toothpick.  At this point, it will be fright-white, so add a few drops of India Ink to some water and brush the mixture on to tone it down.

This method does NOT require Dul-cote.  It will hold up fine by itself, so you avoid the problem with the windows.

You really can't get Dul-Cote off windows if it's already been applied.  If you need to Dul-Cote a building, it's best to do it before you put the window glazing in.  But, if you've already got the windows in, you can still cover them with blue painters' masking tape.  This is a bit tedious, because you've got to cut little pieces of tape to match the windows, but it works very well.  I've found that my investment in a roll of this tape a couple of years ago has paid off very well.

[gatrhumpy]

I did one method yesterday. I smeared on some of the spackle that is pink and dries white.

EPIC FAILURE.

I put it on real thin, and then waited for it to dry before I tried to wipe it off with a damp paper towel. The towel did not hold up, and I could not get the drywall paste from the corner window cracks, etc. It was frustrating to say the least.

I'm going to go by Michael's today to see if they have chalk I can buy. I like that method better. I would use a very light grey piece of chalk, sand it down, and then brush on the structure, and then seal it with Testor's Dullcote. Thing is, I already out on the clear windows. How do I clean up the windows so they are clear again once I spray the Dullcote?

[DavidGSmith]

A method that works for me was one I picked up at anNMRA clinic. She it was a woman MMR used white shoe polish, the type nurses used. It comes in a containor with a sponge applicator.
Most methods in cluding this one leave a white haze, its ok for part of a wall but in reality its an indication that the mortar has gone bad.

[robert sylvester]

[8D]Dave Kelly:
Yes, when I first started to use sheet rock mud I used it for land forms, hill sides, moutains, covering screen wire or even coating foam core mountain. So I began to experiment with tints and laytex paints.
I was able to add any color such as laytex black, brown, dark brown, any color, and that way I wouldn't have to paint the ground or land forms, just add Woodland Scenic stuff, especially when it was still wet and all of the ground cover and lychen would stick without glue.
I wanted to tone down the mortar so through experimentation I added grey or off white to the mud and low and behold tinted mortar. I would make small amouts mixed in plastic bowels or use butter tops as a mixing palats.
I have even mixed tempra paints for coloring, burnt umber, brown sienna, etc. Give it a try.
Robert [:D]
WTRR
Hub City Division

[davekelly]

Robert,

Is their a way to tint or color the sheet rock mud?

[robert sylvester]

[8D]I posted my thoughts on a different post, the subject was similar. I've tried diluted white paint, talcom powder, mortar products, you name it I've tried it. Still for my money it is sheet rock mud from Home Depot or Lowes. Comes in small buckets, even large buckets, I use it on the layout for roads, mountains, walls, hills, embankments, and even brick mortar.
I first clean my walls with soap and water, and let them dry. Then I take a clean spatula or my finger and spread a thin coating of the mud on the wall, scraping the mud off with my spatula leaving the mortar lines full of the mud. I then use a piece of paper towel to remove any excess then let that dry. After it dries and use moist paper towel the wipe off the dusty coating. To me it looks great, just experiment with this process and you will perfect it. After it all dries you can use Dulcote to seal it, but I have never done that and I have buildings that are 20 years old and still look good. The mortar lines are still clean and look very realistic.[;)] By the way I paint all my buildings first and let it dry for a day or so then I apply the sheet rock mudd. I either hand paint the walls or use cheap spray paint in various brick colors from Wal-Mart.[:o)]
Robert
WTRR
Hub City Division

[ukguy]

Eric,

try reading this thread below, it covers one of my methods using flour.





http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=42134

Also some pics of the thinned paint method.



you gotta find the method that suits you best, (I'm still lookin for mine [:D] )

Have fun & be safe,
Karl.

[davekelly]

For mortar I've used several methods. Highly thinned out acyrilics with water (plus a few drops of detergent) or thinned with alchohol (I like this method a little better). I've used both model paint and the cheap craft paint - both seem to work fine, although I've gotten a little better result from the model paint.

I've also used boot polish (comes in a couple of doable shades). This seems to work really well. I just put a glob on my finger and rub it across the wall - the polish works it's way between the bricks and the rubbing motion keeps the brick color from "weathering" (as it would with a wash).

I think everyone here has posted a bunch of different ways and like Darrell says, there are hundreds of ways out there. Perhaps you could get some scrap walls (or a package of DPM modular walls units), pick a couple of methods, try 'em and then decide which works and looks best of you.

[whitman500]

I've down the wipe method (paint the brick red and then overlay the mortar color followed by wiping the mortar off of the brick surfaces). It works pretty well though I would not use white for the mortar since this method already makes the brick wall look lighter and using white would overdo it. I think a light tan or light gray would work better. My only advice is to do small areas at a time so you can wipe before the mortar paint has dried too much. Also, if you have the patience, try to do it before assembling the model since it is harder to wipe an assembled structure with lots of nooks and crannies.

[dehusman]

Most of the ways involve painting the walls brick color, then aplying a mortar color (which can be several colors from whites to tans to browns to brick reds to almost black) and then wiping off the excess. One method is to paint hte wall black first, then brick and finally mortar and then use steel wool to buff off the mortar. You can also use a very thin "wash' of mortar color so it only goes in the cracks. I've had success with that method too. Some of the best looking brick I've seen had several of the individual bricks shaded with artist's markers. They are available in various shades of brown at art supply stores. It really adds texture to the wall to have variation to the colors. another trick is if the building has a definite front (like the DPM stores or taller City Classics buildings) then use a redder brick on the front with a brown or reddish mortar (so its less visible) and then use a browner brick color with a more tan mortar for the sides and back, reflecting the use of fancy brick on the front and cheaper common brick on the sides and back. Buildings from the 1800's often had the brick painted or whitewashed.

Dave H.

[Anonymous]

Eric,
I paint the motar fairly simular to you but I use acrylic water based paint and add a drop of two of dishwashing detergent to the thined mixture. The detergent breaks the surface tension and allows the paint to flow well throught the motar lines on the plastic brick. I also do most of my weathering with chalks as I find them easier to control and clean up aferwards:

[dgwinup]

I suspect that this is going to turn into a long thread as there are probably hundreds of ways to do what you want.

I have used the processes described above to good effect, but I usually pre-paint the whole wall with my mortar color, then brush paint lightly over the bricks. This is quick and leaves a mottled coloring on the brick, which I think looks pretty natural.

I always pre-paint my walls though just to get rid of the plastic sheen. If I paint the walls a brick color, I add the mortar lines later using a very diluted paint wash. With the walls laying flat, I paint on the diluted mortar color and allow it to sit for a while, then carefully wipe the surface of the bricks, leaving behind nice looking mortar joints.

As I said, keep reading this thread because you will get many more suggestions. Try different ones until you find something that gives you the desired effect.

Darrell, quietly mortar-fied...for now

[selector]

I've read here that you can spinkle (dust) the wall you want to add the effect to with hydrocal, plaster, even flour, and then gently mist the material left behind when you first wipe off the wall. So, sprinkle it on, wipe off the brick surfaces, and then gently mist the stuff in the cracks. When it dries, you have fresh grout, and you can then use washes to age both the grout and the bricks.

[Adelie]

I've used the method you're talking about, and I've also used this stuff: http://www.caboosehobbies.com/catalog/Description.cfm?sku=15211

Either way works. The advantage to the stuff I bought from Caboose Hobbies is that you can wipe it off a week later, if need be. You paint it on (brush is fine), let it dry, then wipe it off with a damp cloth or sponge. The disadvantage is that it only comes in one color (white), so if you are trying to use a different mortar color or make the mortar grungy, it "ain't it."

Having used both, I can definitely say I will continue to use both!

[Anonymous]

That's the way I do it if I want concrete morter. I also use grimmy black.

[elauterbach]

I just got a Walthers brick railroad station. I am wondering how to make the brick and mortar look realistic. Does anyone have any thoughts on this? I am thinking that if I thin some gray or concrete, then I can paint it on and then wipe it off with a paper towel. This should leave only the gray in the mortar area. Any advice would be great.
Thanks,
Eric