Batch-building freight cars 101part 2- 12
53c
53b
53a
53a, 53b, 53c: Top: In
step twoof theprocess,
thecar bottomedge is
gettingaheavy coat of
darker powder.Middle: In
thenext step, a light color
powder is applied to the
upper car body. Bottom:
For thefinal step, thecar
is scrubbedwitha stiff,
cleanbrush to remove
theexcesspowder. Care
must be taken toapply
firmpressure, while
beingcareful not tobreak
delicatedetails.
A littleweathering
Tobe clear, youdon’t have todo this step. If youhavealready
weathered the trucks andunderbody, the cars can lookpretty
goodalready, and couldbe leftas-is.Of course,manyof us like
toweather everything, soon to thenext step.
I haveusedmany techniques toweather carsover theyears. I
choseweatheringpowders (chalks) for these stock cars. I think
the “dusty look” that powderweathering createsfits these cars
perfectly. Asweathering techniques go, I find thepowders to
bevery forgivingandeasy toworkwith. I recommendapow-
der that has someadhesive in it (I used chalks fromBragdon
Enterprises
, but thereareothers thatworkwell).
Onegood thingaboutweatheringpowder is that you can
alwayswash it offwithwater if youdon’t like the results.
Therearea coupleof things tokeep inmindwhenusingpow-
der/chalk. First, apply it very thick, but as evenlyaspossible.
Youalsoneed towork thepowder into the surfaceof the
model right up to thedetails and raisededges. Don’t let notice-
ableareasof non-weatheredpaint (“weathering shadows”)
developaround raiseddetails. After agenerous application
of thematerial, usea stiffbrush toknockoffasmuchof the
excess from the car aspossible. Expect thatmost of thepow-
derwill comeoff.When Iweather carswithpowder, I usea
cardboardbox lid to catch theexcessmaterial. Thepowders
mix together in the lidusuallymakingadarkbrown color. I
save thismixtureanduse it forweathering the insideof gondo-
lasor hoppers.
I usually startwith the roof and thenapplydarker colors tobot-
tomedgeof the car body, and thenanother color to theupper
MRH-Apr2014
