Brick color suggestions?
Bill H
Does anyone care to share their experience and make suggestions for Polly
Scale colors that would closely match American brick building colors in the
'50s? I am particularly interested in the red shades found often on the
East Coast, in the Appalachian and DelMarva areas.
Also, I am cuurently constructing a bunch of N scale DPM building kits and I
have noticed that it take several brushed coats to develop full color
coverage with Polly Scale paint, even after vigorous stiring. Is this
normal or am I doing something wrong?
TIA,
Bill
Jerry Zeman
primer has dried, take Polly Scale aged concrete, and let it capillary into the
grooves between the bricks. If you get some on the face of the bricks, wipe it
off with a towel and water. You will get some lightening of the red, but it
looks great.
The technique was passed on to me from a friend who has built a couple of South
River Modelworks buildings using this technique, which they recommend.
regards,
Jerry Zeman
Bill H
Thanks for the suggestion, but I'm overseas at the moment, and mail order is
my only option. Any suggestion for using Polly Scale colors?
TIA,
Bill
Jerry Zeman <jers...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20000115150423...@ng-fv1.aol.com...
Jack Phelps
I have been working on duplicating the color of brick buildings for some
months now for some hydrocal buildings I have been constructing. I am
using prototype photos I took in the Minneapolis and Washington, D.C.
areas. I have a couple combos that are working for me, but am at the
office right now and not near my notes. I will try to get some info to
you in a day or two. Heading out on a business trip Monday, so it may be
toward the end of next week. Email me off-group if you haven't heard by
next Saturday.
Jack Phelps
FBritt
I have been using variations of Badger 16-14 Light Tuscan Oxide Red for my red
brick buildings. It is water based and I mix various amounts of plain white
acrylic paint from the craft store to achieve different shades. After the red
has dried, I brush on the same white paint mentioned above that has been very,
very very diluted. In addition to providing the illusion of some mortar, more
importantly it gives the brick a faint dusty patina. Most of the red buildings
around in the 50s were already pretty old and weathered at the time. If you are
modeling a heavy industrial area use black or gray instead of white as the
second coat.
Regards,
Britt Harrington
Jack Phelps
Jack Phelps
salt...@webtv.net
brown primer and red primer. All are flat. All are cheep (about 1.00)
when on sale. I also buy cheap flat black,flat white and gloss. I buy
large cans of matte spray instead of dull coat. I suggest that you warm
up the can in warm water before spraying. The paint mist is finer and
covers less details. For the morter, I thin any white or gray (again
cheap) paint with a lot of water. The small arts and craft paints work
fine. (.50) when on sale.
Saltyjack
CEO - CFO - COO
and chief bottle washer
The Jersey Mercantile RR
Jack Phelps
it depends on the prototype. There are some old buildings with fairly
uniformly colored bricks. Also, there will be uneven fading, depending
on exposure to various elements.
Jim Guthrie wrote:
> You may not want to hear this, but if you're modelling older brick
> buildings where the firing of the bricks was uneven, then apply your
> base colour and mortar, then pick out individual bricks with a fine
> brush. Use a palette of varied acrylic colours and allow yourself
> plenty of time :-).
>
> Jim.
> --
>
> Jim Guthrie
> S7 Dabbling at www.netcomuk.co.uk/~sprocket/index.html
Bill H
Regard,
Bill
Jack Phelps <jeph...@worldnet.att.net> wrote in message
news:3880E569...@worldnet.att.net...
Jim Guthrie
john a dalton
about 8 months ago...then i started using the 44-cent & 88-cent craft
paints from Wallymart ("Apple Barrel" colors by Plaid Paint Co, and
"Ceramcote" by Delta)... :))
...going back to the PollyScale, for one building i used the PS Boxcar
Red right out of the bottle...then i added just a little blue or grey
to it each time to change it slightly (plastic bottle caps are great
for "mixing a small batch"...any left over goes into the roof-du-jour
bottle)...PS Boxcar Red isn't really "red" by any means, it's more
"old southern brick" than most "brick" colors are anyway...you can
even add a little green to it to get an "old brown brick" color......
:))
...a very versa-tile color, PS Boxcar Red...it's also good for rolling
stock... :))))
...big johann... :))
A Prowed Shipper
Don Dellmann
I've started using the Ceramcote too ("It's not just for scenery anymore"),
and so far have been happy. Prior to that I used mostly regular floquil,
Boxcar red, Roof brown, Tuscan red, Grimy black and depot buff all came out
as good colors for various buildings I've seen here around beertown
(Milwaukee).
Don
don.de...@prodigy.net
http://www.geocities.com/don_dellmann
john a dalton <jape...@mindspring.com> wrote in message
news:388165d1...@news.mindspring.com...
Don Dellmann
john a dalton <jape...@mindspring.com> wrote in message
news:388165d1...@news.mindspring.com...
> ...i used PollyScale Boxcar Red #484281 for DPM buildings up till
> about 8 months ago...then i started using the 44-cent & 88-cent craft
> paints from Wallymart ("Apple Barrel" colors by Plaid Paint Co, and
> "Ceramcote" by Delta)... :))
>
BTW, as a "P.S." to my other reply, try the color "Sandstone" from the
"Ceramcote" line, makes one of the nicest "concrete" colors I've seen in a
long time.
Don
don.de...@prodigy.net
http://www.geocities.com/don_dellmann
Robert Pearce
<j...@sprockets.co.uk> writes
>
>You may not want to hear this, but if you're modelling older brick
>buildings where the firing of the bricks was uneven, then apply your
>base colour and mortar, then pick out individual bricks with a fine
>brush. Use a palette of varied acrylic colours and allow yourself
>plenty of time :-).
I found that tended to be too blatant, so I adopted the approach of air-
brushing a thin over-coat of brick red on top. Take a look at the full
details and photos at http://www.bdt-home.demon.co.uk/trains/brkwall.htm
--
Rob Pearce http://www.bdt-home.demon.co.uk/
Chief Engineer of | How much does she love you? Less than you'll ever
the Sump, Laisse and | know.
Huneausware Railway. |
salt...@webtv.net
Are you brushing or spraying the little bottles. If you are spraying,
how much are you diluting it?
Saltyjack
CEO - CFO - COO
john a dalton
>To: John of the Haggis,
>Are you brushing or spraying the little bottles. If you are spraying,
>how much are you diluting it?
>Saltyjack
...i do both...if i brush, i use the fine hair brushes with the metal
ferrules (not the polyester ones) from Michael's...they're 10 for
$1.89, or so...i use them over and over again...wash them out with
warm water and stick in a plastic cup, upside down, to dry...they do a
superb job, and there's 3 sizes in each pack...i use the paint
undiluted, straight from the bottle, for brushing the walls (good
"wall" texture)...for the "roof-du-jour" bottle (which has everything
in it), i average 30% water dilution because i use water to rinse out
the remainder of a "spent" color... :))
..."roof-du-jour" changes daily, by the way, as it does in real
life... :))
...now, if i airbrush, i use a Paasche (20-yrs old and better than
new) at 30 psi...i dilute 30% STEAM DISTILLED water (not spring water)
and 70% paint...very smooth finish if you spray 3 light coats (let the
first one dry OVERNIGHT)...sometimes the weather affects
airbrushing...when i notice that, i just wait till the weather
changes... :))
...big john... :))
A Proud Membrane
Robert and Diana Wintle
the Country colors brand name and is produced by a company named Illinois
Bronze. It is a very close match to the bricks that were made here in South
East Kansas. Good Luck!
john a dalton
>john a dalton <jape...@mindspring.com> wrote in message
>news:388165d1...@news.mindspring.com...
>> ...i used PollyScale Boxcar Red #484281 for DPM buildings up till
>> about 8 months ago...then i started using the 44-cent & 88-cent craft
>> paints from Wallymart ("Apple Barrel" colors by Plaid Paint Co, and
>> "Ceramcote" by Delta)... :))
>>
>
>BTW, as a "P.S." to my other reply, try the color "Sandstone" from the
>"Ceramcote" line, makes one of the nicest "concrete" colors I've seen in a
>long time.
>
>Don
...as a "PPS" to Don's suggestion, there's also a "Sandstone" in the
Plaid Co "Apple Barrel" paint line (the 44-cent one)...what a great
"mixer" !!!...i mix it with the "Teal" to get a New Mexico "sunset
blue" sky...and mixed with Ceramcote's "Terra Cotta", you get a New
Mexico "adobe" (for a neat effect, sorta "half-mix" it so you get a
"weathered-adobe-striated-sandstone cliff" look...great for those
western cliff-sides and "Arizony" rocks... :))
TOM
>
> ...i used PollyScale Boxcar Red #484281 for DPM buildings up till
> about 8 months ago...then i started using the 44-cent & 88-cent craft
> paints from Wallymart ("Apple Barrel" colors by Plaid Paint Co, and
> "Ceramcote" by Delta)... :))
>
> Red right out of the bottle...then i added just a little blue or grey
> to it each time to change it slightly (plastic bottle caps are great
> for "mixing a small batch"...any left over goes into the roof-du-jour
> bottle)...PS Boxcar Red isn't really "red" by any means, it's more
> "old southern brick" than most "brick" colors are anyway...you can
> even add a little green to it to get an "old brown brick" color......
> :))
>
> ...a very versa-tile color, PS Boxcar Red...it's also good for rolling
> stock... :))))
>
> ...big johann... :))
> A Prowed Shipper
Rail Brown comes pretty close to some of the brick buildings I
remember seeing in the Denver Metro area... A very thinned
wash of caboose red (I mean, VERY thin!) will give a slight
red tint to them...
Maybe instead of the wash, you could mix various ratios of
white with the caboose red and dry brush it on selected bricks
for variety...
Main thing here, experiment first then evaluate under the same
lighting conditions that you'll be using on the layout. Colors
will change a lot according to the type of lighting you use.
<><><> TOM <><><>
Proud Member Of The Haggis
TOM
>
> ...big john... :))
> A Proud Membrane
It's OK to have a proud Membrane, as long as you don't flaunt
it... :>))
TOM
>
> In article <f1728sc87270oask4...@4ax.com>, Jim Guthrie
> <j...@sprockets.co.uk> writes
> >
> >You may not want to hear this, but if you're modelling older brick
> >buildings where the firing of the bricks was uneven, then apply your
> >base colour and mortar, then pick out individual bricks with a fine
> >brush. Use a palette of varied acrylic colours and allow yourself
> >plenty of time :-).
>
> I found that tended to be too blatant, so I adopted the approach of air-
> brushing a thin over-coat of brick red on top. Take a look at the full
> details and photos at http://www.bdt-home.demon.co.uk/trains/brkwall.htm
> --
> Rob Pearce http://www.bdt-home.demon.co.uk/
ones I bookmarked when I started dividing my "Trains"
bookmarks into sub categories. Yours is in the "Details"
folder... :>))
TOM
Thanks for the tip. I'll have to head back to the craft store
and take another "browse." ... :>))
Jim Guthrie
<rail...@bdt-home.demon.co.uk> wrote:
Robert,
>I found that tended to be too blatant, so I adopted the approach of air-
>brushing a thin over-coat of brick red on top. Take a look at the full
>details and photos at http://www.bdt-home.demon.co.uk/trains/brkwall.htm
It depends on how subtle your palette is :-).
But an overall wash of something to take the colours down will have a
beneficial effect.
john a dalton
> <><><> TOM <><><>
>Proud Member Of The Haggis
...i just bought a new HALOGEN workbench light...it's a whole new
world... :))
...big juan de ferbo... :))
A Proud Member Too
Lt. Jim
of Floquil Tuscan red and caboose red...Then it's a matter of WEATHERING! It's
funny, but unpainted brick in NYC seems to be somewhat brighter than that in
other parts of the country...then again, many buildings in NYC (particularly
Queens and Brooklyn) are painted...What I'd like to know is: does anyone
manufature a convincing "Brownstone" in N Scale?
Don Dellmann wrote:
> I've started using the Ceramcote too ("It's not just for scenery anymore"),
> and so far have been happy. Prior to that I used mostly regular floquil,
> Boxcar red, Roof brown, Tuscan red, Grimy black and depot buff all came out
> as good colors for various buildings I've seen here around beertown
> (Milwaukee).
>
> Don
> don.de...@prodigy.net
> http://www.geocities.com/don_dellmann
>
> john a dalton <jape...@mindspring.com> wrote in message
> news:388165d1...@news.mindspring.com...
Bill H
Thanks to all of you who offered your suggestions. Much appreciated. I'm
overseas now, so many of the craft store suggestions will have to wait.
Meanwhile, has anyone tried PollyScale Oxide red?
And I am still wondering if I am doing something wrong with the Polly
Scale - when brushing it takes several coats to get a decent color
density...
Thanks again,
Bill
TOM <tom...@funtv.com> wrote in message news:38824C31...@funtv.com...
Jack Phelps
>
> And I am still wondering if I am doing something wrong with the Polly
> Scale - when brushing it takes several coats to get a decent color
> density...
Could depend on what you are applying the paint to . . .
Fritz Milhaupt
[snip]
> And I am still wondering if I am doing something wrong with the Polly
> Scale - when brushing it takes several coats to get a decent color
> density...
Are you brushing it onto the shiny bare plastic finish? If it's glossy
or shiny, it's likely that there's not enough "tooth" for the paint to
grab onto. You might consider a light coat of dull finish (brushed on,
or from a spray can) before brushing on the brick color.
-fm
Perpetrator of the Haggis Decal Project at
http://www.rust.net/~milhaupt/haggiscar/ and
webmaster of the Pere Marquette Historical Society Web site at
http://www.rust.net/~milhaupt/pmhs/
If you feel compelled to contact me via e-mail, shoo away the "llama."
in the address shown in the header.
David J. Starr
sprayed lightly onto trucks of rolling stock. I do mortar lines on brick
with white chalk dust. I rub ordinary school blackboard type white
chalk on a piece of window screen and then coat the brick building with
the white dust and work it into the grooves of the brick with a small
paint brush. Either leave it as is, or if you have to dull cote it,
remember that Dullcote makes the chalk disappear from view. So if you
have to go with Dull Cote, use lots of chalk. I don't handle my
structures enough to need to DullCote them, the chalk sticks just fine
by itself.
David Starr
Jerry Zeman wrote:
>
> Go to the automotive store and buy some cheap automotive primer. After the
> primer has dried, take Polly Scale aged concrete, and let it capillary into the
> grooves between the bricks. If you get some on the face of the bricks, wipe it
> off with a towel and water. You will get some lightening of the red, but it
> looks great.
>
> The technique was passed on to me from a friend who has built a couple of South
> River Modelworks buildings using this technique, which they recommend.
>
> regards,
> Jerry Zeman
john a dalton
>HI:
>Thanks to all of you who offered your suggestions. Much appreciated. I'm
>overseas now, so many of the craft store suggestions will have to wait.
>Meanwhile, has anyone tried PollyScale Oxide red?
>
>And I am still wondering if I am doing something wrong with the Polly
>Scale - when brushing it takes several coats to get a decent color
>density...
>
>Thanks again,
>Bill
...i use one coat of Dolphin Gray (very light) under the reds and
yellows...voila'..problem solved... :))
...big john... :))
A Proud Member
Bill H
I am painting DPM N Scale building kits. Throughly washed and dried, Polly
Scale paint well stired.
Regards,
Bill
Fritz Milhaupt <milh...@rust.llma.net> wrote in message
news:388332...@rust.llma.net...
> Bill H wrote:
> [snip]
> > And I am still wondering if I am doing something wrong with the Polly
> > Scale - when brushing it takes several coats to get a decent color
> > density...
>
>
Robert Pearce
>I knew that link sounded familiar... It's one of the first
>ones I bookmarked when I started dividing my "Trains"
>bookmarks into sub categories. Yours is in the "Details"
>
> <><><> TOM <><><>
>Proud Member Of The Haggis
Why thankyou! It's an honour to be bookmarked by such as you.
--
Rob Pearce http://www.bdt-home.demon.co.uk/
Chief Engineer of | Trifles make perfection, and perfection is no trifle.
the Sump, Laisse and | -- Michelangelo
Huneausware Railway. |
TOM
And it is indeed an honor to be thanked by one so astute as to
be honored by someone like little old me bookmarking thier
site...
Er... What was the question??? :>))
Seriously, you have a great site...
john a dalton
>Fritz:
>I am painting DPM N Scale building kits. Throughly washed and dried, Polly
>Scale paint well stired.
>
>Regards,
>Bill
...on DPM kits, don't wash them with dish liquid...it leaves an
invisible film of some sort...shows up under a microscope...i just
paint'em straight outta the package, and the paint REALLY STICKS
HARD...the "washing" seems to be advice from kit builders who leave
their "mold release" on the kit parts...however, the dish liquid is
the bigger "evil" of the two... :))
...i noticed that undec Athearns, however, when painted without
"washing" with alcohol first, tend to "flake off" the paint...so, do
the Athearns with a lint-free cloth and alcohol and then paint them...
:))
...later...
...i just tried an "alcohol wash" on a DPM kit, and it left the
surface "sticky" for some reason...i am guessing that the "mold
release" is "dissolving" but not "disappearing"...i'll continue to
paint DPM'S right out of the package... :))
...interesting post !!!... :))
...big "mold release" john... :))
A Proud Pffffftttt...
RhinoP
around.
Awhile back I found an old (1872) timber trestle in Nevada with some of its
paint still showing. It looked like boxcar red to me. A friend took it to a
paint store for analysis. He said they had the equipment to tell him exactly
the color of the paint.
They told him the color of the paint sample was "Brick."
Not all bricks are the same color, so I would use Boxcar Red, Oxide Red, and a
few other colors that are very close to those, to get the effect of different
sources of bricks for different buildings.
Rich
john a dalton
...Rich..."life is sure full of strange co-in-ci-dences, ain't it?"...
:))
...hey, i just discovered a doozy of a brick color...Delta Ceramcoat
"Red Iron Oxide" from Wallymart...82-cents for 2-oz...looks like old
red iron ore brick from Athens, Ga, from the buildings Sherman burned
down during the Civil War..."farred bricks"... :))
...hey, wait-a-minute, did Sherman ever come thru Athens ?...or was
that a "farr" started by a meeting of the Athens Railroad Employees
Annual Pig Roast in 1863 ?... :))
...whoops, there we go talking about bar-b-que again...next thing you
know, it'll be haggis, and we'll all be branded as "lemmings" again,
and invited to leave... :))
...which somehow reminds me of a story... :))
...the old-timer went down to the church to discuss lights in the
sanctuary, so's they could take up a collection at night, and make
change and all...when he got back home, the wife asked him how it
went..."wallll, we went dowen thar to talk about lights, but all they
talked about was chan-de-leers, chan-de-leers, chan-de-leers"... :))
...big "pfffftttt" john.... :)).
John Volker
found here in Clarksville and also in Murray, Ky.news:388b9ece...@news.mindspring.com...
Eliza Jones
be bright until weathered with a cement color wash for mortar, and then
washed over again with black to age. Then it is a great match for Chicago
brick or Colorado red brick.
Try the "Sandstone" for the buff color that is often seen on houses and some
commercial buildings. Same washes give great results. Go a little light on
the black aging wash, though.
Try "Raw Umber" for dirty cement/limestone. Thin washes give a great result.
Tom Jones III
"RhinoP" <rhi...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20000123103854...@ng-fk1.aol.com...
Bill H
Thanks for the interesting thoughts.
Regards,
Bill
Gareth Quale
general for its dead flat finish. To me most building kits have too deep a
line between bricks; if you saw that in real life, you'd immediately call in
the tuck-pointers. I therefore use a mix of hydrocal toned down a little
black dry powdered pigment, apply a soupy mix, and wipe off the extra from
the surface of the bricks after it has partially dried. Gary Q
Jim Guthrie <j...@sprockets.co.uk> wrote in message
news:f1728sc87270oask4...@4ax.com...
> On Sat, 15 Jan 2000 14:11:33 -0900, Jack Phelps
> <jeph...@worldnet.att.net> wrote:
>
> >Excellent suggestions. Let's keep this thread going!
> >Jack Phelps
> >
> >
> >FBritt wrote:
> >>
> >> Bill,
> >>
> >> I have been using variations of Badger 16-14 Light Tuscan Oxide Red for
my red
> >> brick buildings. It is water based and I mix various amounts of plain
white
> >> acrylic paint from the craft store to achieve different shades. After
the red
> >> has dried, I brush on the same white paint mentioned above that has
been very,
> >> very very diluted. In addition to providing the illusion of some
mortar, more
> >> importantly it gives the brick a faint dusty patina. Most of the red
buildings
> >> around in the 50s were already pretty old and weathered at the time. If
you are
> >> modeling a heavy industrial area use black or gray instead of white as
the
> >> second coat.
>
> You may not want to hear this, but if you're modelling older brick
> buildings where the firing of the bricks was uneven, then apply your
> base colour and mortar, then pick out individual bricks with a fine
> brush. Use a palette of varied acrylic colours and allow yourself
> plenty of time :-).
>
rick.wiemholt
an airbrush, then touchup random bricks with a different shade of
red, then, once dry, wash the brick walls with this grayish "soup", then
wipe off?
I had read somewhere a while back about this process, but was not
sure of the sequence..
Thanks
Rick Wiemholt