|
here is a link to the barn diorama on RR Line:
http://www.railroad-line.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=10409
Here is a description of one paint peeling method:
Wood preparation (mostly old school)
I used scale basswood from my LHS. Sort the strips to find the best grain (I avoid any “speckle” grain pieces). Cut the boards to length, leaving them a little long (trim to final size after installation). Lightly sand the surface (when required) to remove any objectionable machining marks. Drag a fine wire brush (hand held) along the face, in direction of grain. I use a fairly soft Dremel type round brush, approx. 5/8” dia. I use moderate pressure for the most part to avoid graining too deeply. On some pieces, add splits with a sharp X-Acto blade. Fold a piece of 600 or 800 grit sand paper together and pull the wood strips through to “de-fuzz”. Careful not to remove too much graining! Sand the edges too. Wipe with fingers to remove dust, etc. Add knotholes with a 0.3 mm drafting pencil. I just press lightly and draw small ovals (subsequent finishing removes any lead sheen). Add occasional “thru” knot hole with tip of sharp, round micro file, just poke thru and spin. For this wall, I tried something I saw in the 2003 Finescale Railroader Logging, Mining and Industrial annual. In the Red Mountain Mine article by Bill Miller, he describes drilling a hole and gluing in the cut-off tip of a toothpick for knots. I thought that sounded neat, so I added a few here and there. Apply Builders In Scale Silverwood stain with a wide brush. Apply light coats and let dry. I often apply up to 8 coats or more to achieve a darkish gray color.
Paint finish (some old, some new)
I do 2-3 boards at a time. Brush the grained side with paint thinner (mineral spirits)*.
Just as the sheen starts to disappear, brush on a coat of Polly Scale “Custom” White (an unscientific mix of Reefer and Aged White). Brush it out thinly and let it dry about a minute. Add 2-3 applications (4 total)**, again waiting only a minute or so between coats (don’t worry if the boards “cup” a little). After a couple more minutes, take a sharp X-Acto knife and lightly score the board several times in direction of the grain. (You might see some paint thinner in the cuts. It’s a good thing). Then take Scotch invisible tape and touch the board and lift the paint. Don’t press too hard or you might lift splinters of wood. Peel as much or as little as you like. The scoring helps the peels break off into smaller chips. OPTIONAL STEP: After letting the boards dry overnight (or longer), I take them to the sandblaster at work and give each one a careful “dusting” to dull, texture and chip a little more. This part is very subjective and it is easy to etch the wood too deeply, or remove too much paint. I think a model type sandblaster might work better, but I haven’t one to try. At this point, or even after installation, the paint can be further chipped in small areas like the bottom of the wall. Moisten (spit OK), and carefully pick with a toothpick or scrape lightly with a sharp blade. If the board is cupped the wrong way, roll it lengthwise around a brass or plastic rod to straighten (or cup the other way for effect). Final step was a dusting of Bragdon brown/black powder, followed by a wipe with a barely dampened sponge. I used thick cardstock for the core of my wall, and glued each board to it. I have yet to finish all the battens and add nail head detail.
This is a combination of old ideas, (like using tape to lift paint) some trial and error, and happy accidents (paint thinner resist). There’s still some fine tuning to be done, but I feel I’m on the right track to simulate one of the many ways painted wood weathers. I don’t know how readily this will repeat for anyone else (hope it does!); feel free to experiment with other paint brands, colors, tools etc. Then maybe we can all sit around and watch paint peel!
*I discovered this method when I noticed whenever I used acrylic paint on a brush that had been cleaned in paint thinner, the paint would “clump” and not stick well. I decided to see if I could exploit this “problem”. The paint thinner seems to work as a resist for the acrylic paint, but the peeling works best when done shortly after painting.
** The thicker the paint, the better it will peel. But if it is too thick, it looks too rubbery when peeled. 3-4 brushed out coats seem pretty good for O scale.
NOTE: The sandblasting step is optional. I havent been doing it lately, and I still get good results. The example above was just tape peeled, no sandblast.
Also note in John's photos how there is only one row of nails along the bottom of the clapboards. When I did the siding on my garage model, I put in two vertical rows of nail heads. Somewhere, I read that one row was correct, applied where the boards overlap, and not where the board isn’t backed up. I have seen examples of 2 nail rows in prototype clapboards, so it can be correct, its just that the I have seen the single rows much more often on prototypes, now that I am looking more closely.
I have been experimenting with Bragdon powders to add different colors after the base grey stain, like the brown and black you mention. I then wash the board with acetone to add a bit of grain direction (see barn dio topic). This was the first time I played with adding different colors to the wood, and I am hooked!
|
