Model Railroading > Weathering Wash?

I'm looking for a good paint/thinner combination to do washes on freight cars to bring out details and dull the paint a little. I've tried a number of things, but haven't found anything I'm real happy with yet. The wash should meet the following criteria.

1. dry fairly quickly, less than a hour preferably.
2. leave no water marks.
3. leave no haze.
4. settle in next to details.
5. have decent adherence, not come off with the slightest touch.
6. doesn't attack the underlying paint and decals (softening them somewhat is OK).
7. doesn't knock you out with fumes.

Ted Curphey
Ontario, OR



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/13/19 20:59 by funnelfan.

Dullcote followed by an Acrylic craft paint wash.

http://www.theweatheringshop.com/articlegcolor.html

funnelfan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I'm looking for a good paint/thinner combination
> to do washes on freight cars to bring out details
> and dull the paint a little. I've tried a number
> of things, but haven't found anything I'm real
> happy with yet. The wash should meet the following
> criteria.
>
> 1. dry fairly quickly, less than a hour
> preferably.
> 2. leave no water marks.
> 3. leave no haze.
> 4. settle in next to details.
> 5. have decent adherence, not come off with the
> slightest touch.
> 6. doesn't attack the underlying paint and decals
> (softening them somewhat is OK).
> 7. doesn't knock you out with fumes.

First before you do anything, seal your decals with a gloss coat, then put a flat coat on your model. Next airbrush thin sprays along the lower body, underbody and around the trucks for road grime and spraying from the wheels.

It's been a while since I've done any modeling, but I had good results with washes made from a few drops of acrylic (I was using Modelflex at the time) in 91% isopropyl alcohol (I don't know if that is too much fume for you). You can use thin brushes to get rust and dirt along seams and whatever and use wider brushes to brush on the overall grime and dust and blend everything together. Generally work from the roof down. If you see you have too much pigment in an area before it sets, just use straight alcohol in your brush to try and get some off. I think you can get by without an overcoat after you finish the weathering.

I'll pretty well agree with what ts1457 had to say, but I'd add that if you find a haze from the alcohol, a quickspray of Testors Dullcote will take that away easily. Also I'd add that if you are going to use a wide brush to cover the whole car side at one time, don't.  Just do a panel or two at a time, and use Q-Tips to remove excess wash quickly before the tide marks appear.

The weathering shop site referenced above is the best around for this sort of thing.

Jim

I've used the 91% alcohol with acrylics, but the downsides were that it wouldn't work it's way in around details very well, it would often leave water marks, and just as often would leave a bad haze. So I'm looking for something better.

Ted Curphey
Ontario, OR

Tamiya also makes a panel line highlight wash product in both black and gray.

Posted from Android

Jimmies Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Also I'd add that if you
> are going to use a wide brush to cover the whole
> car side at one time, don't.  Just do a panel or
> two at a time, and use Q-Tips to remove excess
> wash quickly before the tide marks appear.

I agree. I am not talking about a brush the length of the car. A panel or two at the time, Q-tips are fine too, especially to suck up puddles that you do not want to evaporate own their own. I may have used some distilled water too, to help clean up residue before it set with a watermark (puddle water in the spot and suck up with Q-tip to give it a rinse)..

I found that pigment would settle in around places you wanted. I felt like I got good results.

Everyone just has to figure out what works for them and their style.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/14/19 08:38 by ts1457.

funnelfan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I've used the 91% alcohol with acrylics, but the
> downsides were that it wouldn't work it's way in
> around details very well, it would often leave
> water marks, and just as often would leave a bad
> haze. So I'm looking for something better.
My sense is that you are trying move through the weathering process too fast.  I think that if you're getting tide marks, what I believe you are calling water marks, it's because you are applying too much at a time and/or not removing the excess before it dries. Q-Tips or the corner of a paper towel are useful for this.  And I doubt if you are going to find anything that will evaporate quicker than 91% alcohol.  Actually, if you have a small space heater that can move warm air across the model, the water or alcohol will dry faster. If you want to have more of your wash showing the the finer details, then use a fine tipped brush multiple times.  Like a number 000 or 00000 brush and apply a little at a time to those areas.

Jim

Instead of slathering wash on the model like a Smokemaster mops his brisket, try Pin-washing. Wet the details enough to draw in your paint in a capillary action. This method is more time consuming but results in a cleaner appearance.

AK Interactive has a line of Panel washes to use right out of the bottle. Great for pin-washing. 
Mig Jimenez also carries a line of Enamel washes. Both companies have videos on Youtube.

I agree with everything that has been posted so far.

My preference for washes is artists oil paints thinned with odourless turpenoid. Oils have a longer drying time than acrylics but to me this translates to more working time. Often I apply a wash to a model then add more thinner and soak up some of the wash to remove it to get the look I want. After I have the look I want I use a hair dryer for a minute or two to speed up the evaporation of the thinner, a couple hours later the model can be dullcoated to seal everything.

I prefer not to use acrylics for washes as they dry too quick for the way I work. I also find oils have finer pigments than acrylics. On the other hand I have seen beautiful models weathered with acrylics.

I have also tried regular tupentine instead of the odourless turpenoid. I found the turpentine to be too agressive and it softened up the underlying paint. Not to mention complaints from other residents of the house about the smell.....

With oil washes there are different effects you can produce. An overall wash over a flat finish will give you a "filter" or even wash on the whole car while you can also apply the wash over an acrylic gloss finish in a "pin wash" method. 

The best thing you can do is try a few different things and see what works for you. Washes are great for many effects but they are only one layer in producing a believable weathering job.

Andrew C



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/14/19 12:16 by andrewcastle.

I use Goache on all my cars at some point. Windsor & Newton makes great colors. Just thin it with some Micro-Sol. 

> I'm looking for a good paint/thinner combination
> to do washes on freight cars

Vallejo, AK, MIG, and Tamiya all make ready to use washes (Like LOTS of washes) available in the military modeler's section of your hobby shop.  Or buy online from Amazon, Squadron, and others. Dip, brush, spray.  All four make sets of washes for specific sorts of tasks.  Such as rusted metal, exhaust, desert, mud by location and so on.  Most military modelers put FAR more care into their paint and weathering than most model railroaders and have a market for materials that support that work.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/15/19 04:06 by Lighter.

I use acrylic craft paints diluted about 2:1 with water. If you’re getting sharp lines when the paint dries, it means that the paint was beading up rather than dispersing along the surface. You can address that with a tiny drop of detergent in the wash, or with a bit of isopropyl alcohol, or as others have noted, a Dullcote spray beforehand. 

Also, if you keep an eye on the piece as the paint dries and you notice the wash beading upon the surface, take a Qtip swab and go over it lightly as if it were a baby paint roller. This works well for me. Use a good brand of swabs to avoid leaving fibers on the finish. 

Also, consider using weathering powders in conjunction with the washes. 

bioyans Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Tamiya also makes a panel line highlight wash
> product in both black and gray.
>
> Posted from Android

Best used on glossy models - the gloss aids in how it runs along the panels lines. If you do it when the model is flat it may bleed into certain areas or if it pools in an area or you apply too much it is harder to remove.

funnelfan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I'm looking for a good paint/thinner combination
> to do washes on freight cars to bring out details
> and dull the paint a little. I've tried a number
> of things, but haven't found anything I'm real
> happy with yet. The wash should meet the following
> criteria.
>
> 1. dry fairly quickly, less than a hour
> preferably.
> 2. leave no water marks.
> 3. leave no haze.
> 4. settle in next to details.
> 5. have decent adherence, not come off with the
> slightest touch.
> 6. doesn't attack the underlying paint and decals
> (softening them somewhat is OK).
> 7. doesn't knock you out with fumes.

Hey Ted,

First off, my disclaimer is my method uses an airbrush in paint booth so I don't get knocked out from the fumes of my enamel paints. SO it may not be as applicable to people without access paint booth    : (
Second, If you like the method described below, feel free to message me and come over to the Evergreen Modelers club and I'll show you how to do it.

My method:
1. I clean my cars, usually with a toothbrush to get all the fingerprints off my cars.
2. I use Tru-color Grimy Black paint thinned with acetone. Using a small (2-3 tablespoon?) paint cup, I fill it halfway with acetone, add 2-3 paintbrush tips full of paint, mix, fill the cup the rest of the way with acetone, mix again, and I'm ready to paint.
3. I apply the wash in one even layer over the entire model using an airbrush, then usually hit the bottom of the car and the roof a little more.
4. I then continue with the rest of the weathering process, different washes (rust, heavy grime (rail tie brown), and grease as needed per model), chalks (Monroe or AIM products), and acrylics.

Notes:
I always finish all my models with Dullcote. If you are using the spray cans from any hobby store, you need to warm them in hot tap water before spraying in order to avoid a spotty finish.
I always apply a layer of Dullcote before applying chalks, so they have something to grab onto.
I have tried a couple different methods, but the Tru-color Grimy Black, when thinned to a wash, really gives a dusty, and faded paint look in one coat. It is my absolute go-to and first step when weathering any model.

If you are looking for more information, or the acrylic version, I suggest getting a hold of Pelle Soeborg's books Detailing Projects for Freight Cars & Locomotives and Done in a Day. Both of these books lay out great techniques for getting started with realistic results. I started with his methods, and moved on from there.
 

Jack Pappas
Spokane, WA

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