Yesterday, I was so frustrated with this airbrush, I figured it was beyond repair. I actually put it in my trash can. Well this morning I dug it out, disassembled it further than I ever have before, including the dual action trigger. I gave it a good cleaning with lacquer thinner and put it all back together. It works just as good as new now. So much for my hasty temper. I got the rest of the bridge painted today, and tomorrow I will weather it. Updated photos soon.
Excellent! I’ve pulled so much stuff back out of the trash over years and probably 80% of it was repairable. Can’t wait to see what it’s going to look like after its weathered. :tb-biggrin:
I found this image on google images. I am going to use this photo as a model for my weathering. I hope I can do it justice.
Here are a couple of pics of my version of the ubiquitous Walthers truss bridge... Couple of suggestions... -That's probably a great idea to file down the joints...wish I'd thought of that. I used a 2x2 on top of the finished bottom piece with weights piled on top to try and straighten mine out. Still wasn't 100%, but assembly kinda forced it into place and held. -Although it takes a considerable bit more time, I recommend sanding the mold marks off the various pieces. (and of course the sprue points as well) I spent what seemed like forever sanding all the artifacts off and yet still I see a few I missed and it drives me crazy. Some of them cannot be seen regardless but at least do a once-over if you can. I think it makes a world of difference. -As you figured out, you might want to paint the pieces, or at least subassemblies, before final assembly. I even weathered mine some, then did finish weathering to tie it all together after it was fully assembled. -Like most weathering, take it one pass at a time. I would photograph it (preferrably under "layout lighting" conditions) after each pass, and post it, and sleep on it. I posted the photos above and didn't like how red it looked and immediately did another pass making it darker. I still think it looks pretty good but I probably could've gone a notch less and been happier with it. Another thing I noticed from the above photos is the ends of the supports along the bottom needed to be tied in.
Doug, That looks great. I am looking forward to seeing how mine turns out. I appreciate you sharing this.
I am just weighing in with my Walthers bridge, which became part of a 1/3 scale (roughly) version of Tenbridge in Chattanooga. Mine was badly bowed when I bought/built it, and when I weighted it down to dry some of the girders actually cracked. But I reinforced and worked on it and now it is in service.
I'll join in: outstanding work! I built this bridge in HO a few years back and, FWIW, it was also a real PITA.
That looks fantastic Hutch, could you please share what color and paint type you used as the base coat? thanks Mike
Thanks for all the positive feedback guys! I greatly appreciate it. 1. First step was Polly Scale Steam Power Black. This was my primary and primer coat thinned to a milk like consistency with windshield washer fluid 2. Second step was an application of Polly Scale Rust. This is not a realistic rust color, but it gives a lighter weathered rusting stage look. Use this sparingly, don't repaint the entire bridge. I got a little carried away with it. Thinning again to milk like consistency. 3. Third step was Testor's Model Master Acryl Rust. This is a more realistic rust color. Use your finest airbrush needed and super low air pressure. Get close the the bridge and put the rust where you want it. This is where I tried to follow the picture. 4. The final step is a super thinned Polly Scale Steam Power Black. Again, use your finest airbrush needled, like a #1 in a Paasche VL. About 3" to 4" back, just mist the rust to blend it in like you feel like. Don't get carried away as this will just complement what you did in the first three steps. Did I tell you I am loving these acrylics? No smells and they dry super fast ( in just a couple of minutes) when thinned. If you get over spray on your workbench, it wipes right up with Windex. After 24 hours of drying time, the paint is super tough, and even Windex wouldn't take it off the model. I hope this helps, I am not an expert by any means. Let me say that I have always used the default #3 needle in the Paashe VL. The #1 needle was a pure joy. At low pressures like 10 psi it gives you so much control. I love it! It will make you feel like an artist when you aren't blowing paint everywhere. I can't wait to try these weather technigues again.
Thanks Hutch, I happen to be building an HO version of this bridge right now. I will head over to the hobby shop and pick some of those paints up and give it a try. I haven't used acrylics out of a air brush before so I am looking forward to not having to use my booth. Again thanks & great work. Mike
Atlas double track bridge? Would anyone know the track centerline spacing on this? http://fiferhobbysu770.corecommerce.com/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=11662
