rec.models.railroad FAQ CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES
Urban Fredriksson
Subject: FAQ CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES, 01/15: Introduction
The FAQ consists of six parts, normally posted one day apart,
every month.
The rec.models.railroad FAQ is also available through WWW on:
http://www.ki.icl.se/urf/railways/modeljvg/
GENERAL
SOURCES
OPERATIONS
LAYOUT BUILDING, 2 parts
CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES
Every separate article has it's own date stamp which reflects
when that text was last updated, but I'm also planning to post
major changes to the FAQ separately.
All contributions and corrections are welcome and should be emailed to
Urban_Fr...@icl.se
Since I did write very little of the text, I'm probably not
the person to ask more detailed questions.
This file contains the following parts:
Introduction
Kits, Bowser
Styrene, glueing
Laser cutting
Painting, Accuflex
Painting, airbrush, Accuflex
Air compressors
Painting brass
Painting, brick red
Painting, Diosol
Weathering
Painting road ties
Drill sizes
Soldering, resistance
------------------------------
Date: 21 Mar 94 01:00:00 GMT
Subject: FAQ CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES, 02/14: Kits, Bowser
KITS, BOWSER
I've read about the Bowser kits. How difficult are they?
Building a Bowser steam engine kit properly does require a substantial
amount of effort. First, all of the castings (boiler, frame, cylinders,
tender, etc.) require a great deal of filing to remove flash. In some
cases extra metal must be removed and holes may have to be relocated
for parts to fit properly.
Another step that is not necessarily difficult but does require patience
is riveting together the valve gear. It is also tricky (and important)
to get the valve gear to operate smoothly so that your engine runs
smoothly.
You must also of course paint the unit. Bowser recommends to first
completely assemble and run the model to make sure there are no
operational problems. Once satisfied with its running characterists,
the model will have to be at least partially dismantled in order to
paint it.
The "super detail" kits that Bowser sells contain a collection of brass
(?) castings. In some cases, the brass castings are to be used instead
of metal castings supplied in the standard engine kit. Examples of
this include: the generator, bell, and power reverse mechanism. Of
course, there are many parts not included in the standard kit such as
the injectors, marker lights, and tubing (which must be bent from
straight wire). I suppose that if you add up the prices for all the
parts in the "super detail" kit you would find that the kit is a
better deal than buying the parts separately. You have to decide
yourself whether or not you want to buy this kit. The engines will
certainly look nice without it, but the engine will look much better
with the super detail kit.
Once completed, a Bowser steam engine will be one of your most powerful
engines. This is mainly due to their weight -- they are quite heavy.
To answer your specific questions...
I usually spend a couple hours a night building a kit like this. In
doing so I finish in a couple weeks. Tools I find useful include:
- a good set of small files
- a set of small drills
- a small hammer and anvil (for riveting)
- an airbrush
If you are considering a "super detail" kit I would recommend that it be
purchased with the engine kit.
PS. The Bowser kits do not come with an illuminated headlight. However,
with a "grain-of-rice" bulb (I recommend the 12 volt), it is easy to
add one.
------------------------------
Date: 21 Mar 94 01:00:00 GMT
Subject: FAQ CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES, 03/14: Styrene, glueing
GLUEING, STYRENE
I'm installing a bridge on my layout and am having some difficulty glueing
the styrene bridge piers (back and bottom) to the wood base. Any and all
suggestions would be most welcome.
Walther's Goo seems to be a good all around adhesive. Be sure you don't
use too much, cause Goo will warp plastic and remember that it dries in
a deep orange color, so you may have to paint it after it dries up.
...
I have used a "white mastic" type glue for this type of thing. I forget
the brand, but you can buy it at Color Tile. The things I like about it,
are that:
1) you only need a TINY drop (like cyanoacrilate glue), and
2) it dries milky-clear.
------------------------------
Date: 28 Jun 94 01:00:00 GMT
Subject: FAQ CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES, 04/14: Laser cutting
LASER CUTTING
While thumbing through RMC and MR I noticed a marked increase in the number of
craftsman kits that now include "laser cut" parts and it occured to me that I
don't really know what this means. Yes...I do know that it means a laser is
used in some fashion to cut to very exact sizes, but what technology is being
used? For example, is the laser mounted in a plotter head? Is it 2-D mirror
controlled? Does it cut multiple goods at once? Is it driven from some
CAD system?
For a change this is something I can talk about without going to a
book for reference. For the past several years I have worked on
using lasers for manufacturing in the electronics industry. I can
tell you that they are probably using a CO2 or Nd:YAG laser which
is focused to a fine point at the part to be cut. Both emit light
in the infrared part of the spectrum and cut by heating the material
to boiling point and evaporating or melting through.
There are two methods used to cut the pattern, either the laser beam
is moved using mirrors or the part is moved using a X-Y positioning
table. The choice depends on the cutting speed and the area to be
covered. Directing the laser by mirrors is very fast but has a
limited work area. Probably the second method is used where a large
x/y motion table is used.
This system has the advantage that a large sheet could be put in the
machine and multiple parts cut from the one sheet unattended. The
pattern is almost certainly designed on a CAD system and downloaded
to the laser cutting workstation. The X/Y table is then computer
driven based on the CAD drawing.
It may be possible to cut multiple layers at once but the possibility
of debris from the cutting process depositing on the other layers
might discourage its use. The other drawback to multiple layer
cutting is that the layer the laser is focused on would have the best
cut, the other layers would have cuts of lesser quality. It all
depends on the quality and look the manufacturer wants in the finished
parts.
...
I would like to comment on Laser Cutting. I have not seen the any of the
kits with "laser cut" parts but as I have been involved in designing
photo-etched (chemical milled) brass kits for some years I have been
watching the advent of laser cutting with interest. As I see it the two
techniques are complementary. Photo-etching is not really practical for
metal thicknesses over about 1mm so is used for the smaller scales, while
laser cutting, is which is much more expensive, is used for the model
engineering scales (G1 and above). Of course you can't etch wood at all, or
plastics easily, so lasers could be used on these materials, but at the
prices I been quoted 1 a foot run makes it a speciallist technique, at
least in this country.
------------------------------
Date: 21 Mar 94 01:00:00 GMT
Subject: FAQ CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES, 05/14: Painting, Accuflex
ACCUFLEX
What should I know about Accu-Flex paints?
I managed to track down some Accu-Flex at the Train Shop in Santa
Clara, CA. on a recent trip, and used it to paint a Rail Power Products
Dash 8-40CW cab last weekend. I sort of made the exercise a torture
test, mostly to see what I could do or not do with Accu-Flex. First of
all, I had never painted anything with an airbrush other than sheets of
styrene while fooling around -- the cab was the first "real" model I've
airbrushed. I sprayed the Accu-Flex unthinned from a Badger
single-action, internal mix airbrush, running off a borrowed Badger
compressor (thanks, Dave!). The Accu-Flex bottles attach directly to
the airbrush -- no pouring paint back and forth. I sprayed UP Armour
Yellow with good results -- the paint covered well and I was able to
achieve good coverage in a single session. Even on a small item like
the cab, I was able to spray the sides and work back to the beginning
to spray over the initial pass because the paint set very quickly --
multiple passes with no runs. I waited about two hours and masked the
cab with 3M Magic Tape (I said it was a torture test :-). I sprayed
the UP Gray over the yellow and got good coverage over the first color
coat. I peeled the tape as soon as I capped the paint and washed out
the airbrush.
I wound up with a small parting line on one portion of the cab, but
that was because I sprayed twoards the tape boundary instead of over
it. Othere than that, I couldn't see any parting line with the naked
eye, and none of the cast-in detail was obscured at all. I did get
some spatter in the yellow, which I attributed to low air pressure.
SInce the biggest objection to Accu-Flex seems to be that you can't
take it off once it's on, I called Badger's marketing department to see
what they recommended. Badger referred me to the guy they bought the
paint from, so I called the manufacturer (a guy named Greg Konrad).
Mr. Konrad was very helpful, suggesting a mixture of two to three
ounces of liquid Spic and Span mixed with about an ounce of ammonia in
warm water. Let the part sit for 5 - 10 minutes and scrub off the
paint. This mixture worked very well -- I scrubbed the paint off the
cab with an old soft toothbrush. Paint removal was good, although
there was a small amount of color left around some of the raised
details. I don't expect it to be a problem because of the thinness of
the original coat. Mr. Konrad also said that he recommended spraying
with a single action, internal mix airbruah, using 30 PSI, at about 4 -
5" from the surface, a recommendation echoed in the Model Railroading
review.
This means there's a problem using the normal hobby compressor, because
most of them only operate at around 20 PSI, and you really need the
higher pressure -- Mr. Konrad's quote was "water is heavy, you really
need to push it." I expect that could cause problems for a lot of
folks, but I'm using an airtank with a filter and regulator for now,
with a shop-size compressor to follow. (I'd rather spend the extra
money and get full shop air for tools, etc. than invest $150 in
something I can really only use for airbrushing.)
Bottom line? It looks like great stuff to me. A beginner (me) put it
on easily and effectively while just about trying to make a mess of
it. It doesn't smell, the vapors won't cause bad things to happen to
your liver or bone marrow, and cleanup is soap and water. You still
should probably use a spray booth (to keep overspray and airborne dust
and crud off the model), and a filter mask (to keep overspray and crud
out of your lungs). I don't know what the professional and semi-pro
folks will think of it, and I don't know what the availability will be
like (it took a while for SMP Accu-Paint to be a regularly stocked
item). I'll be happy if I can find it on a regular basis so I can
skip the solvent-based stuff, or messing with water and Photo-Flo with
the Polly-S paint.
------------------------------
Date: 21 Mar 94 01:00:00 GMT
Subject: FAQ CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES, 06/14: Painting, airbrush, Accuflex
After numerous applications using different air pressures with my Paasche
model H (single action brush) the best finish that I could achieve [with
Accu-Flex paint] was a slight semigloss white finish on the side of my HO
scale 48' A-line intermodal container. What went wrong?
I had the same problem when I tried at < 30psi, or had the needle
pulled back in the position I use for Floquil or Scalecoat in my
single action airbrush. When I reduced the flow *a lot*, things
started improving. When I pushed the needle so far forward I couldn't
believe any paint could get through, sure enough, it did, and it
worked amazingly well. The stuff likes to be sprayed amazingly thin,
and is amazingly opaque. Thicker and it really glops up. I soaked a
ruined paint job in brake fluid until I got it off, and tried again
-- and got it right. I see why the reviews caution against double
action airbrushes--the normal range of motion is way too large. 1/4
or less of the needle's travel is all you'd need, but that's too hard
to control. I expect badger will be coming out with a "small movement"
double action brush soon...
I got some on my fingers, and unlike floquil, it took a week to wear
off.
I also like handpainting with the stuff. the stuff thins like
watercolors, but is much more opaque. In full concentration, it flows
as well as floquil and dries much faster. It mixes predictably, but
you have to be quick or it'll dry out on your palette. About 30%
water slows it down enough to be more usable, without thinning it so
much that it runs when brushing. It's weird to spray thicker paint
than handbrush... the thing I haven't figured out yet is how to
drybrush -- it dries on the brush before I can use it. I bet there
are some new tricks I can do for which watercolors are too thin.
The things I like most is the lack of noxious chemicals (it does smell,
but compared to any other paint I've used, negligable), water cleanup,
(be quick or it'll paint the inside of your airbrush!!) how fast it
dries enough to be handled, and how thin an opaque coat can be. What
I don't like are the problems created by how fast it dries, and the
absense of certain colors I have come to expect in floquil: metalics,
depot buff, roof brown, boxcar red (they must...but what's it called?)
I too have a big compressor (I recently used it to wetsand the bottom
of a sailboat--no electric sanders for that job!) so I don't mind the
high pressure requirement.
...
Well, I posted a quickie about a month or so ago, and my experience was
also negative, BUT after playing a bit more, I've changed my mind.
My main problem with my first experience was too little pressure (about
25 psi... where I spray Scalecoat...). It caused the stuff to dry
*really* fast... I found myself "blipping the throttle" while turning
the loco around, to keep from clogging. This was with the "Light
Tuscan Oxide" color.
The second experience was with "DM&IR Maroon". I bumped up the pressure
to 35psi, and it sprayed better, but still not well. I did like the
finish much better this time, though.
The third experience was last night with the DM&IR maroon again. I
decided to give it the "best possible conditions"... aka I completely
diassembled the brush and cleaned it before use. It had months of
scum built up, as I expected. This time I also followed a friend's
advice by painting a very thin coat before the main coat. This is
because the paint will tend to run more than most. This is caused by
the fact that it's not etching the plastic. With the dry coat, you can
lay a slightly heavier color coat. It should be noted that by the time
you're done shooting the light coat, it's dry on the first side, and
you can carry on.
My fourth experience was a brush-painting of some details with white.
This is what blew my mind. The paint is incredibly thin to work with,
yet it covers like nobody's business. It is in this use that I wouldn't
recommend anything else.
--Overview--
My experiences have been increasingly good. Basically it's a need to
modify old techniques to use with the new paint. The pressure *must*
be at about 35, and it's probably not a good idea to paint at less
than room temperature (water-base paint would probably be more delicate
with temperature.)
Cleaning is a little more of a problem, it takes more time. BUT, you
are NOT spending this time playing with toxic, flammable chemicals.
Also, the neatest thing is that by the time you are done cleaning, you
can pick the models up and go upstairs... they're dry enough to handle
within 5 mins.
Remember, this is coming from the writer of the R.M.RR FAQ's brass
painting guide!
...
This may or may not apply to you also. A local modeller was having a
similar problem with the paint and contacted Badger. Seems some early
batches of paint slipped out that were too thick and need to be thinned
up to 30% with water. The difference can be noticed when shaking. If
if it sounds like Accupaint (or floquil, etc.), then you don't need to
worry. However, if it sounds like you're shaking a bottle of syrup,
try thinning it. I had two bottles (primer and antique white) that
needed thinning and worked great afterwards. Again, this may not apply
to you.
------------------------------
Date: 21 Mar 94 01:00:00 GMT
Subject: FAQ CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES, 07/14: Air compressors
AIR COMPRESSORS
What should I know about air compressors?
Getting one with an airtank attached is preferable otherwise you'll
be running it continually. I recommend whatever one you get has a
bleed-off relief valve.
Regardless of what you buy get an oil/moisture filter/trap and a
regulator. Air pressure will vary from airbrush to airbrush; medium
used; viscosity; and, temperature and humidty factors present when
spraying.
...
My personal preference is to pump the air tank up to about 50psi then
bleed it off at 8-25psi as required. It helps to have the water trap as
close to the airbrush as possible. A hose about 6 feet long from the
tank to the water trap, air filter and regulator, then the thin hose
to the airbrush. It is advisable to have two pressure gauges, one
showing the pressure in the tank and the other showing the pressure
through the regulator.
You might like to see Airbrushing For Model Railroaders (I think it's
Kalambach Video).
------------------------------
Date: 21 Mar 94 01:00:00 GMT
Subject: FAQ CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES, 08/14: Painting brass
PAINTING BRASS
How do I paint this $1,200 brass model I just purchased?
Well, being handy with an airbrush is the "only" place to start
playing with brass... if you don't already have some experience...
practice airbrushing on some less-expensive (and less detailed) stuff.
My [Dennis Lippert] "system" for painting brass steam locos has always
been basically the following:
(1) Test-run the loco... to make sure it ran before you took it
apart(!). Check all of the valve gear and rods for loose screws,
tighening if found. It might even be a good idea to fully break-in the
loco before putting it through the "trauma" of disassembly.
(2) Disassmble as follows: remove lead & trailing trucks. Detach the
boiler from the frame. Install the weight (if it was just wrapped up
and sittiing in the box). Remove the trucks and couplers from the
tender, and remove its body from the frame also. If the smokebox
front is removeable, you might want to take it off also. This *should*
be all the disassembly that will be necessary.
(3) Inspect the model. Fix anything broken, and check out the factory
clear-coat lacquer. If the lacquer seems to be smooth and isn't
chipping off, use it as a primer for your paint. If the lacquer is no
good, strip the loco (I use ScaleCoat's stripper).
(4) Wash the loco with soap and "water as hot as you can stand". This
is to make the surface clean so the paint will stick better. Don't
worry about getting the motor/drive wet. As long as it dries
completely before putting power to it, it will be OK. Let the model
dry for at least a few hours, preferably overnight. After washing the
parts, always wash your hands before touching the model (or better
yet, wear rubber gloves).
(5) If the loco was stripped, it needs to be primed. I use a PPG
two-part epoxy primer (because a friend got it for me), code-named
DP400/DP401. You mix equal parts of the two bottles, let sit for 30
minutes, then thin with lacquer thinner and spray (it will only last a
couple weeks in the bottle after being mixed, so don't mix much). It
should be noted that Floquil's "primers" are basically just paint
colors with thicker pigment (for sanding). They DO NOT adhere to the
surface any better than the normal paints (this from a PPG paint
chemist who has "chemically dissected" them).
(6) Prepare your paint. I like Scalecoat II because of it's good
coverage and shiny surface. You get the best smoothness if the paint
is slightly on the thin side, rather than slightly thick. But just
*slightly*. (if Scalecoat is overthinned, it will chemically "fall
apart".
(7) Adjust the airbrush to spray a very small amount of paint. Our
first area of attack will be the chassis. Connect power leads to the
frame and the drawbar, and put about half-power to the chassis. Hold
it by the motor (assuming can motor), and spray all of the stuff
that's moving, from various angles. sit the chassis aside, upside
down, and leave it running for five to ten minutes (to make sure the
paint doesn't stick anything together when it dries.) Since the
airbrush is turned down right now, we can also spray the lead truck,
trailing truck, tender trucks, etc. Be sure to hit them from many
angles, and to roll them around while painting them. ( A skill in
itself... hitting a moving target! :-) Possibly the single biggest
trick in airbrushing brass is getting paint on everything that will be
seen (a bare spot under a detail on a black plastic loco looks like a
shadow... on brass it looks like someone forgot to paint it!)
(8) open the airbrush up to a "normal" spray pattern. Start to spray
any part (boiler, tender, etc.) Begin by spraying from obscure angles
around all details. Then come back and lay a smooth overcoat over the
entire area.
(9) once done with the main body parts, you can come back to the
chassis. Spray all non-moving parts with the "heavier" spray pattern.
Try to avoid spraying on the moving parts (since they're already
painted). Again, the motor is the nicest handle to hold with.
(10) Now you should notice that everything is painted (unless I missed
something). In the case of a PRR steamer, the boiler and tender body
should be brunswick green, the chassis components should all be black.
Take some time to look at all the parts from any angle that you can...
there WILL be bare spots somewhere (trust me!)
(11) Wait for things to dry. With Scalecoat I paint, this can take
days to quit being tacky. Suggestions to speed drying include:
-put it outside if it's a nice warm sunny day... in the sun.
-put it in front of a forced-air furnace (warm, dry air is good)
-bake it (I've never "baked" - don't look to me for suggestions
The best idea is to do one of the above to remove the tackyness, and
still let the parts sit for a week. This guarantees that everything is
dry and hard.
(12) prepare for next color(s). On most steamers this would include
graphite smokeboxes, Oxide red tender decks/cab roofs, etc. Check
your prototype! Mask carefully, but prepare yourself for the fact
that you *will* get overspray under the masking. Luckily, black is
easy to touch up. Always "overdo it" with metallic colors, and cover
up the overspray later. The metallics are incredibly hard to touch up
without it showing, so make sure everything that is to be metallic
gets sprayed the first time.
(13) Apply next color(s). Using a very low pressure (10-15 psi) to
keep overspray to a minimum. Remove masking as soon as you are done.
"Bake" again. [You can often do two or more "extra" colors at one
sitting... as long as they aren't too close to each other on the model
(overspray problems).]
(14) Clean paint from parts which must make electrical contact. These
include tender truck bolsters, wheel treads, drawbar, etc. with
lacquer thinner and Q-Tips. The engine drive wheels are easiest to
clean if you again run the chassis on a power pack.
(13) Reassemble the loco. After reassembly, do any kind of touch-up
work and details. (i.e. if you did a graphite smokebox, the railings,
etc. will also be graphite, so repaint them [black]).
(14) Dullcote the loco (or semi-gloss) after decaling. This will seal
the decals and give "an extra layer of protection" against chips.
(15) Weather the loco if you like, wrap it up, take it to the club,
and begin to brag. This is the most important step, as very few
people seem to realize that it takes more real effort to read this
message than it does to get a good paint job on a brass model!
Above all, follow these simple rules:
- have fun... painting your first couple of brass locos can be
stressful.
- take your time... it's not that important to get done today (or even
this week!).
- use a spray booth, rubber gloves, and possibly a respirator. A simple
mask won't help much... as the pigment is the least of your worries.
These may seem like overkill, but we are looking at a couple of hours
at the booth... much more time than, say, painting a freight car.
------------------------------
Date: 21 Mar 94 01:00:00 GMT
Subject: FAQ CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES, 09/14: Painting, brick red
PAINTING, BRICK RED
What paint best matches red brick color?
Gee, I've been waiting to answer that question. I came upon the answer
right after I started getting back into model rr, a few years back.
Somewhere w-a-a-a-y-y back in my memory, which I believe I read when I
was about 12, says that the popular color for bricks (at least prior
to the last few years) was venetian red. And there is a color by that
name. (I think it's Polly-S, not Floquil) And just to show how well it
matches, I kitbashed a DPM bldg with some embossed & colored foam from,
I think, Heiki, that was brick, and the color matched *exactly*.
------------------------------
Date: 21 Mar 94 01:00:00 GMT
Subject: FAQ CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES, 10/14: Painting, Diosol
PAINTING, DIOSOL
I am soon to become a first-time user of Floquil paint. I realize that
Diosol is the required solvent for thinning, but is Diosol required for
cleaning brushes and airbrush, or can I use another solvent for the
clean-up work?
Why would you want to use something else? If it's cost you're worried
about, perhaps you're buying Diosol in those little tiny jars???? They
also sell it in larger metal cans and it is MUCH MUCH cheaper that way.
Hope this helps.
...
While the metal cans of Diosol are MUCH MUCH cheaper than buying the
little tiny jars, it still doesn't beat laquer thinner's price.
Diosol and laquer thinner are *similar* in composition, but because they
are not *exactly* alike, I suggest using only Diosol for thinning and
leave the laquer thinner for cleanup.
...
I use mineral spirits for cleaning up after most of my Floquil paints.
I have found that there are a few that just do not clean up well with
the mineral spirits, so I keep a can of Diosol handy for these colors.
I don't recall right off the top of my head which ones they are but
when I use them I sure do know which ones they are. Most (90%) of my
painting is done using Floquil paints with an air brush.
...
I would strongly suggest not getting laquer thinner anywhere near a
plastic model. The one time that I did this (accidentally), the
plastic instantly dissolved.
...
Courtesy of this newsgroup (I can't remember who suggested it, but
thanks), I now use Lacquer Thinner for cleanup after painting with
Floquil. It works just as well and is substantially cheaper even than
the big cans of DioSol. I try to soak the narrow passages of my
airbrush in the stuff for half an hour or so after using it for floquil
(or testors, etc). I use Diosol for thinning, and for cleanup when
brush painting (I keep a little jar for several sessions, until it's
too dirty to use). B.T.W. I never bought one of those tiny bottles
of diosol (I think 8 oz was my first size) and I still think it's too
expensive to use for cleanup.
You can get lacquer thinner anywhere you get paint, varnish, etc.
I'm mostly converted over to AccuFlex now, but still use Floquil or
Testors for drybrushing, metallics and a few other colors that are
missing from Badger's new line. Among its other good properties,
AccuFlex cleans up with water, which is so nice.
------------------------------
Date: 21 Mar 94 01:00:00 GMT
Subject: FAQ CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES, 11/14: Weathering
WEATHERING, CHALKS
What tips can you give me when weathering with chalks?
About "fixing" the chalk in place. I use Testor's Dullcote in the
small spray can. I have heard several people say that they tried
different brands and settled on Dullcote -- I've never used anything
else.
About chalks disappearing when sprayed: I use a paintbrush loaded with
chalk and lightly drop the chalk onto the model where I want the
weathering. Then I go back and rub it into the paint. Usually, it's
stuck so well that it won't come off even if I wipe my finger over it.
When I spray it with Dullcote, I make sure to spray a light coat --
just enough to seal the chalk. I have noticed that the weathering is
minimized slightly, but it definitely doesn't disappear. My guess is
that if you don't rub the chalks in, the aerosol spray blows the chalk
off before the Dullcote can fix it to the model. I have noticed that
dark colored box cars tend to swallow up the chalk (make it invisible)
more than light colored cars. That's probably because of the smaller
contrast between the car color and the chalk color.
By the way, the chalks I use are "Sanford" brand and I use the set
called "Earth Tones". They are commonly available at art and craft
stores and cost $5-$6 (in Boise anyway). Another set that I know
people use is the set of gray shades.
...
Unless you're using very high pressure for spraying, it's
unlikely that the chalk weathering is being blown off. But you
are changing the reflective properties of the surface.
You need a rough surface to hold the chalk. You might try a
light spray of dullcote, delivered from farther away than
normal, so the spray is almost dry as it hits. You'll also want
to apply a normal coat of dullcote after you're done, to seal in
the chalk. Otherwise it'll rub off with handling. This final
coat will also change the appearance of your weathering. The
effect of chalk weathering is in large part due to the
micro-roughness of the chalk itself. (This has nothing to do
with the roughness of the surface previously mentioned. That was
just to get the chalk to stick.) When you seal in the
micro-roughness, even with a "flat" spray, you completely change
the reflective nature of the surface, and a lot of the
weathering effect disappears. This is very pronounced for
light-colored weathering on dark cars, and much less so for dark
weathering on light cars. When weathering boxcar red cars, I
have to make them look garish, almost cartoonish, with lots of
"extra" weathering so they look right after the seal coat.
Hint: eastern cars weather due to rain, soot and corrosion.
Western cars due to sun bleaching and abrasion. Thus eastern
cars tend to weather dark, and western cars light.
...
I have experimented, with some success, using ladies' cosmetic blushes
which seem to be a caked powder. They come in a wide variety of colors
[caution: some look somewhat metallic] and can be easily applied with
the applicator supplied or a Q-tip. This method is great for moderate
and subtle weathering.
If real heavy weathering is desired, I use weathering paints or
lacquers.
The beauty of powders or chalks is the ease of removing what you have
done if dissatisfied. However, the blushes, like most powders/chalks,
can seem to disappear if too heavily oversprayed with a clear
"fixative".
WEATHERING, DIRT
Any thoughts on how to simulate 3-D clumps of mud and dirt in HO scale?
I'm building the Walthers (Kibri, actually, I think) front end loader,
and I've never seen any such construction equipment without very large
clumps of dirt and mud on it, especially on the tires and scoop. Looking
at the numbers, realistic dirt should be noticeable, so I'd like to
simulate it.
Consider combinations of dry pastel (chalk-type) and paint. For
example, scrape the pastel with a knife to get lumpy stuff, then drop
it on wet paint.
...
This is just a quick idea; I've never used this one on anything but
scenery, but what about borrowing from the "bonded ballast" idea? If
you were to thin down some white glue, then spray? eye-drop? it onto
the equipment, then lightly sprinkle real dirt, let dry, maybe enough
would adhere to fit your purposes. Of course, this method might well
be too crude, but I have to put in the disclaimer that it's just off
the top of my head!
...
I just started experimenting with chalks and I'm really impressed. I
just bought an F7 A-B set and wanted to lightly weather them (that
recently washed look). I used black and brown chalks on the roof and
black, brown, and mustard colors on the sides (Union Pacific F7 with
gray roof and yellow sides). What I really like about chalk is that
it creates a subtle, road grime sort of look but has more variety and
brings out details better than a wash or a light overspray of paint.
It seems like darker chalks work better on light-colored paint and
medium or lighter-colored chalks for dark paint. If you look at
prototype box cars, they all look about the same color -- lighter
colors darken and dark colors lighten until they all have that
medium-dark grime look.
I still use paints to touch up the fans and exhaust stacks, and to
weather the trucks, fuel tank, etc.
...
The old "zip texturing" method makes *excellent* dirt, clumps and all.
Obtain some dry paint pigments at your favorite art store or find some
commercial zip texture kits at a train store. It's a little expensive,
but goes a long way. Get earth colors, of course.
Mix the paint pigment into some dry plaster - Hydrocal works very
nicely for this. Use the pigment sparingly; it's easy to add more
but kind of hard to get it out. Mix thoroughly.
Paint some water on the area to be made dirty and sift the plaster mix
over it. The plaster will absorb water and bond with the surface yet
will still maintain its fine texture. Put a little in a spoon, hold
the spoon over the dirt area and tap the side of the spoon - little
clumps will fall off the sppon. Maybe spritz a little water over
the area and add some more. Repeat until you like the looks.
If you want to make a nice dirt road, mix up some "water putty" to
a heavy cream consistency and gently pour it over the road area. It
has enough surface tension to form a raised area, yet stays nice and
smooth and flat. If you pre-wet the area, it will flow into smoother
edges. Sift some of the plaster mix over it for color and texture.
When it dries, lightly rub it with a Bright Boy to make smooth areas
where it was worn by tires.
Sometimes the old ideas and techniques are worth trying...
WEATHERING, TECHNIQUES
Any hints on wood weathering techniques?
I mostly use the Letraset felt pens. They come in a bunch of Pantone
colors. The M series are wide and work great. I have the warm gray
colors and most of the 40X, 41X, 42X,& 46X ones. My favorite one is
451. They dry fast so you can as you construct. They do smell like
marker pens though. In the latest NG&SL Gazette someone aged his wood
by toasting it. By pulling it out at different times you get board to
board variation. Makes the wood brittle though. They also once had an
article on the Letraset pen method but I don't remember the issue.
...
I use the same india ink and alcohol mixture to stain wood, and I
accidentally found a good way to make water stains when using this
mixture. I used some cyanocrylate (sp?) glue to attach some small
parts to a water tank I was making and it unknowingly wicked into the
wood. I didn't see this until I applied the ink and alcohol and it
caused the area of glue to simulate a water stain.
------------------------------
Date: 21 Mar 94 01:00:00 GMT
Subject: FAQ CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES, 12/14: Painting road ties
PAINTING, ROAD TIES
Is there an effective way to make Atlas' plastic ties look better? Has anyone
tried painting them, and if so, how did it work? Would any of the Floquill
colors be good for this purpose?
Almost any-ol' paint of the right color will do the job. My personal
favorite is Floquil Roof Brown. It's dead-flat, goes quite far if
thinned 50-50, and "just looks right to me". Just airbrush the rails
and ties... the nickel-silver rails are worse to look at than the
ties. Then clean it all off the railtops with a bright boy.
Why not Floquil "rail brown"?? IMHO it's way too light of a color...
closer to mud than oily OLD rust.
------------------------------
Date: 10 Jun 94 01:00:00 GMT
Subject: FAQ CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES, 13/14: Drill sizes
DRILL SIZES
While there isn't an algorithm that works for drill size to diameter (at least
not a simple one), there is a look-up table.
Drill Diameter Drill Diameter Drill Diameter
Size (in.) (mm) Size (in.) (mm) Size (in.) (mm)
1 0.2280 5.791 41 0.0960 2.438 81 0.0130 0.330
2 0.2210 5.613 42 0.0935 2.375 82 0.0125 0.318
3 0.2130 5.410 43 0.0890 2.261 83 0.0120 0.305
4 0.2090 5.309 44 0.0860 2.184 84 0.0115 0.292
5 0.2055 5.220 45 0.0820 2.083 85 0.0110 0.279
6 0.2040 5.182 46 0.0810 2.057 86 0.0105 0.267
7 0.2010 5.105 47 0.0785 1.994 87 0.0100 0.254
8 0.1990 5.055 48 0.0760 1.930 88 0.0095 0.241
9 0.1960 4.978 49 0.0730 1.854 89 0.0091 0.231
10 0.1935 4.915 50 0.0700 1.778 90 0.0087 0.221
11 0.1910 4.851 51 0.0670 1.702 91 0.0083 0.211
12 0.1890 4.801 52 0.0635 1.613 92 0.0079 0.201
13 0.1850 4.699 53 0.0595 1.511 93 0.0075 0.191
14 0.1820 4.623 54 0.0550 1.397 94 0.0071 0.180
15 0.1800 4.572 55 0.0520 1.321 95 0.0067 0.170
16 0.1770 4.496 56 0.0465 1.181 96 0.0063 0.160
17 0.1730 4.394 57 0.0430 1.092 97 0.0059 0.150
18 0.1695 4.305 58 0.0420 1.067
19 0.1660 4.216 59 0.0410 1.041
20 0.1610 4.089 60 0.0400 1.016
21 0.1590 4.039 61 0.0390 0.991
22 0.1570 3.988 62 0.0380 0.965
23 0.1540 3.912 63 0.0370 0.940
24 0.1520 3.861 64 0.0360 0.914
25 0.1495 3.797 65 0.0350 0.889
26 0.1470 3.734 66 0.0330 0.838
27 0.1440 3.658 67 0.0320 0.813
28 0.1405 3.569 68 0.0310 0.787
29 0.1360 3.454 69 0.0292 0.742
30 0.1285 3.264 70 0.0280 0.711
31 0.1200 3.048 71 0.0260 0.660
32 0.1160 2.946 72 0.0250 0.635
33 0.1130 2.870 73 0.0240 0.610
34 0.1110 2.819 74 0.0225 0.571
35 0.1100 2.794 75 0.0210 0.533
36 0.1065 2.705 76 0.0200 0.508
37 0.1040 2.642 77 0.0180 0.457
38 0.1015 2.578 78 0.0160 0.406
39 0.0995 2.527 79 0.0145 0.368
40 0.0980 2.489 80 0.0135 0.343
------------------------------
Date: 20 Mar 94 01:00:00 GMT
Subject: FAQ CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES, 14/14: Soldering, resistance
SOLDERING, RESISTANCE
Any recommendations for a resistance soldering unit?
Go to your local friendly electronics supply house and buy a
transformer with 110v primary, 6.2v (? or there about) secondary and a
4 to 6 amp output on the secondary.
Go to your local Radio Shack and get an insulated box big enough to
hold the transformer.
Wire a 110v plug to the primary of the transformer. (Do I need to
remind you to use a grounding plug and take care not to electrocute
yourself???)
Run the secondary to two wires, one with something like an alligator
clip, and the other to a clamp making a good connection to a carbon
rod.
Where do you get a carbon rod? one might ask. Go somewhere where you
can wash some chemicals away, and cut up an old flashlight battery or
two. I have had good luck with both C cells and AA cells. The center
contains a carbon rod. Make a point on the rod with some sandpaper, or
a pencil sharpener, or something, and clamp the second wire from the
transformer's secondary to it. Radio Shack will have conenctors that
will do the job.
Now, when you plug in the transformer to the wall, and you connect the
alligator clip to something metal connected to what you want to
solder, and touch the sharp tip of the carbon rod to where you want to
solder, the metal right around the tip of the carbon rod gets REALLY
hot. Sounds kind of like one of those $250 dollar units to me. If you
really make it fancy, you might spend $25 or $30 building the thing.
How to make it fancy??
First, I like to put a control on the 110v side of the transformer. A
normal light dimmer works well, although I have also had good luck
with a sewing-machine foot control. These do not really have the
current rating, but are ok for light duty work. I like having both
hands to set up the work (the rod holds stuff in place) and then Zap
with the foot.
Second, I use large stereo-type plugs to connect to the secondary side
with the clips and rods. This lets me have several different rod-size
and clip configurations that are easy to switch.
Third, Fancy handles for the carbon rods...
Fourth, whatever else comes to mind. For the price, and ease of
construction, you can afford to experiment.