weathering with spray cans?

[bluedepot]

ok, i appreciate that spray paint is not very accurante and not therefore any good at close details, but could you just spray the frames / bogies of wagons / coaches with frame dirt, and spray the roofs with frame dirt?  whilst this wont be detailed weathering, it would at least tone things down a bit?

i don't have an air brush....  i might get one one day though...

i do have some weathering powders that i thought i could use to pick out any details, with rust, brake dust or whatever...  and also i could use these on the coach / wagon sides as well perhaps...

so, thoughts please!  is using spray cans a bad idea???!!!


cheers



tim

[Karhedron]

The spray from cans is too thick and heavy for weathering stock. Those cans are designed to put down a solid layer of colour. I usually use cans on things like track which should be fairly uniformly filthy.

One technique I have heard of holding stock above a hard surface and then spraying onto the surface (not the stock). The stock will then catch some of the "splash" rather than the direct spray. I have not tried this myself and it sounds like it could be a bit heavy. It could be worth trying out on an old coach or wagon though.

If you do not have an airbrish yet, I suggest you may have more success with the weathering powders. Apply them with a soft brush and build them (or take them off) steadily. Once you have a finish you are happy with, seal with a light coat of matt varnish.

[swisstony]

Swiss Tony Quote :-

Weathering with spray cans would be like building a model wearing welding gloves and the only tool available to assist being a 10 LB Lump hammer

The nozzles are too thick and paint comes out too fast to get any kind of weathering effect IMO. 

You can buy a Badger airbrush starter set for about £15 from Hobby Craft

[Fratton]

if you cant afford a compressor until the next birthday, Christmas, lottery win like i couldn't try a cheaper airbrush and use a can of airbrush propellant the weathering effects im getting even as an amateur are so subtle and just not at all possible as said by others,   

[1whitemoor]

A trick I have used in  the past is as follows, but is only for "frame" dirt or large areas:

1. Lay the model out on a flat piece of A3 paper.
2. draw a line across the paper with a rular
3. draw a parallel line 15-20cm away from the first
4. place the model along the line furthest away
5. spray the well-shaken can onto the paper, far away from the model - achieve a constant & consistent paint stream for a few seconds
6. keeping the can spraying, run it along the line which is 15-20cm away from the model
7. some paint droplets will actually "bounce" off the paper and onto the lower half of the model

Optional:
8. pick out the brake shoes of the wagon/loco with a darker or lighter shade acording to prototype photos

This technique works well in all scales - it's not perfect, but a few light passes really lift the frame detail. I probably wouldn't use this approach on steam models, where the weathering of the frames/motion is a lot more variable across the loco

Paul A.

[EtchedPixels]

There are some cans designed for spray weathering. If you use a couple of them and exercise some care then its a good way to get the fine spray dirt effects without an airbrush. Each can is a single shade so you do need a couple of shades at least.

I've mostly used it on scenery (eg to turn the Metcalfe paving stones into something realistic looking) but if you do the thicker dirt work by hand - rust patches, oil on bogies, buffer crud, gloss varnish for fuel leakage etc then use cans to finish off the results are IMHO quite adequate even if not up to true airbrush standard

Alan

[Karhedron]

Sounds like the modelling mates range. I think that they are thinner than normal paint and more translucent so you can build up the weathering more slowly. Or you could just spray a loco all over with frame dirt and say you are modelling this.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=306751&showexif=1

[bluedepot]

cheers for the replies!

i am going to use the 'sleeper grime' aerosol and just spray it down the centre of the track from about 25 cms above...

after reading the posts i wont use spray cans for weathering the rolling stock, so can anyone recommend an air brush and a propellant???  something suitable for a beginner... is the badger one for £15 ok to start off with???


cheers



tim

[Pete Mc]

Whilst at the Peterborough show last October,I spoke to the chap that sells the Modelmates range.I bought some of the brush on weathering materials after being shown how to use them and apply them to the particular item of stock.
I was having thoughts about weathering my Farish class 40 which I'm converting to dcc with sound right now.My decision to do this came due to the fact that whilst removing some of the interior of the roof to give a tiny bit more height for the speaker,I inadvertantly took away a bit too much and now have a domed bit at each end where the file dug into the roof of the bodyshell and pushed it out a bit.So to hide rhis as best I can,I intend on trying to bulges to go down a bit and weather the roof with black soot.I will also do the sides and cab ends as well.
The chap on the modelmates stand did show me how to apply in layers.What he did was akin to the way some women put perfume on,ie spray the perfume or scent then walk into it,giving them a subtle scent instead of a choking small as though they'd sprayed a whole bottle onto themselves.
This was applied in almost the same way.A quick blast with the spray,pass the loco,bodyshell,etc through the stream and if too much has been caught by the part being weathered,a wipe with kitchen roll takes it off again.This technique is good to get the accumulation of dirt in all the nooks,crannies and crevices where you'd expect dirt to collect and even with this fine application,it makes the model a tiny bit more lifelike and believable.I for one will be buying some of the aerosol sprays for this as buying an airbrush and all the other gubbins isn't what I want to do at this stage.
I'm hoping to see him at the Doncaster show again in a couple of weeks time.

Pete

[austinbob]

Sounds like the modelling mates range. I think that they are thinner than normal paint and more translucent so you can build up the weathering more slowly. Or you could just spray a loco all over with frame dirt and say you are modelling this.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=306751&showexif=1

Karhedron - that looks worse than the worst ever dirty steam loco. If you wanted a loco to look like that you would just drop it in a muddy puddle eh!!. Mind you that probably wouldn't do much for the electrics.

[Newportnobby]

It's just a pic of a couple of sheds.................

Monty Python - Arthur 'Two Sheds' Jackson

[austinbob]

It's just a pic of a couple of sheds.................

They don't make them like they used to. - Nudged a happy memory of Python there newportbobby.

[mark100]

As a few have said,use an airbrush to do under frames in a base colour then use weathering powders or make up such as eye shadows and blushers to add different shades, see my 2 Peaks in my photo folder, they where my first 2 N Gauge projects both done using make up and not paint, i have done several more class types since, but I need to stick the decals on them.
We brought a can of Rail match track dirt and it sprayed like a can of Mace squirting paint out and not in a fine mist. Not really good for small jobs.

Mark

[PaulCheffus]

cheers for the replies!

i am going to use the 'sleeper grime' aerosol and just spray it down the centre of the track from about 25 cms above...

after reading the posts i wont use spray cans for weathering the rolling stock, so can anyone recommend an air brush and a propellant???  something suitable for a beginner... is the badger one for £15 ok to start off with???


cheers



tim

Hi

If it's the one I think it is no it won't be any good for weathering. I bought a compressor a couple of years ago and it came with a pair of airbrushes which I think you can get for around £30 each which you may get better results with. I can comment on them as I have never used them.

http://www.rdgtools.co.uk/acatalog/AIR_BRUSHES_.html


Cheers

Paul

[Westbury]

 
Airbrushes are getting seriously cheap these days and soon re pay themselves over cans...

I got this one off Amazon ... 2 Airbrushes 1 side and 1 bottom fed for bigger jobs, compressor, regulator and a 3 litre air tank for 59 quid !

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00ED0R95M?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00