Model train weathering, decaling and painting is the art of taking something new and making it look old with years of abuse and use. And you have to make the model railway weathering match the age to the time of the scenery you want to create. If you think this sounds hard to do this, well you are partially right. As you have probably already seen in pictures there are ways you can mimic years of dust, windswept, grease and grime, rust and soot, wear and tare.

Weathering Techniques Makes this New Building Look Old.

The way to imitate rust, dust, soot and grime is to grind up a piece of pastel chalk into a fine dust. You can accomplish this by using a razor knife. You will need to add the right color of whatever look you are going after. For a grease look I mix black and dark green water base paint to the chalk until I get the color and look that I want. Using a stiff brush to apply the pastel chalk will give it the right realistic textured look to whatever you are applying it to. Don’t worry if you don’t get the look you want right away as at anytime you can redo it. Simply wipe and wash it off then let it dry and then try again. Once you get the look you want then you need to permanently keep the chalk in place by lightly applying a spray coat of Testor’s Dullcote. This will seal it in place giving the area a natural realistic look that professionals get.

You can also do what is called “dry brushing”. Dip a brush in rust or grease colored paint then wipe it off on a paper towel. Now using the nearly dried brush, apply the paint on the brush with very thin lines. This will give you the best look for simulating rust and grime.

Another technique is called “bounce weathering”. To do this technique you spray paint from either an aerosol can or airbrush setup onto a piece of cardboard at an angel in the direction of the object you are painting. The paint that flies off will be in nearly dry specks, when these specks land on your model it will simulate the various types of grime and dust that accumulates on railroad cars and locomotives. Do this same procedure using white paint it will give the front of any moving vehicle a look of paint damaged cause from rock chips. It helps to look at photos in different publications for getting ideas for the look you want to achieve. A big key to effectively achieving the right weathered look is to go slow and not to go overboard. Until you get the hang of it
“less is better”.

Painting quality is only as good as the surface you are applying it to. You can be the best painter in the world but if the surface is not prepped correctly you will be disappointed.

Prepping ways for:

Wood – sand until wood is smooth and free from any contaminants. I always wear rubber surgical gloves while handling any materials so that my skin’s oils will not get on them. After sanding you will need to spray on a quality wood primmer. Now it will be ready for painting.
Metals – I first wipe off all contaminates with a quality metal degreaser that you can purchase from any auto painting store. Again, wear your surgical gloves while holding the metal and now sand with a 120 grit sandpaper to get any rough areas off. Before painting sand with 400 grit wet/dry sandpaper, this will give the metal a smooth finish for the paint. After sanding you will need to take and wipe it with a tack cloth. Now the metal is ready for apply a quality metal primmer (this can also be purchased from a auto painting store). Once the primmer is cured you can spray the metal with a good Enamel paint.
Plastics – While wearing your surgical gloves wash the plastic with a dish soap to remove any oils, grease and other contaminates (sanding plastic can do damage). When dry you can apply a paint that is made for painting plastics. The only problem with plastic paints is there is not that big of a selection in colors to choose from. If you can’t find the right color plastic paint then you will need to primmer the plastic first using a plastic primmer and then the paint will stick to the primmer.

Always use a high quality paint brush as the will not leave any brush strokes and they will not let any brush bristles come out and get into your paint. For larger areas, if you can, use an air brush over an aerosol spray can as you will get a finer more professional look. Before spraying always check with the paint manufacture and follow their instructions for thinning the paint when using your air brush. When applying more than one coat us railroad modelers find that using drafter’s tape made by 3M is the best for masking. The reason it is so good is that it does not leave any stickiness where as regular masking tape will. Painting is the final finish so take your time and do everything correctly. The right prepping, masking and painting techniques will give you that professional look you see on the cover of model railroad magazines.

Decaling is very simple but requires you to move slowly. Decals come on sheets. To apply your decal cut out the decal from the sheet and then dip it into warm water until it curls. If your decal is small use tweezers to hold the paper that the decal is on. Move the paper with the decal close to the area you want to apply the decal to. Gently (don’t tear it) slide the decal off the paper using your finger or a smooth blunt object like and eraser head and move it to the location you want it. Now gently flatten the decal using the flat object like an eraser and adjust it to the spot you want. Sometimes you will have some small bubbles under the decal. Not to worry, just let the decal dry and then take a pin and puncture a hole into the decal and carefully work the air out behind the decal. Use Dio-sol product on the decal and it will soften it so that the void from the hole will go away.

Forever a Model Railroader, Billy Jamison!