Question; weathering powders. Is Doc O'brians and Humbrol pretty much the same?

Since I switched to Pan Pastels, I threw out my AIM and Bragdon powders. The pastels stick better and dont disappear when clear coated like the powders do. Less waste as well.

I haven't done any weathering before and the member explained how he did his and had pictures to go along with it so I just wanted to try what he did using the white weathering powders. 

Before you switched to pastels, did you know if these two products were similar/same? 

Laidoffsick posted:

Since I switched to Pan Pastels, I threw out my AIM and Bragdon powders. The pastels stick better and dont disappear when clear coated like the powders do. Less waste as well.

Could you please give a little insight into how you use the pastels? Thanks!

White is tough as a powder. If you clear coat it, it disappears, so light colors needed to be applied pretty heavy. Most powders are pretty much the same, usually the difference is how they "stick" to the surface.

Pan Pastels get brushed on, just like powders. Various sizes of brushes, or sponge type applicators. It's a bit pasty, compared to dry powder, so there's not as much dust waste. 

It's hard to explain if you've never used either one, but I had used powders for years. I tried the pan pastels about 2 years ago and it was a huge difference... night and day. 

You can find a set of 7 on Amazon for about $35. I have 2 different sets, the basic white/black/greys set and the rust set.

Either product, you need to Dullcote your project first.

This was done with Pan Pastels after I sprayed the grimy black and Dullcote. Light grey, white, grimy black on the smoke box and drivers are all pastels.

Laidoffsick posted:

This was done with Pan Pastels after I sprayed the grimy black and Dullcote. Light grey, white, grimy black on the smoke box and drivers are all pastels.

Wow that looks great!  Thanks for the explanation as well.  

I agree with Doug (LOS) above regarding pan pastels, and have pretty much made the switch to them for almost all of my "dry" weathering work.  They definitely hold up better than powders after a final clear coat is applied.

However, I couldn't get myself to throw away all the powders I purchased (I prefer Bragdon by the way after trying all the popular brands), so rather than doing that, I saved them for my "wet" weathering jobs.  They mix very well with matte medium to form any consistency you want (from a paste to a slurry to a paint) depending on the ratio of powder to matte medium.

This method works great for weathering jobs where you want some "substance" or texture, not just color.  Raised rusty areas, sand, mud, caked-on grime, spilled cargo--or maybe even snow like you're trying to model--would be examples of this type of weathering.  Check out the photos below.

White and gray-toned powders mixed with matte medium to represent spilled cement on car roof, hopper bottom unloading chutes and trucks...

Mostly white powder used to simulate spilled flour...

Brown, tan & gray-toned powders used to represent dirt & grime on the steps, walkways & trucks and wheel-sprayed sand and dirt on the fuel tank ends...

Interesting you should bring up Pan Pastels. They are relatively new to the art world.

Yes, they are more vibrant than chalk which is made from limestone, thus you will need less to achieve the effects you want. You will still need to seal the color with a fixative such as Dullcoat. It will reduce the colors applied.

The pros:   virtually no drying time, mistakes can be "lifted from the surface" with alcohol wipes. They can be purchased in hard or soft forms of pigment (even pencils), they blend great on the applied surface. When applied they appear to have texture on the surface. The powder refracts light more efficiently than paint or chalk. The are very in-expensive.

Cons: Though they are non toxic ; however, they still can be inhaled while working with them; also use gloves to avoid skin absorption and keep food and drink away from your work. And don't smoke of course while you work with them. The pigments tend to get everywhere! They are not UV stable and will fade in the sunlight. You should use a fixative to prevent smudging and the color from " traveling". Pastels have a rough time sticking to smooth surfaces. so a flat color spray is ideal before you begin work to give the colors some tooth to stick too.

Note here are some suggested tools for applying to paper, but for the railroad some tools will apply... I am sure the Mrs will not mind if you borrow her make-up sponges?

I like the work LOS... I am going to have to try a few rolling stock pieces!

I agree with LOS and JoeyA. I've noticed (when applying dry) Pan Pastels are best applied with a sponge / make-up applicator. Using a paint brush disperses the chalks too much and it's difficult to get the depth.

Thank you all for the input. I guess because I am trying to duplicate something I saw on here I wanted to try the white powder. And the member used Doc O'brian, but I looked that brand up and they only sell in a kit, where the humbrol brand sells single jars of white. I just wanted to use the white for now.

No? No one has an opinion on the two different powder makers?? 

AIM and Bragdon powders are sold seperately, as well as the pan pastels. 

Application of any of them also depends on the type of brush and what you're trying to accomplish.

Joey I love your work!

So if I wanted to add a snow effect to the window sill; what type of beush do you recommend?

Not sure what you mean "snow effect"? Like built up snow on the window sill?

Yeah but like a light dusting