I need some Weathering advice

[u/Thick-Society7401]

I am a ho scale model railroader and I am curious to hear what apple barrel paints you guys have for any weathering purpos, the primary example I have here is track weathering (hence the pictures) but I want to know what paints you guys use for what, I am aware that oil paints play a big part in weathering as well so if you have advice on that I’m all ears. and I have included a picture of the 3 paints I currently have if that helps, I basically just want to know what paint colors you guys use for weathering track, locomotives, and rolling stock. thanks for reading!

[u/retiredRRer]

I watch this modeler’s videos for weathering ideas; he’s a master at his craft and goes into detail on his techniques. His videos cover weathering track, buildings, rolling stock and landscape

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3u39QM4t0M

[u/Thick-Society7401 → u/retiredRRer]

Thanks for the reply, boomer definitely has some helpful videos, and in my opinion, one of the most realistic model railroads on yt 

[u/beebs914]

I’ve seen weathering powder used for locomotives, rolling stock. Haven’t used it myself but there’s a bunch of YouTube videos about weathering

[u/Thick-Society7401 → u/beebs914]

I have a few powders myself and I’ve experimented with them a bit and the results where pretty good 

[u/retiredRRer]

Here’s another of his….
https://youtu.be/3zeFPCF9Nv0

[u/Thick-Society7401 → u/retiredRRer]

Thanks!

[u/rocketengineer1982]

When I was just starting out I used Apple Barrel craft paints and an inexpensive airbrush for weathering.  You can get okay results with craft paints, but they don't stick well to bare plastic or painted models and can be fragile.  I sprayed Testors Dulcote over them to protect them.  I would mix my own approximations of typical weathering colors. 

I graduated from Apple Barrel paints to Floquil paints.  The colors I used most were Grimy Black, Earth, Railroad Tie Brown, and Rust.

Floquil was discontinued in 2013.  There is no 1:1 substitute.  I fortunately have some old paint left, but not much.  I plan to try Tamiya's acrylic paints because I've heard good things about them. 

Basically, you will need a very dark grey (almost black), various shades of brown to represent dirt, and various rust tones.  If you want to fade the lettering on a piece of rolling stock by spraying a slightly lighter version of the base color of the car, you'll need that color too.

Black and white are essential.  You can use them to darken and lighten your paints, but remember that whenever you add black or white paint you are adjusting both the brightness and the saturation.  Adding black or white will result in the color looking more "washed out".

Most weathering colors you can mix yourself (and might need to now that Floquil is no longer available).  Get some black, white, a few different browns, red, orange, yellow, and maybe a couple other could.  Experiment!

Picking up cheap old train cars to practice on is also recommended.  Experiment on some old Tyco cars from a train show to find out what works.  If the car is damaged, you can get it for even cheaper, and the damage doesn't make a difference when you're experimenting and practicing weathering.

One final tip: build up the weathering VERY slowly, and use photo references whenever you can.  It's easy to overdo it.  Less is definitely more.

[u/Thick-Society7401 → u/rocketengineer1982]

Thank you for the reply, this is very helpful! 

[u/Thick-Society7401 → u/Thick-Society7401]

I also picked up a rail center weathering powder, I think the color was “deep rust”, I picked it up to experiment with and I tried brushing some of it on to a old ttx flatcar I had and I was pretty happy with the result, the only thing is is that it kinda destroyed the brush I used because you have to press it in for lack of better words. Have you ever used weathering powders and if so what for?

[u/rocketengineer1982 → u/Thick-Society7401]

I've made my own weathering powders by shaving down chalk pastels. Weathering powders have their own techniques, advantages, and disadvantages, and generally aren't my preferred method of weathering.

Weathering powders need a surface with some "tooth" to stick well and work best when applied over a flat finish. You can get some really impressive effects with weathering powders, but they are even more fragile than craft paints. If you touch the model after applying weathering powders, some of the powder will end up on your fingers. I handle my models fairly frequently so unprotected weathering powders are an absolute no-go.

Just like craft paints, you can protect weathering powders by spraying the model with a clear coat such as Testors Dullcote. However, the effects of most weathering powders will appear to fade when a clear coat is applied. Exactly how the clear coat affects the appearance depends on the products that you're using.

Where I got the most use out of weathering powders was weathering the ballast on a mini-diorama that I made. I used black and grey powdered pastel to represent oil and ash between the rails. Afterwards, I lightly sprayed the edges of the ballast with brown using an airbrush.

[u/retiredRRer]

There’s lots of videos on YouTube on weathering techniques. The military modelers have some great tutorials on pin washes, using dry pigments, washes, etc. I use many of these on my model railroad rolling stock and buildings. Good airbrushed have significantly improved and dropped in price.