Trying my hand at weathering....

[steamhead]

Hi....Here's a few pictures of my latest efforts at weathering rolling stock using acrylics....

I started by thoroughly washing with warm water and dish detergent, then drying and allowed it to sit for 15 minutes in the sun (got lots of sun here...) to insure it was well dried. Then I sprayed a light coat of Dullcote to give the acrylics something to grab on to. This is the car ready to get its treatment..



I first sprayed it with a light mist of Apple Barrel's Country Tan. This gives it a dusty look. I use a Paasche spray gun and the paint has to be well diluted to prevent it from clogging the nozzle. Spray just a light mist from about 10" to 12" away. You don't want the paint to go on too thick. Easy does it...This is the car after the tan spray.



I placed it under a lamp to hurry up the drying process...About 15-20 minutes does the trick...This is something you need to do after every coat.

Next I lightly sprayed some Americana Charcoal gray along the bottom, ends, a bit on the top to give it a coal-soot look..This is what it looks like after the soot treatment.





I then lightly rusted some areas to give it a bit of an unkempt look. I did this with a small tipped brush, and dried brushed it on. I used Folk Art's Nutmeg for rust, which is the same I use for painting my track. I also painted the trucks. This is what it looks like after the rust...



It's ready to roll..!!!

Here's a couple of pics of other cars I've weathered using this technique....(Now...I need to get to the wheels....)







Comments & suggestions always welcome.

[DRV1877]

Your weathering looks good and Not over done.!! I weather up everythinbg from locomotives, rolling stock to structures to take away the shine and give it that used look.
Keep up the good work.!! DRV1877

[UP SD40-2]

Gus, WOW!!! , i think your weathering looks GREAT!!!
NICE tutorial too!

-Deano

[doctorwayne]

Lookin' good, Gus! I find that the easiest way to do the wheels is with a brush. For cars with solid bearings, some form of black is a good place to start. I paint 'em right in the truck, and also do the backs of the wheels and the axles, using a rust colour. I then use the airbrush to weather the entire car. If you roll it back and forth as you spray, the entire face of the wheel will get weathered further, and you can also get the underside of the car if you tilt it away from you, then roll it. Wheels in roller bearing trucks are usually rusted both front and back, then weathered with the airbrush. The car shown below was done using the methods described - on these Southern Pacific cars, the underbody and truck sideframes were painted the same colour as the carbody. Other than accidental overspray, the prototype didn't paint the wheels, as it made it easier to spot cracked wheels, although with the amount of oil and dirt on many, it's a wonder they could see a crack.


Wayne

[steamhead]

Thanks for your comments guys. It gets a little easier to do when your realize that it's actually hard to ruin a car while weathering it...Particularly if you follow the "easy does it" method.

Forgot to mention... I give the whole car a coat of Dullcote once it's done....

I never thought to spray the trucks with the wheels ON..!! I'll give it a try on my next weathering session....
Wayne...I think those are not SP boxcars....They're the Sonora-Pacifico de Mexico...How did they ever make it to the EGE..??

[doctorwayne]

Originally Posted by steamhead

Forgot to mention... I give the whole car a coat of Dullcote once it's done....

I usually Dulcote the car after it's lettered, but before weathering - I find that it gives better "tooth" for washes. An exception would be if chalk was used as the weathering agent: then the Dulcote would act as a sealant.

Originally Posted by steamhead

Wayne...I think those are not SP boxcars....They're the Sonora-Pacifico de Mexico...How did they ever make it to the EGE..??

Close, Gus: Sud Pacifico de Mexico, a Southern Pacific subsidiary, like these:




Since it's a common carrier road, the car arrived here in interchange, along with cars from all over North America.

Wayne

[RonP]

Looking good, I am still reading heavily on the subject not confident enough to take the plunge yet.

[iandelcas]

OOOOOOOHHHH MY GOD!!!! JUST AMAZING!!! fantastic!!!!, keep up apaaa