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hon3_rr
Fireman
Premium Member
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Posted - 05/29/2010 : 4:37:41 PM
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Looking really good. BTW, I tried to fix my old Chopper the way you have. It worked for a while, but then failed. I found that I had better luck filling the cut slot with 5 minute epoxy which I made sure was flat prior to hard to work with.
Have to admit that the epoxy fill failed in the long run also, but that new Chopper II with the cutting pad is wonderful. Totally eliminated this groove cut issue. The cutting pad does get a cut groove in it, but one only needs to turn the pad 90 degrees. Have not had to flip the pad over yet, and I have been on the same pad face for over 3 years.
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--KP
Life is to short to make all of the models I want to. |
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Country: USA
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Rick
Administrator
Premium Member
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Posted - 05/29/2010 : 6:35:17 PM
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Dallas, not only am I enjoying your modeling and how-to's, the humor is good too. 
Thanks for posting all the details.
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Country: USA
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ETinBH
Fireman
Premium Member
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Posted - 05/29/2010 : 8:17:27 PM
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great progress - keep the pic coming
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Country: USA
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UKGuy
Fireman
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 Posted - 05/29/2010 : 11:57:08 PM
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Looking teriffic Dallas, cant wait to see what you do with the new details. I build my walls as you show but with regular pushpins. your studwork looks very precise, nice job indeed.
Great modeling and a smile from each post, cant ask for much more.
Thanks for the detailed uptates and 'how-to's' much appreciated.
Karl.A
Bad influence... mois... 
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Country: USA
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dallas_m
Fireman
Premium Member
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Posted - 05/31/2010 : 03:35:20 AM
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Initial tests/experiments for painting and weathering the siding ...
Haven't decided anything yet, but here are a few notes on what's been tried so far ... before I forget!
The boards that basically looked "white washed" were a fairly dismal attempt at using Chuck Doan's method with mineral spirits as a "resist" layer. This quickly showed me that (a) I'd need a lot more practice to get the timing and application of the layers right and (b) how incredibly irritating I find the odor of mineral spirits (even the "odorless" kind) ...
In that regard, I tried something else that really is odorless ... acrylic crackle medium. That was used on the boards that show more of the peeling effect. It did NOT produce any "crackle" effect ... and, here's a big  on the forehead ... because there wasn't any acrylic paint/material UNDER the crackle medium ... which IS essential to producing the crackle effect. Nevertheless, the crackle medium itself applied to the stained wood did work as a sort of "resist" (without the odor) and did give me a better peeling effect on the first try ...
So, after the "V-8 moment" ... I applied a liberal coat of Vallejo acrylic varnish to three more groups of boards to try the crackle approach again:
1) Several boards that are just bare wood ... sanded, but no paint or stain ... with the idea of applying the crackle medium and paint, then distressing and staining afterward.
2) Several boards that were stained but not painted yet ...
3) Several of the boards shown here to see if a "layering" of the effects might work ...
We'll see how it goes ....
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Edited by - dallas_m on 05/31/2010 04:09:46 AM |
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Tyson Rayles
Moderator
Premium Member
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Posted - 05/31/2010 : 07:20:57 AM
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| Mike |
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wesleybeks
Fireman
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Posted - 05/31/2010 : 10:09:33 AM
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Looking awesome so far Dallas. I love the humour that is going along with the build.
Where did you get the steel shelf from?
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Regards
Wes.
Dont leave for tomorrow what you can do today. |
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Country: South Africa
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BBLmber
Fireman
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 Posted - 05/31/2010 : 10:12:43 AM
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Hey Dallas, your mix and match test section has the overall effect of a white washed building as all boards do not weather equally. Good job.
Mark
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| W,L,&E |
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Country: USA
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hon3_rr
Fireman
Premium Member
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Posted - 05/31/2010 : 10:23:57 AM
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I love the way you are taking some time to experiment and trying to identify a different method/technique to the weathering process, and then, sharing the info with us. This is wonderful information and I, for one, sincerely thank you for it.
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--KP
Life is to short to make all of the models I want to. |
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Country: USA
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dallas_m
Fireman
Premium Member
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Posted - 05/31/2010 : 9:15:32 PM
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Thanks all! I found another description of the "resist" method that might be workable ... but gonna do some more experiments tonight to try to find a good way to do it without using the nasty solvents. BTW, I tried some rubber cement, but the stock on hand is too old/thick ... also tried Vallejo Liquid Paint Mask, but that seems too sticky.
Wes -- The steel shelf is made by Verlinden in 1/35 scale. Available separate as item #2545 ... also included in the #2574 Military Workshop Stuff set shown above. I got the set, because it includes a V-8 engine, lots of "stuff" to load on the shelf and some tires and wheels that'll make a nice little makeshift table as shown right outside Mike's original Faulks Oil Co.
I've been getting the Verlinden stuff from ScaleHobbyist.com -- quick delivery and good discounts, but US shipping only I think. Think the international members can find a good selection on ebay, etc.
A little more catching up on the forum this evening, then back to the laboratory for more painting experiments!
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dallas_m
Fireman
Premium Member
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Posted - 06/01/2010 : 03:27:10 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by dallas_m
So, after the "V-8 moment" ... I applied a liberal coat of Vallejo acrylic varnish to three more groups of boards to try the crackle approach again:
1) Several boards that are just bare wood ... sanded, but no paint or stain ... with the idea of applying the crackle medium and paint, then distressing and staining afterward.
2) Several boards that were stained but not painted yet ...
3) Several of the boards shown here to see if a "layering" of the effects might work ...
WARNING: Another (very) long-winded post on experimental techniques ... casual viewers just scroll down to the last photo if you want a quick idea of where it's heading! 
Okay, here we go again ... more experimentation. First, item #1 above proved to be a bust ... the acrylic varnish sealed the wood, so even though I was able to get some nice "peeling" results, it would be necessary to paint the wood that's revealed ... because it won't take stain! Write that one off ...
The other two trials were much better and seem to be steps in the right direction. Took some boards that had been distressed and stained ... half of them previously treated in the earlier paint tests ... slathered them with Vallejo acrylic varnish (which is probably NOT really needed here, read on) and DecoArt "Weathered Wood" acrylic crackle medium. Let that dry overnight (which, with more experience now is probably less effective than just letting it get tacky -- see notes below) ...
So back to noting the experimental steps, I brushed on some Vallejo paint (5 drops Chalk White, 1 drop Ivory, 1 drop wet water) ... and even the dried crackle medium "resisted" the paint somewhat, producing the effect shown above. Note that the paint was thinned, so the phrase "dry brush" doesn't quite apply, but the brush was stroked on paper first and then lightly painted over the boards ... with more paint near the top of the boards, where they'd be protected a bit by roof overhang.
Some more notes on this part of the experiment:
-- The boards were laid on masking tape (sticky side up) and then covered with the varnish ... as mentioned, this is probably NOT essential to the weathering used here ... BUT it may be USEFUL this way: The varnish created a "seal" between the board and masking tape, so none of the subsequent paint went underneath and the back of the boards remained CLEAN (in the original stain). Might be useful for masking where desired ...
-- The combination of varnish and crackle produced a bit of gloss, which should go away easily with a spray of clear flat. (I favor the Tamiya over the Testor's for that.)
-- The crackle was left to dry overnight ... it still provides some "resist", but the masking tape won't really lift the paint away once the crackle is dried that long ...
-- Whew, I mentioned that this could be long-winded ... and it's just begun ... yikes! 
The six boards in the middle here were done using the experiments used above, and they seem to blend well with the others from the previous tests. In some areas, there's a bit of a blue-gray cast ... that was created by scrubbing the paint lightly with a BRASS scratch pen (softer than the steel one sold by Micro-Mark). BTW, I searched "scratch pen" on ebay and got a set that includes one each of steel, brass and fiberglass pens plus refills for each for less than the cost of the single steel scratch pen from MM. The other pens seem to be handy too!
Also, I used a fine brush and added some random streaks of a Vallejo ink wash made with 1x smoky ink, 1x black ink and 8x wet water. (X = drops or multiples of drops if needed)
Introducing the "Crackling Toothbrush" Method
Okay, so those looked good for a worn-down, weathered whitewash look, but decided to see if I could build up more "white paint" color on top while retaining some of the weathered effects ... and AVOIDING the use of turpentine and other nasties ... seem to be making some progress in that direction ...
Took eight of those same boards, laid them on masking tape (sticky side up) and brushed out a coat of crackle medium till it felt tacky (brush starts to drag).
Mixed up some Vallejo paint: 8x Chalk White, 1x Black Ink, 2x wet water ... spread out some newspaper and grabbed an old toothbrush.
Dipped the toothbrush into the thinned paint, dragged my thumb over the brush to flick paint speckles onto the boards (thus the newspaper spread out!) ... did this up and down the boards, repeating in some areas and trying to get more near the tops where the roof overhang shields the boards a bit.
Used the Scratchboard "parallel line" tool described in Karl O.'s FSM Rock Bunker thread and the steel scratchbrush to break up the speckles a bit and add some texture thru the paint.
Used a fine brush (think it was a #2 flat, and the boards are 1/4" wide actual size) to apply some thin, random streaks of several Vallejo washes:
#1) 1x Smoky ink, 5x wet water
#2) 3x Brown ink, 1x Green ink, 10x wet water -- note, the brown ink has a very reddish cast, so the green added makes it more neutral
#3) 1x Black ink, 10x water
Oh yeah, the two boards on the far left were dunked in Mike's #6 ink stain ... this darkens the unpainted areas nicely, but the alcohol softens the paint to the point where you can get fingerprints and/or smearing ... so didn't pursue that any further.
The six boards at right here were done with the "crackling toothbrush method" and seem to have accomplished the goal of building up more white paint while retaining a weathered/worn look. The two at far left are the ones that were dipped in the ink stain, and they've got a little too much contrast and "speckled" look for my taste. The ones in between were done in the earlier experiments ... I do like those and will use them on the back of the building, but wanted something more like the boards at right for the front.
Another shot ... at this point, the six nearest boards are pretty close to what I'd like for the exposed sides of the building ... but also have an idea for trying a variation of the technique that would use several shades of paint for applying the speckles ... think that would allow building up more depth in the paint while adding some varied tones ... we'll see!
Condensed version for casual viewers: Been messing around with paint and it looks like the boards toward the right here are producing the desired effect or something quite close! 
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Country: USA
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dallas_m
Fireman
Premium Member
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Posted - 06/01/2010 : 04:34:46 AM
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Here's another shot with better white balance ... and a short-winded post for a change!
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Country: USA
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Rick
Administrator
Premium Member
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Posted - 06/01/2010 : 07:08:19 AM
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Dallas, I don't have time this morning to read your new how-to, but the results in the last picture speak for themselves.
As soon as I have a few minutes later today I will pour over your new post.
That is one great looking wall.
Thanks for sharing all of your work.
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Country: USA
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Bbags
Administrator
Premium Member
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Posted - 06/01/2010 : 09:46:05 AM
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Dallas,
I have been sitting in the back of the lecture hall following this build and taking copious notes for a long time without comment.
I decided today is the time to comment after seeing you latest experiments.
I am sure Mike is looking down at you work with a smile on his face for you have produced some outstanding tutorials that will benefit all who read them.
Mike, also like yourself was always trying new techniques and while some did not meet his expectations he kept at it until he succeeded much as you have been doing with this project.
Also the presentation is in the best tradition of Mike with the humorous style used throughout this thread.
So there could be no better name for this structure that Chambers Gas & Oil.
Keep up the great work.
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John Bagley
Modeling the Alaska Railroad in HO in Wildwood Georgia. |
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Country: USA
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Chuck Doan
Fireman
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Posted - 06/01/2010 : 10:19:00 AM
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Dallas, that siding is just terrific! They should market crackling toothpaste to go with your method!
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Country: USA
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