Introductory Techniques for Weathering Without an Airbrush Version 2 Weather or Not Introductory Techniques for Weathering Without an Airbrush Version 2 If you don’t have an airbrush, or don’t want to roll it out for a small weathering job, never fear. You can do a lot of nice weathering without one. EduTRAIN™

This is an EduTRAIN™ Clinic EduTRAIN™ Copyright © 2014, National Model Railroad Association, Inc.

Bruce De Young, MMR President, Garden State Division Education Department Manager, NMRA bdeyoung@optonline.net EduTRAIN™

Should you weather your models? Fading, rusting, and dirt accumulation begins as soon as a piece of rolling stock leaves the paint shop and hits the rails. Unless a crew of painters has just finished painting a building, much the same is true for structures. So, some degree of weathering is called for in almost all situations on our models. This doesn’t mean that every model should look decrepit. Remember, variety is the spice of life! Although not all models have to be heavily weathered, most models can be enhanced by some level of weathering. EduTRAIN™

EduTRAIN™ The upper photo shows this car right out of the box. The lower photo shows the car weathered using the techniques presented in this clinic. The weathering represents less than a half hour of work. EduTRAIN™

In this clinic you will learn how to: Weather with washes Weather with powders Weather with pencils and markers Although there are many weathering techniques that can be used, this clinic will focus on the use of washes, powders, pastel pencils, and markers. EduTRAIN™

Weathering with washes Alcohol washes Water based washes Mineral Spirits washes Washes can be classified by the liquid used to form the wash. This clinic will look at three of the more popular liquids used: rubbing (Isopropyl) alcohol, water, and Mineral Spirits. EduTRAIN™

Weathering with Alcohol Washes Both India Ink and Leather Dye can be mixed with Isopropyl Alcohol to form weathering washes. Higgins Ink and Fiebing’s Leather Dye are only two examples of what can be found on the market. Fiebing’s Leather Dye can be found at shoe repair shops and online. EduTRAIN™

Make your own Light Mix: 1 tsp of India Ink to 1 pint of 91% Isopropyl Alcohol “Normal” Mix: 2 tsp of India Ink to 1 pint of 91% Isopropyl Alcohol If you mix your own, it is good to make batches up of several strengths. Here you see common formulas for a light and ‘normal’ mix of Alcohol and India Ink (A&I). A darker mix could also be made using 3 tsp (1 tbs) of ink to a pint of rubbing alcohol. If you don’t think you can use a pint, cut the formula in half. Similar mixes can be made using the same quantites of Leather Dye and alcohol. Although A&I does not seem to separate by standing, the leather dye does seem to do this. Simply shake before using if it has been standing for a while. EduTRAIN™

... Or, Use a Commercial Mix Commercial: MicroMark Age It Easy Grey Commercial: MicroMark Railroad Tie & Bridge Stain Commercial: Hunterline Weathering Mix Commercial: Weather-It There are good commercial washes available as well. This slide just names a few. EduTRAIN™

A&I as a Stain EduTRAIN™ The look of weathered wood can be accomplished by staining the raw stripwood in a solution of A&I, Leather Dye & alcohol, or one of the commercial stains/washes. The plastic containers that cotton swabs come in can be useful for this purpose. EduTRAIN™

Age It Easy Grey EduTRAIN™ Wood siding (scribed siding) can be weathered before assembly by flowing the alcohol wash over the siding with a wide, flat, soft brush. Flow in the direction that water would flow down the wall. The use of 91% alcohol (instead of 70%) can reduce the tendency of warping, as can the habit of applying the wash to both sides of the wall. Weight can be applied to the wall while drying to also help prevent warping. All of this is best done before assembly. EduTRAIN™

A&I as a Weathering Wash on Styrene The wall of this Borden’s Creamery is made of styrene and was painted a cream color. After drying for a few days, a wash of alcohol and India Ink was applied with a 1/2” soft flat brush. The wash was drawn down from the peak of the roof towards the foundation. If you want to add multiple coats, let one coat dry before adding each successive coat. Tipping the building so that the wall is less vertical will allow the wash to stay on the wall while the alcohol evaporates. EduTRAIN™

Leather Dye as a Weathering Wash on Painted Wood This wood wall was also painted a cream color. A wash of leather dye and alcohol was applied with a 1/4” soft wide brush. The wash tended to accumulate next to the battens, leaving more of the black dye there when the alcohol evaporated. EduTRAIN™

Dull Cote & Alcohol Have an Interesting Interaction You have to wonder who the first person was that discovered this interaction. It certainly wasn’t me! EduTRAIN™

Spray Model With Dull Cote & Let Dry Then Flow On Alcohol With Soft Brush For ‘Chalky’ Look EduTRAIN™

Dull Cote & Alcohol Wash For Roof Weathering This technique is particularly effective in weathering metal roofs on boxcars. If you don’t like the look, spray with Dull Cote again and the look will disappear. EduTRAIN™

Weathering with Water Paint Washes Water down the paint approximately 50/50 Flow on with soft brush (On large flat surfaces, use a wide (1/4”, 1/2” or more) brush) Work into the areas you want weathered. Once it starts to dry, leave it be – don’t keep going over it. Let dry before a second thin coat of needed Any water based paint can be made into a wash by mixing it with water. You want it to look like a stain, not a paint, so you want it fairly thin. EduTRAIN™

Weathering Wheels and Trucks One great use of a water based wash is to weather the wheels on rolling stock. Flow a thin wash of your favorite rust color onto the face of the wheel and the outer rim of the wheel. (Not the wheel flange that it rides on). A soft pointed brush works well for this and dipping the brush into some warm water before dipping in the thinned paint helps it flow nicely. Once dry, you can touch up any missed spots. EduTRAIN™

Flow a thin wash of rust color onto the side frames of the wheel sets as well. EduTRAIN™

EduTRAIN™ The result is a nicely weathered wheel set. Notice the difference between the outer side of the wheel set and the un-weathered inner side of the wheel set. EduTRAIN™

A similar wash of your favorite rust color, but not quite as thin, will make the sides of your rails look realistic. I apply this with a cheap stiff bristle brush. Remember to wipe the railheads of with a damp cloth before the paint dries. If you check out my YouTube channel you will see a tutorial on this. (JerseyHighlandsBruce) EduTRAIN™

Verdigris made with thin PolyScale Jade Green Wash (1/4” – 1/2” soft flat brush) Applying a thin wash of PolyScale Jade Green over a copper colored surface will yield a nice approximation of weathered copper (verdigris If you can’t find PolyScale, there are several craft paints that come in that color. ). (To make the copper base color, I use my 50/50 mix of water based Rail Brown and Rust paints.) EduTRAIN™

Weathering with Mineral Spirits Put a small dab of tube-based artist’s oil near top of surface to be weathered. Dip soft flat brush in odorless Mineral Spirits Draw the ‘dab’ down the surface in direction that water would flow Keep working it until you get desired results Another nice approach to weathering is to place a dab of artist’s oil paint on the surface of a model and then to ‘draw’ or wash that dab down the surface with a soft, flat brush dipped in odorless Mineral Spirits. You can keep going over this drawn down dab until you get your desired results. (On a non-porous surface like metal or styrene, you can come back and remove this drawn down dab with clear Mineral Spirits for a day or more after applying it.) EduTRAIN™

Use ‘Low Odor’ Mineral Spirits Low odor mineral spirits is a lot ‘friendlier’ for indoor use than ‘regular’ mineral spirits. Still, follow all of the manufacturers precautions EduTRAIN™

Useful Artist’s Oils EduTRAIN™ Winton is only one of several brands of Artist’s Oils that is readily available in Art and Craft shops like Michaels and Hobby Lobby. Besides the Siennas and the Umbers, black is another useful color to use in weathering. EduTRAIN™

Place Little Dabs of the Oils on a Palette or Board A good way to start is to place a small amount of the Artist’s Oil Paint on a palette or piece of wood from which you and take small dabs to place on your model’s surface. A tooth pick or small stiff brush is good for applying the oils dabs to the model. EduTRAIN™

Useful Equipment EduTRAIN™ Mineral Sprits can interact with the plastic of some containers, so a ceramic container is a better choice. A tooth pick is a good choice for applying dabs of the thick oil paints to a model. Soft flat brushes are best for dipping in the mineral spirits and ‘drawing down’ the paint dabs. EduTRAIN™

Place Some Oils on Surface to be Weathered Using a brush, tooth pick, or dental pic, place a small amount of the Artist’s Oil on your model. EduTRAIN™

Oils ‘drawn down’ with Mineral Spirits Dipping a soft flat brush into the Mineral Spirits, begin ‘drawing down’ the dab of paint that you have placed on the model. Continue doing that until you get the desired result. Remember, you can always add a little more paint, and you can remove it completely with Mineral Spirits as long as you are working on a non-porous surface. EduTRAIN™

The Final Look EduTRAIN™ The rusty areas on this styrene model of a corrugated metal structure were created using this technique. EduTRAIN™

Same Approach on Rolling Stock Here you see a dab of oil paint placed on the upper part of the second panel in from the right. Some small dabs of oil paint have already been ‘drawn down’ the next two ribs in to the left. EduTRAIN™

After the ‘draw down’ EduTRAIN™ Although the mineral spirits have not yet dried completely, you can see the faded, weathered look you can achieve. Unlike some other washes, you can come back after this dries with more mineral spirits to remove more/all of the oils. This removal will not work forever, but certainly works for the next few hours or so. EduTRAIN™

Weathering With Powders Commercial Powders Make your own from Artist’s Chalks Powdered Graphite Leaving washes, we next look at the use of pastel chalks and powders to weather models. There are many commercial weathering powders available to modelers, or you can make your own by rubbing pastel chalks over a flat mill file. You can remove the chalk from the file’s surface by using an old stiff tooth brush. Simply hold the file over a piece of paper, and then transfer the chalk powder from the paper to a container that you can seal until you need to use it. Powdered graphite, a dry lubricant, can also have a role in weathering a model, as will be seen in this clinic. EduTRAIN™

Making Chalk Powder EduTRAIN™ You can make your own weathering powders by rubbing stick pastels over a 10 inch Mill File. You can clean the powder from the grooves of the file with a stiff brush like an old tooth brush. EduTRAIN™

Commercial Weathering Powders Bragdon Powders A.I.M. Powders Bar Mills Powders Doc O'Brien's Weathering Powders Pan Pastels Many others This is just a sampling of the many commercial weathering powders available to modelers. EduTRAIN™

Powders will adhere to various surfaces in different fashions Powders will adhere to porous surfaces more aggressively than they will to styrene, for example. Spraying with Dull Cote will provide ‘tooth’ on non-porous surfaces. Chalks and weathering powders will readily adhere to paper/cardstock, wood, and plaster. It is harder to get them to adhere to metal and plastic. Giving those last two surfaces some ‘tooth’ by applying a coat of Dullcote or other clear matte spray before applying the powders will help. Some powders, like the Bragdon line, have built-in adhesives which help them adhere to non-porous surfaces. Giving powders an overspray of Dullcote or equivalent will help them stay on plastic or metal surfaces, but also tends to make them ‘disappear’, requiring additional applications of the powders. EduTRAIN™

Apply powders with stiff brushes and blend with softer brushes or sponges Powders are best applied with stiff brushes in most applications. They can be narrow as those in this picture, or wide and flat. Once the powders are on the surface and burnished in with the stiff brush, the overall look can be blended with a soft cosmetic brush or sponge-like eye shadow applicators. EduTRAIN™

Applying Powder with Stiff Brush Once burnished into a porous surface with a stiff brush, like this wood wall, weathering powders adhere well without the use of some type of fixative spray. EduTRAIN™

Rust Stains On Wood Using Powders Here is another picture of a rust stain made by applying rust colored powders with a small stiff brush. EduTRAIN™

You can achieve a very credible rust look with powdered chalks applied with either a small stiff brush or a micro applicator. EduTRAIN™

All three roofs in this picture were weathered with powders or ground chalks. Since the surfaces were larger, they were applied with wider stiff brushes and then blended in with softer brushes like the cosmetic brush shown in a previous slide. The corrugated metal roof was given ‘tooth’ by a spray of Dullcote before the rust colored powder was applied. EduTRAIN™

Applying Powders Moistened with Alcohol Weathering powders can be applied wet by dipping a brush into Isopropyl Alcohol and then into the powder. Now apply to the surface that you want to weather. Once the alcohol evaporates, the powder remains. This is a great way to get a 3-D texture to the weathered surface. EduTRAIN™

Crusty Rust Here you can see the rust texture achieved by applying the weathering powder with a brush dipped in alcohol. This wheel set will be used as a detail item sitting out in the weather near a car shop or yard area. EduTRAIN™

Powdered White Pastel Chalk & Alcohol As Cement Powder Use this wet brush (in alcohol) approach with white pastel chalk powder to make some realistic cement residue on covered hoppers in cement service. You can make your own white pastel chalk powder or the Doc O’Brien’s powders have white powder included. EduTRAIN™

Using Pan Pastels EduTRAIN™ Much has been written about the use of Pan Pastels of late. This set aimed directly at model railroaders for weathering models, and can be found on the Internet. Pan Pastels adhere better than many other powders. EduTRAIN™

Useful Equipment EduTRAIN™ Although you can use traditional paint brushes for applying Pan Pastels, the use of sponge and foam applicators are more the norm. You can do most of your weathering with just the Micro Applicator and the Eye Shadow Applicator. EduTRAIN™

Use Micro-Applicator for Tight Areas and Better Control For fine lines and tight spaces, the Micro Applicator is ideal. Just rub on the pan pastel canister and then apply to your model. Repeat as necessary. EduTRAIN™

An Eye Shadow Applicator is Better for Larger Areas For larger surfaces and for blending, the Eye Shadow Applicator is idea. Although you can find the applicators at certain hobby retailers, the cheapest place to get them is online or at a beauty supply store. EduTRAIN™

Before & After EduTRAIN™ You can quickly achieve a ‘generic’ weathering with the Pan Pastels. EduTRAIN™

Use Powdered Graphite to Weather Smoke Box on Steam Locomotives Besides being a lubricant, powdered graphite can also be used as a weathering powder. EduTRAIN™

Burnish Powdered Graphite onto Smoke Box with Stiff Brush The smoke box on this steam locomotive was weathered first with powdered graphite, burnished in with a stiff brush. The a little rust colored powder was added and blended in with a sponge eye shadow applicator. No fixative was added. Powdered graphite can be found on the Internet or at many hardware stores. EduTRAIN™

Weathering With Pencils & Markers Pastel Pencils (e.g. Conté, Derwent, etc.) Prismacolor Markers Pastel Artists’ Pencils, as opposed to regular colored lead pencils, have many uses in weathering Models. Although there are many brands of markers on the market, those by Prismacolor are often mentioned when talking about weathering models. Both the markers and the Pastel Pencils can be found in Art Supply Stores, Craft Stores, and at on-line retailers. EduTRAIN™

Prismacolor markers come in many colors and can be found at Dick Blick or at many art or craft stores. The “cool grey” and “warm grey” colors are particularly useful in weathering. Rust colors can be simulated with Pastel Pencils using Conté No. 1 (Bistre) and Derwent No. 54 (Burnt Umber) among other colors. EduTRAIN™

Using Markers to Simulate Water Stains Holding a Prismacolor Marker to the edge of a board will allow the ink to wick up into the board. The longer you hold the tip of the marker to the board, the higher up the board it will travel. EduTRAIN™

This technique can be used to simulate water stains on boards the come into contact with the ground. EduTRAIN™

Using Pastel Pencils to Weather a Freight Car Running a Conté or Derwent Pastel Pencil next to the top sill, outside braces, rivet lines, and the sides of the unloading chutes of this coal hopper produces a realistic approximation of rust, once blended into the model. Once again, this works best if the car has first been sprayed with Dull Cote. This approach holds up quite well to normal handling without the use of a spray fixative. EduTRAIN™

A sponge type eye shadow applicator is a useful tool to blend the pastels from the pencils into the model. EduTRAIN™

Which brings us back to this photo that we saw in the beginning of the clinic. The sides of the car have been weathered with a pastel pencil, and the wheels and truck frames with washes of water based paints. The weathering techniques present are quite forgiving and lend themselves to experimentation. Why not give them a try! EduTRAIN™

As you have seen, you do not need an air brush to weather your models As you have seen, you do not need an air brush to weather your models. You can: Weather with washes Weather with powders Weather with pencils and markers EduTRAIN™