Model Railroading > Weathering with "rattle can" paint

After seeing the pictures of the really nice weathering jobs in the recent post by "railstiesballast" I have a question.  Since my ancient Badger airbrush died a number of years ago, most of the small amount of weathering I've done since then was by using spray cans of paint as well as Dullcote.  The one thing I haven't been able to come up with is a good spray paint color to give a car that overall "dusty" look as shown in the attached shot of a PRR box that I did by using a thin wash of the basic car color in my then-working airbrush.  Any ideas?

Bob
PRR "Blue Mountain Division", 1956

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I'd like to figure out a good match for the thick, brown grime that accumulated on Pennsy GG1's and express cars in the 1960's. I've always thought that aerosolized poop from passing trains might have been a significant component.


 

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My advice.  Don 't give up on air brushing.

My advice.  Don 't give up on air brushing. Also learn to use chalk for weathering.

Agreed, if you dont have a airbrush where you can spray very thinned out paint, use pastels and chalks with dullcoat. This will allow you to apply in layers and not over done.

I doubt that there is a dull and transparent dust color out there. I did check a couple of brands of military paint rattle cans. But those are now pricy and in short supply since they come from Europe. 

Currently the best transparent dust paint available is from Mission Models and is made in the US of A. Airbrush is best, but it can be brushed with a wide, soft brush.

Military modelers use pure pigments. Not chalk, not pastels, not repurposed make-up. Pure artist pigments are available in a vast selection from all of the European military finish manufacturers. Unlike the usual model railroader choices, pure pigments usually don't have to have a clear coat. What you see is what you get. If you are in the habit of caressing your cars, you will need a fixer. Military paint companies offer various pigment fixers that you must airbrush. DullCoat will do it, but it will change the color and transparency because of the talc in DullCoat. Modern (since the 1980s) dull finishes do not use talc.

The car below was brushed with CMK Light Dust, mixed with a touch of Warhammer (formerly Citadel) blue, which was worked in with a soft brush. I use a half-inch soft flat to apply pigments and blend with a small artist's watercolor mop. This was done before surface details were applied—door closer, grab bars, placard, etc. The dust around the door is pure light dust. Additional pigments provided the detailing work. The roof is wet-painted.
 



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 07/09/26 03:47 by Lighter.

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Thanks much for the suggestions!  Looks like this old dog will need to learn a few new tricks if I want to keep weathering my stuff!

Bob