Trainclown sent me a PM asking about how I weather my stripwood. For some reason, I am unable to post my reply to him as a "Message," so I'll try to post it here.
Hi, Chris,
I apologize for not having answered you before now. The truth is I just discovered this PM from you a few minutes ago. I always forget to scroll to the bottom of the page to see if I have messages.
Thanks for the comments about my layout and work.
Most of the wood structures you see were built up board-by-board from individual pieces of stripwood. Before beginning construction, I soak them for up to 24 hours in a stain made from very dilute acrylic paints. To approx. 20 oz. of water in a jar, I normally add the following: 1/4-1/2 tsp. India ink, 1 tsp Polly Roof Brown, 1 tsp. Polly Grimy Black or Oily Black, 1-1/2 tsps. of Polly RR Tie Brown. (If I want the wood to take on a more reddish appearance, I cut back on the browns and add approx. 1 tsp. Apple Barrel Burnt Sienna. If I want the wood to be grayer, I cut back on the RR Tie Brown and increase the Grimy Black.) I then close the jar and shake well to thoroughly mix the pigments and water. Next, I put all of the stripwood into one or more ziplock bags and pour several ounces of the stain into the bag. The stripwood is left in the stain for up to 24 hours. I simply turn the bag (s) over every 4-6 hours to keep the pigments from settling out too much. Afterward, I remove the wood and let it dry thoroughly on newspaper and/or paper towels.
After the wood has dried, I impart texture to it by scratching it with a wire scratch "pen" that I got from MicroMark. Sometimes I also use a dull razor saw on the wood. And I randomly split boards with my knife or dig "knotholes" with the knife point.
Finally, if I want the wood to look really old and weathered, I dust it with Rembrandt Raw Umber and Gold Ochre chalks that I powder and apply with a soft brush.
And that's pretty much it. Hope this helps you.
Mike Chambers ("Casey")
Hi, Chris,
I apologize for not having answered you before now. The truth is I just discovered this PM from you a few minutes ago. I always forget to scroll to the bottom of the page to see if I have messages.
Thanks for the comments about my layout and work.
Most of the wood structures you see were built up board-by-board from individual pieces of stripwood. Before beginning construction, I soak them for up to 24 hours in a stain made from very dilute acrylic paints. To approx. 20 oz. of water in a jar, I normally add the following: 1/4-1/2 tsp. India ink, 1 tsp Polly Roof Brown, 1 tsp. Polly Grimy Black or Oily Black, 1-1/2 tsps. of Polly RR Tie Brown. (If I want the wood to take on a more reddish appearance, I cut back on the browns and add approx. 1 tsp. Apple Barrel Burnt Sienna. If I want the wood to be grayer, I cut back on the RR Tie Brown and increase the Grimy Black.) I then close the jar and shake well to thoroughly mix the pigments and water. Next, I put all of the stripwood into one or more ziplock bags and pour several ounces of the stain into the bag. The stripwood is left in the stain for up to 24 hours. I simply turn the bag (s) over every 4-6 hours to keep the pigments from settling out too much. Afterward, I remove the wood and let it dry thoroughly on newspaper and/or paper towels.
After the wood has dried, I impart texture to it by scratching it with a wire scratch "pen" that I got from MicroMark. Sometimes I also use a dull razor saw on the wood. And I randomly split boards with my knife or dig "knotholes" with the knife point.
Finally, if I want the wood to look really old and weathered, I dust it with Rembrandt Raw Umber and Gold Ochre chalks that I powder and apply with a soft brush.
And that's pretty much it. Hope this helps you.
Mike Chambers ("Casey")
Val
