I've gotten away from using an airbrush for weathering in favor of chalks. I find it much easier to control the effects and if you overdo it, it's removeable. After years of grubbing around cleaning up the 1522, I've got a real good idea how to dirty up a steam engine, even if it is Frisco.
Don, is that one of the infamous Hallmarks? How did you do the morter lines in the brick roundhouse? They are as good as your chalk weathering. 73, Doug
Sweet weathering, Don. I can't remember the brand, but my father in law bought some soft weathering chalks a few years back and they do control beautifully. Exquisite!
Don - What technique do you use to seal the chalk weathering? The few times I have used chalk to weather, I got the effect to a point where I really liked the look, then saw most of the chalk disappear when I sealed it with an overspray. Ken |-| ps - Nice job on the 4209!
Howdy, Don, your locomotive is absolutely beautiful. The chalk works well. I've moved away from the airbrush in favor of dry pigments for weathering, too. Bragdon powders are good brand and they have some kind of binder so they stick well. Doug, unless you plan on handling the structure, why worry about sealing it? I've seen a lot of folks just rub the chalk in with their thumbs and let it go at that. Another approach is try a slurry of chalk and windshield washer fluid. Wipe the excess off, it looks great. My favorite structure builders use both techniques. I think Scotty Mason uses the thumb technique with chalk. I just got some white india ink and I'll mix a light grey mix with alcohol (1 tsp per pint) and give that a go, too. It would be nice to brush or spray it on with an antomizer bottle. Persist, mike
Yes, parts of it are the infamous Hallmark POS. The mechanism, sand dome, tender, one boiler course, pilot and trailing truck are new, as is the valve gear. There were just a few things I kept from HMK, like the pilot, cab, cylinders and a few other minor details. Shoulda just built it from scratch. Ken, I haven't sealed this one yet. Sometimes I don't seal them at all. The overspray does subdue the effect. Unless you handle them continuously, they really shouldn't need to be oversprayed. Attached is one I just painted for a guy. Bit of a difference. Doug, the mortar is a product I bought years ago called, I think, Roberts brick mortar or something like that. It's kinda like grout in the way you put it on. Makes a big difference. By the way, when I was lettering these, I got to thinking about the 30" tender numbers and remembered how some folks call the big numbers Post-War. I have a photo of the 4208 after rebuilding from the 1520-4208 head on collision of the late thirties showing her with the big numerals. 4300s started out with the small numbers, but it looks like they changed after the first couple were built, so I don't think this is a postwar practice.
