Aging new parts?

to cut gloss on painted parts  i have used a satin polyurethane will a lot of success.  bare metal couplers may be coated to protect against corrosion, but that is easy to defeat if you need to.  generally i would install the parts, take some pictures and see how they look over a few days.  ...then decide what to do.

At one time--so I have read--unscrupulous frauds were doing such things as burying repo trains in the dirt for a while to "age" them before trying to pass them off as original.  You could try something similar with just the new parts.  Cheap process but not quick

palallin posted:

At one time--so I have read--unscrupulous frauds were doing such things as burying repo trains in the dirt for a while to "age" them before trying to pass them off as original.  You could try something similar with just the new parts.  Cheap process but not quick

Yeah I heard about those guys. Also packing them in peat moss I've heard has similar effects. We'll see, I know I need to paint the steps, they come in brass and on the cars they are painted black. I might just use a satin finish to help make them look the part. My fear is the couplers are going to stick out like a sore thumb. If I was replacing all of them then it would be ok but I only need to install 2 out of 8.

samdjr74 posted:

palallin posted:

At one time--so I have read--unscrupulous frauds were doing such things as burying repo trains in the dirt for a while to "age" them before trying to pass them off as original.  You could try something similar with just the new parts.  Cheap process but not quick

Yeah I heard about those guys. Also packing them in peat moss I've heard has similar effects. We'll see, I know I need to paint the steps, they come in brass and on the cars they are painted black. I might just use a satin finish to help make them look the part. My fear is the couplers are going to stick out like a sore thumb. If I was replacing all of them then it would be ok but I only need to install 2 out of 8.

no one would object to you replacing broken couplers with new couplers to keep the unit functional. It isn't like you are trying to deceive anyone. The new couplers will age anyway and it won't be long before you can't tell the difference. 

Jim O'C posted:

samdjr74 posted:

palallin posted:

At one time--so I have read--unscrupulous frauds were doing such things as burying repo trains in the dirt for a while to "age" them before trying to pass them off as original.  You could try something similar with just the new parts.  Cheap process but not quick

Yeah I heard about those guys. Also packing them in peat moss I've heard has similar effects. We'll see, I know I need to paint the steps, they come in brass and on the cars they are painted black. I might just use a satin finish to help make them look the part. My fear is the couplers are going to stick out like a sore thumb. If I was replacing all of them then it would be ok but I only need to install 2 out of 8.

no one would object to you replacing broken couplers with new couplers to keep the unit functional. It isn't like you are trying to deceive anyone. The new couplers will age anyway and it won't be long before you can't tell the difference. 

Maybe but at being close to 100 years old, I was hoping to knock a few decades off to speed up the process

Worse case I'll leave them as it like you said and run it. The paint is pretty fragile so this won't get a ton of use on the layout and spend more time on a shelf

?? A little Grimmy Black with an air brush.??

I had done these models from Atlas.  Grimmy black one of the last applications.   This slideshow is reversed. 

Soak them in salt water? Once they are thoroughly rusted, use Evaporust on them. No way they will be shiny after that.

If they are coated, you may need to soak them in Acetone or Naptha first...

George

 I have a friend who is a metallurgist and also a train collector. I asked him how to take the shine off of replacement parts that were metal such as couplers. He suggested soaking them in vinegar for a couple of days and the shine should disappear and they would look somewhat aged.

Jim

O Gauge Jim posted:

 I have a friend who is a metallurgist and also a train collector. I asked him how to take the shine off of replacement parts that were metal such as couplers. He suggested soaking them in vinegar for a couple of days and the shine should disappear and they would look somewhat aged.

Jim

That sounds easy enough to do, thanks!

I think Evaporust acts like vinegar. It doesn't smell like it, but it leaves a bit of a tarnished patina on parts. 

Adding salt to vinegar will allow it to cut through all kinds of stuff like rust and corrosion. Vinegar is acidic. When you are done, you should neutralize the acid with water and baking soda.

George