Mick Bonwick's Weathering Workbench

[Mick Bonwick]

I have been advised to place some examples of work herein, so I'm doing just that.

I should explain that my modelling activities are mostly centred around making things dirty. I am in the process of building a layout, but there is very little work being done on that because I have to walk past the spraybooth to reach the layout. It doesn't always happen!

I have just started to work on a Hornby ex-LSWR brake van, so there follows an account of the steps taken to convert it from pristine to used. Here is the starting point:



The intention is to show the tools and materials used to turn this into something that represents a used but not abused brake van. I'll start with using a wash on the sides and ends to get dirt into all that lovely detail incorporated in the Hornby model.

The wash used is MIG Productions Dark Wash, a bottle that has served me well for 5 years. It is to be applied using a rigger brush. I have several of these in different sizes for different tasks, this one is a 5/0, whatever that means. Riggers have long bristles and a small point, which are ideal for applying washes to fine detail. Even though a wash is a thin enamel paint, I still dip the brush into thinners (white spirit is my chosen thinner for enamels) before dipping it into the wash.



The point of the brush is touched to a corner of detail and capillary action takes the fluid into all the plank lines, around bolt heads and along rivet lines:



It looks a mess because of the blobs, but there is a way of dealing with those. Later.

 

[Brian T]

Hi Mick,

Do you find that the surface paint gives enough of a key for the weathering to be applied,or do you give your models a coat of matt varnish to start with?.(which is something i do if working with a decorated model)

Brian.

 

[Mick Bonwick]

Do you find that the surface paint gives enough of a key for the weathering to be applied,or do you give your models a coat of matt varnish to start with?.(which is something i do if working with a decorated model)

Hi Brian,

In this case, an out-of-the-box Hornby model, the satin finish of the paint will give a good enough key for the materials I'll be using. The wash can be applied satisfactorily to most finishes if only needed for highlighting detail.

 

[Jim pairman]

More please!

 

[steve50]

Hello Mick, looking forward to seeing this get dirty, always good to see some more of your work.

Steve.

 

[steve50]

Hello Mick, did you finish the brake van at all?

 

[Mick Bonwick]

Hello Mick, did you finish the brake van at all?

Hello Steve,

Yes, I did finish the brake van, but didn't continue the story here. Hangs head in shame!

Now that I have been reminded, I shall continue. Here's the next step:

The same principle is used to highlight detail around the rest of the van, applying the thinned wash using capillary action. It looks horrendous in close-up, but I am confident that this will become less obvious as things progress.

 

[steve50]

Sorry Mick, didn't mean to shame you in to finishing the thread ;-) I'll look forward to it all the same ;-)

 

[Mick Bonwick]

Sorry Mick, didn't mean to shame you in to finishing the thread ;-) I'll look forward to it all the same ;-)

I did at least remember to take the photographs as I progressed. There have been times (!) when I got carried away and only remembered the photography bit when I stood back and looked at the finished product.

 

[Mick Bonwick]

The whole mess is left for a few hours to dry a little. The thinned wash will take quite a while to dry hard, so I take advantage of that to manipulate it until it looks the way I want it to. The idea of letting it start to dry is so that I can remove some of it from the top surfaces quite easily, but leave it in place where it has reached all the crooks and nannies. Removal is done with a cotton swab by stroking gently downwards to replicate the flowing of dirt created by rain and gravity.

 

[Mick Bonwick]

The result of the downward stroking has left a dirt residue in the detail lines, left an apparent build-up around raised detail and dirty streaks below corners and edges.

 

[Mick Bonwick]

The van is turned upside down and held in a foam cradle so that the underframe can be tackled. A simple thin application of Railmatch Sleeper Grime is used to give a covering of dirt to everything. The airbrush makes several passes from different angles to get the colour to reach as many components as possible. The paint is thinned quite a lot and applied from a fair distance to get the necessary misty/dusty effect.

 

[Mick Bonwick]

The roof is the final area to be tackled, and will be covered in a thin folm of Railmatch Roof Dirt. Once again, this is thinned quite a lot and applied from a distance to impart the dusty finish I sought. The airbrush used (Iwata Eclipse SBS) for this exercise has a very accurate coverage area, and I did not have to use any masking, accepting that the small amount of overspray would be usable as an extra kayer of dust/dirt. You may be able to identify where this has worked by looking at the white lettering.

 

[Mick Bonwick]

Some very small quantities of Dark Earth pigment by AK Interactive were then applied to a couple of places on the underframe, to vary the tone of the dirt slightly. The dirt on the handrails came from applying an even thinner Dark Wash at random and then dabbing it with a piece of paper towel.

The finished item looks like this:

 

[Lancastrian]

Lovely work Mick.

Ian

 

[Mick Bonwick]

Lovely work Mick.

Ian

Thanks, Ian. If only all work was as enjoyable as this.

 

[steve50]

Very nice Mick.
Have you ever dealt with wagon underframes without airbrushing?

 

[Mick Bonwick]

Very nice Mick.
Have you ever dealt with wagon underframes without airbrushing?

Thank you, Steve.

Yes, I have. They frequently need preparing, though, by giving them a coat of matt varnish. My preference is Testor's Dullcote, but others are available. Once the varnish is dry, an application of pigment (weathering powder) is made with a firm-but-fine-bristled brush. I use a filbert, but that's a personal preference. I don't tip it on and shake it off, I pick up tiny quantities of pigment from the inside of the pot lid and apply that a little at a time.

 

[steve50]

Ok, ta Mick. I wasn't sure if you would use frame dirt paint. I've been using your powder method but not on underframes. If you wantd to add more effects to the brake van would you now dullcote it then add powders?

 

[Mick Bonwick]

Ok, ta Mick. I wasn't sure if you would use frame dirt paint. I've been using your powder method but not on underframes. If you wantd to add more effects to the brake van would you now dullcote it then add powders?

Frame Dirt and Sleeper Grime are very similar in tone and I use them interchangeably, sometimes both on the same underframe.

Further effects on this van would not need Dullcote because the wash/paint will have already done the surface preparation. The pigments that I use are very finely ground, and 'stick' very well to this type of surface. Some commonly available pigments are not so finely ground and may not work as well.