Weathering

[RayS]

Is there an up-to-date guide to loco weathering? I have Martyn Welch's 1993 guide, but so many new products are on the market now; it is in this respect out of date, although the quality of the work remains first-class. Pity that so many illustrations are black and white only.

[D2100]

There are new products, yes, but they're not wonder products. The basic techniques based around washes and dry brushing will still take you a long way, and if you must try a new product, you'll learn best by having a go and experimenting with it

[Atso]

Thomas Rance has posted a couple of videos on the subject here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILW37O4EJGA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPYmKfIBh5U

Featuring a W1 made from Graeme's resin conversion kit.

[strang steel]

There are new products, yes, but they're not wonder products. The basic techniques based around washes and dry brushing will still take you a long way, and if you must try a new product, you'll learn best by having a go and experimenting with it

I use weathering powders and find them to be very good when used in conjunction with various paints. At least with powders, the excess can be removed without too many problems.

My first effort with powders was a WD which I thought could be as weathered as possible without over-doing it, as the real locos were hardly ever clean. It was not completely finished when I took this photo, but gives an idea of how things can turn out.

[Nova]

my first Serious attempt at weathering a loco, the aim was to make 526 more representative of her humdrum duties as a stand-in pilot at York (though I'll mostly be running her on a fitted goods once I finish kitbashing an old Railroad FS into an A3)


I used Tamiya's "Weathering Master" packs A & B, with Mud along the boiler, cab and tender sides, Light Sand above the handrails to create something of a fading effect before it reaches the soot, Rust added around the bottom of the smokebox door and on the frames. limescale streaks were added using neat Humbrol white then toned down with an application of snow from the tamya pack.

I used Humbrol Soot weathering powder as the Tamiya Soot was a bit too subtle. The bodyshell completely stripped down to constituent parts to be able to get the weathering into all the areas, as you actually have to put a bit of elbow grease into applying the powders, consequently it's also very forgiving, and if you do mess up it can be wiped off using a bare finger. eventually it was all sealed using matt varnish.

it's not perfect, a first weathering attempt never is, but it could have gone a lot worse. (I'm also aware that the bufferbeam isn't weathered, I'll add that at some point in the near future)

I would recommend at least giving them a try, A & B have the majority of tones you'll ever need, but the range stretches all the way to H, so there's bound to be something for every conceivable effect

[RayS]

Thanks Nova; that is one of the most informative replies - just what I needed.

I am using an old Hornby tender drive B17 to practice on, while at the same time trying to make it less toy-like and a better match for its two newer sisters. Bought 1985 (£26.95) as Leeds United (who they?) she is now Helmingham Hall (did you know the GWR had one as well?) and with new Markits bogie wheels - the only major spend - cylinder drain pipes homemade from copper wire and coaled up, she is starting to look a lot less toy-like. Lamp brackets to be added with white headcode discs.
Thanks for your guidance

[jwealleans]

I have tried some of the Tamiya weathering products but find they aren't as good as the MIG powders. A dull or satin finish helps them adhere and (in my experience) varnishing over them makes them all but vanish, so unless you want a very subtle finish, don't bother.

Tom Foster has done some excellent work using Humbrol 27004 almost neat and then removed with cotton buds and white spirit to give an effect of burned in soot and blackening, which with Klear over the top then looks akin to an 'oily rag' finish.

As Ian said, although new materials are available, Martyn Welsh's book remains the gold standard (again, in my opinion) and if you're working from that or on those principles you can't go far wrong. There are many ways to achieve the effect you want, though and what I always say to people when demonstrating is, find the techniques which suit you and stick to them.

[JASd17]

I have to agree with RayS.

The Martin Welch book is very good, but the lack of colour illustrations was somewhat counter-productive.

Agreed, Jonathan W our friend Tom F is a wizard at this. I am lucky to have a couple of examples of his work on locos.

John

[Bunkerbarge]

The best books currently avaiable are by Tim Shackleton. Tim has been a wrtiter and modeller most of his life and now runs weathering courses at a couple of locations in the UK. I have done two now at Pendon. Tim follows my personal philosopy perfectly, which is why I enjoy his courses and his work very much. He advocates that 80% of weathering is observation, followed by 15% skill and 5% equipment. Everything is based on studying real colour pictures of appropriate rolling stock and then building up your weathering in layers in the same way as it would do so in reality. The airbrush is used where appropriate but brush work is just as important. You can do a course on the airbrush use only and a seperate one on weathering without an airbrush. The best results are a combination.

Pigments are used a lot but a huge part of the basic process can be achieved by using no more than three or four pots of humbrol enamel with pigemnts on top. The pigments are important as the cheaper ones are not ground as fine and so do not adhere quite as well. The best ones are Mig Jiminez products such as AK Interactive.

I would recommend that you get your hands on some old non running locomotives and practise on them before committing to your pride and joy however you will quickly gain confidence and feel more comfortable having a go at something more valuable. I have attached a couple of pictures of my first two locomotives. The time of my layout is around 1948, when these locos would have been in particularly poor condition after a hard long war and just before going into BR ownership.

I can highly recommend any of Tims books but I bought his latest three and read through them despite doing the courses. I will stil use the books to guide me step by step through the next couple of projects.

[Bunkerbarge]

A couple more pictures

[RayS]

I have just bought "Weathering for Railway Modellers" by George Dent - Pub Crowood Press.

Seem very thorough and up to date on paints etc

Thanks to all who posted helpfully to my request.

RayS

[Bunkerbarge]

You can never have too many books on the subject. I have the Martyn Welch book, which while being usefully written, is almost completely wasted by the fact that pictures in black and white are a waste of time.

The George Dent book is also useful with some good step by step processes. I still think the best ones though for leading a beginner through the processes and getting them up and running are the Tim Shackleton books.

If you are serious about weathering I would buy them all.

[Bunkerbarge]

I wanted to do a final practice weathering project before taking a deep breath and committing to one of my running locomotives but this time I wanted to do a green painted loco to test out some slightly different techniques.

I was very lucky to find a tender drive Cheshire on eBay a few weeks ago, which came without a tender and a missing boiler dome. i bought the Cheshire and found a R39 LNER tender to go with it so i would have a complete locomotive with no motor in it. I made a new dome from a piece of wooden dowel in the lathe and glued it on before a spot of paint to blend it in. Not perfect but good enough for the weathering exercise. I know there are bits missing and this tender may well have never been attached to this loco but it forms a perfect basis for the paint job.

The main differences with this loco are the fact that it is not as heavily weathered as the black ones I have done so far and the gloss of the paintwork needed to be selectively enhanced with some Johnson's Klear to give it the appropriate sheen.

Some parts I am happy with and some parts not so much. I am however now feeling confident enough to have a go at one of my running models so I need to decide which one to do. what standard of weathering to go for and dig out some colour pictures.

[Bunkerbarge]

A couple more

[Bunkerbarge]

and one from on top