Weathering

There are many.  You can buy paints or inks and use a wash made of them, or by powders and use the dry brush technique, or even weather it with fine steel wool and sandpaper and paint.  Some people use an airbrush.  Regardless, find something cheap and practice a bit beforehand.  Also realize it gets addictive, it is so much fun.  

 

Micromart sells weathering kits - several bottles for several steps, if you have never done anything like that before.  

These are the dry brush powders I was talking about.  I have the soot set also.  Excellent and it has the advantage that it can be cleaned off (although its more work than you might think). 

     Sorry for steeling the thread but when you apply the powders to the cars/engines if you handle them do the powders come back off or do you have to seal the powders down with something like dull coat ? Choo Choo Kenny

I don't seal the powders with anything.  when you brush them on, maybe 75% of the particles stick, the other 25% fall off.  Then you blow hard on them and a few more come off.  The rest stick very well.  If you want to take them all off you can wipe some of it off and use masking tape over it to bring most off, but them stick pretty well. 

Sealing the powders not only lightens them a bit, it means you can't remove them should you want.  If you use Pan Pastel, it sticks well and there are no problems.

 

I tried buying some powder woemsn makeup kits.  They don't work quite as well but they work and are cheap.  I think I will stick with Pan Pastel though.  Works well.

Thank you Lee and everyone else who has replied. 

On Tue, Dec 02, 2014 at 11:00 PM, O Gauge Railroading On Line Forum
wrote:

I use PanPastels over a Testors Dull Coat finish.

 

Check out the pics here: Gandyman & Son Trains.

 

Also, look at step-by-step instructions attached below.

 

Thanks,

- Mario

As an aside, I challenge anyone to tell the difference between work done using Testor's Dull Coat and the cheapest clear flat spray paint from Walmart or Home Depot. Telling the difference between the prices is easier.

I agree with you in principle - flat clear is flat clear, etc.,  but . . . I had a case where dullcoat bought at Ace Hardware did something bad to the paint I had so carefully applied to a stripped/primed/repainted BANG. It was incompatible with the paint I used to get the hue on the BAG I wanted.  So always test . . .  My experience did not put me off buying and using dullcoats from the hardware store . . .  I imagine Testor's does the same thing with some paints, too, so it goes for that.  I have and keep a can of testors which I use anytime I am applying it over Testor's paint . . 

I use both Pan Pastel and pasytel chalk I agree the sealing does lighten the effect but a. keep the dull-coat as far away as possible and b. I'll put on more than one layer

Steve

I agree completely.  You can put on more than one coat to get just the wathering you want, and just leave it like that.  

There are several products in the scenic field that will produce very realistic rust because it is real. Usually a blocling primer to seal. Then a water based paint with fine iron particles. When dry, a rust producing activator is applied.
Can be clear coated or left natural.
And if left outside will continue to rust and actually stain like seen on weathered buildings. We just started experimenting in our custom fab shop and it is impossible to distinguish a piece of real rusty steel from a similar faux aluminum angle.

Ffffreddd - that is a good method and I've used it a couple of times particularly the "rust up" some supposed-to-be trashed old diecast cars.  But frankly those real-rust methods have always struck me as a neat idea but too much work for the effect I get.  I've had good results using combinations of paint and powder and it is simpler and faster.  Still, like real coal loads, sometimes it is fun just to do the real thing, and when done right it looks great.  I think it is necessary to seal it well after, though.