Model Railroading > Un-doing Weathering?

I have a problem weathering equipment.  If I do it for the era I am modeling then it is not appropriate for an era closer to when it was new.
I remember an article by the late John Allen on how he did weathering.  He dusted his car, then washed it with wet water, blotting off the big drops and flows, then let it dry.  Following that he may or may not put on some more dust.  He said he was just doing what happened out of door: dust blew, rain fell, and water splashed up with particles of dirt and rust.  Greasy wheel sling on car ends got an extra dash of dust.   He used on fixative.  I used his method to fair success several times.
So I found a bright yellow car that decades ago I had painted and decaled for about 1975.  It had no weathering, but did have dullcote or some flat finish.  (Photo 1)
Then I dusted it with weathering chalks, paying attention to the rivet lines, wheel sling, and streaks down from the roof. (Photo 2)
Finally I tried washing it off by spraying it with wet water (added detergent and alcohol) then soaking off the excess while holding it in a vertical orientation.  But it did not wash up very well at all. (Photo 3)
Maybe the old Dullcote was too good at holding the chalk. Note that the dist did wash off more on the roof, which was a matte finish instead of full flat.
I plan to try this cycle again with a new, factory finished car to see if I can make the weathering reversible.  Stay tuned.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/14/24 21:12 by railstiesballast.

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I haven't played to much with chalks, mostly oils and pan pastels. Thinking you may have shoot it with dull coat first to make sure your weathering products had more to bite into. Have you considered using odorless mineral spirits with your chalks? Thinking your trying to get weathering around your rivet areas and the odorless mineral spirits with your chalk. Keep us posted on what worked.
check this weathering technique using artist acrylics with 70 percent alcohol for more ideas 
 https://www.youtube.com/live/Y88eAp39srU?si=guz0Iy1GpbFfNlSC

The third photo doesn't look bad to me. Sometimes it's a good idea to step away for a day and look at it again after a good sleep. But if you really feel you want to redo it, try spraying with windex and lightly scrub with a soft bristled brush being wary of decals.

Ted Curphey
Ontario, OR

Yes, if you're using chalk then you need to give it something to hold on to. Dull Cote or other similar dulling agents give the surface a rough surface so the chalk has something to hold on to.
Then don't forget to seal the chalk with another spray to seal the surface so the chalk will stay on the model while being handled.

Actual powdered chalk would wash right off of dull-coat. Pigments such as the military modelers use and the various powders with adhesive that model railroaders use won't come off easily. (Pan Pastel is popular. Tamiya also make some of those materials.) So, what did you use specifically? Sometimes Windex will remove these more aggressive weathering materials. Your car is old enough that the underlying paint won't be effected by Windex. Don't use Windex on Asian production. Back in the day, Jim Six would wipe down the sides of the car with a swab moistened with Windex in order to control the blotching. It would leave the material in the ribs and rivets.

I've seen mentioned here using alcohol to thin the weathering powders. I've had bad luck with this over dull coat as the alcohol causes the dull coat to frost.  I've only used the 91%. Maybe the 70% works?

> I've seen mentioned here using alcohol to thin the
> weathering powders. I've had bad luck with this
> over dull coat as the alcohol causes the dull coat
> to frost.  I've only used the 91%. Maybe the 70%
> works?

Any alcohol will cause frost. A second spray of dull coat fixes it. So long as the weather cooperates. And you've tossed salt over your shoulder.

Military modelers use mineral spirits with pigments, pastels, and chalks. (Colored chalk is pigment plus talc, gum arabic, and whiting. Pastels are better pigment and lower percentage of fillers and binders. Expensive pastels have even better pigments and less gum arabic. Oil pastels, historically, have linseed oil. Pan pastels, women's makeup, and Tamiya weathering materials are modern variations of oil pastels.)



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 03/16/24 14:29 by Lighter.