I've looked at quite a few of your layouts, and I am amazed at what you people can do. The craftmanship is simple outstanding. So I'd like your advice on weathering wood. I built one plastic structure for my layout and that will be the last one. It's a six stall Atlas roundhouse, which turned out decent, but does not compare to a wood or stone structure. I have a JV Model and a couple Campbell structures I am building and my question concerns weathering. What do you prefer for a base coat and a wash? I used a brown deck stain on my Rio Grande locomotive hoist shed and it turned out fairly good but it needs a wash. Do any of you use the India ink/thinner or lamp black/mineral spirits wash? Which do you prefer? Can I use either on my roundhouse to calm down the shiny plastic? Thanks for any advice!
<font color="336633">To weather wood i have always used very very thin paint (I once used the thinners that I wash my brushes in). after that then just a light airbrush to add grime from passing trains if near a track</font>
<font color="336633">Oh I forgot about the roundhouse, just give it some Matt Varnish, then weather on top of that </font>
Other things you could use on wood is leather dye, not liquid shoe polish, mixed with alcohol. You can also use sweet & sour, 0000 steelwool soaked in vinegar. Any of your stains, thinned down work. Hint, weather before you assemble. Wood with glue on it will not weather .
The way I make my wood look old and weathered is to first paint it with an acrylic paint(The colour I require) then using a knife I slide the blade down the wood taking most of the paint off.Then use some steel wool to rub it down.
Try TESTOR'S DULLCOAT, it comes in spray cans. This will put a flat finish on plastic surfaces. Always paint any plastic model you put together, so your model will not look like everyone else's model, and you can weather each model differently. Go to your local office supply store and buy a bottle of INDIA INK. Add the ink to a pint of rubbing alcohol, and use the black mixture as a wash. This will dry and leave a dusty looking finish. There are several different ways to make up this mixture, using black india ink, and using brown india ink mixed with a pint of rubbing alcohol. (A seperate bottle for each)
....And don't get the steel wool ANYWHERE NEAR the layout. I learned this one the hard way. Locomotives seem to have a sixth sense about steel wool and just go a-huntin' it! About the only wooden things I have done are a couple bridges and a trestle. I used the leather stains (mineral-based and diluted with thinner) and on one I experimented with adding and using alone the India ink. But I like the stain better. (I was searching for a lookalike for new and weathered creosoted timber, and the results looked pretty good.) [ 27 October 2001: Message edited by: Graphite ]</p>
Paul, I am just at a loss for words. Everytime I feel like just giving up on my layout, I go look at something you have uploaded or your site (among others). I just wish I had half that talent. Good job, and thanks for sharing. There are so many out there who could, but won't. Sometimes the rookis just need something to make us drool with inspiration!
Just keep practicing, keep hard at it, and whenever you need inspiration, just take another look at Badger Creek and KNOW that You Can Do It!!! Paul does some magnificent work and he is thrilled to share any of his techniques with the rest of us because he too was once a beginner. Until you find your groove, feel free to experiment wth different techniques until you find what works best for you, and then, feel free to share your results with us! Like anything else, this hobby has its positives for everybody that each one of us is very good at without trying. And for everything else, the only way to get better is Practice, man, Practice!!!
