Best Of Fading fast...

[ednadolski]

I've been using Aged White for some recent fades and I like the results.

I've been experimenting a bit with the Aged White, diluted 50%with distilled water.  Here are the results on some HO scale containers:




The second container from the bottom is the unfaded factory paint, for comparison.   The ones above it and below it are faded with the Aged White, in varying degrees, with less on the bottommost container.   The difference between them is more noticeable in person, but as usual my lighting and photography are poor so the pic is a bit washed out.  For comparison, the topmost container was faded using the M. Graham Zinc White with some of the oxide mixed in.  You can see that it has a bit more of an orange cast to it, and that affects the blue of the factory paint.

Overall I think the Aged White works well, altho at 50% dilution it tends to go on pretty quickly so you have to be careful about making it too strong.  A dilution to around 20%-30% would probably give more control.   Seems to me that adding orange oxides or other complementary, transparent tones to "cancel" the base color should work well.  When used over dark or bold colors such as reds, greens, oxides, etc., it might be a good idea to include some of the base color in the fade mix, in order to reduce any undesirable "frosty" effect.

Ed

[GaryHinshaw]

Great example Ed, thanks for posting that.   It looks like the aged white is a good color to add to the arsenal.

The orange cast in the top one really does show up in this side by side comparison.  I think having a range of fades like this, especially in close proximity, adds a lot of realism.

I wish DI had used this shade on their N scale Senator containers.  They used a royal blue shade that's way off:



[Pardon my big claw  ;D]
-Gary

P.S. I've got a neon orange SD70MAC that will be in dire need of a fade soon.  I might give this a try.

[ednadolski]

Gary, are those containers just glued together, or are you demonstrating some kind of anti-gravity?   ;D ;D ;D

I know what you mean about the DIs --- I notice those "off" colors on some of the DI stuff, like the BNSF MAXIs for example.  But DI is hardly the only ones.   It really makes me wish that these mfrs would make more of an effort to get correct colors.  I also wish they would either offer matched "touch up" colors or (even better maybe) match the colors that PolyScale already makes.  And if PolyScale doesn't make a needed color, they could work together to produce it.   I've got several variants of "TTX yellow" and they all look different and do not match many models.

Anyways enough of my rant.  Have you decided what color(s) to use on the 'neon' SD70MAC?   Any kind of complement to the orange, or perhaps an orange-tinted fade brew?

BTW, that DTTX in the pic looks really good -- is that a detailed Walthers car?

Ed

[GaryHinshaw]

Gary, are those containers just glued together, or are you demonstrating some kind of anti-gravity?   ;D ;D ;D

Magnets!  I picked up a bulk pack of tiny rare earth disc magnets from K&J Magnetics (I think it was the 1/8" x 1/32", model D201 disk magnets, but I'm away from home so can't check right now) and glued them to the interior floor and ceiling of the container.  If you mount them 10 scale feet fore and aft of the container midpoint (with the same pole always facing up) they will auto-align and stay stacked -- and they'll easily separate for re-loading.  The 10-foot rule works for 40+' containers (for 20' containers, just use the midpoint).  With this spec, any combination of lengths will align correctly in a stack.

Some other DI color foobies are MSC and China Shipping, but mostly they're pretty good.  I really hope the new MSC 5-packs come in the "brown mustard" color though, rather than their earlier "harvest gold".

The DTTX is a Walthers set with GMM details.  Together they make a really nice model.  And thanks for the kind words.  

-Gary

P.S. Not sure what tint to use on the BNSF fade.  Here is the look I'm after though:

http://www.locophotos.com/PhotoDetails.php?PhotoID=19473

Any suggestions?

[ednadolski]

Hm, that might call for a two-toned fade - one with a green tint in the brew, and another with an orange tint in the brew, with masking as needed.  It would be important to keep the applications balanced.

I was just fiddling with the fade brew on an ATSF covered hopper, which is a relatively dark red/brown color, but I wasn't happy with the un-tinted brew because I was getting too much of that "frosty" look.  So I added some Poly Scale Mineral Red to the brew, a little at first and then increasing, and applying in thin coats until I got a look that I was happy with.   The only caveat is that the tinted fade will also tint the lettering/logo on the car, but in this case it worked out for me since I want to distress the logo anyway.

I don't have a pic at the moment but I will try to post one soon.

Ed

[tom mann]

The only caveat is that the tinted fade will also tint the lettering/logo on the car,

My book talks about getting around this problem.  Use the fact that the lettering is usually glossy, so the fade coat won't adhere to it as well as the matte surface of the car, and use a wet brush to remove the paint from the lettering before it fully dries.  If you do it at the right time, everything works out nicely in a few strokes.

[GaryHinshaw]

I had some correspondence with a modeller named Allen Heimsoth who had been reading this thread. He decided it would be convenient to have the material in a tidier package, so he put it all together into a single PDF file, which is definitely more convenient.  I asked him if I could post a link to it here so it is available to others and he agreed, so here it is:

fading_fast.pdf

Thanks Allen!

-gfh

P.S. He showed me several very nice examples of his work. He's working on getting those posted as well.

[Philip H]

Hey Gary, Tell Allen thanks a ton!  That's a great service.  Perhaps he could be persuaded to save other Best of threads as PDF's - then we could put out a book . . . earn John some money . . .

[Bendtracker1]

Hey Gary, Tell Allen thanks a ton!  That's a great service.  Perhaps he could be persuaded to save other Best of threads as PDF's - then we could put out a book . . . earn John some money . . .

Thanks Philip, more PDF's huh?  Let me get use to this forum posting stuff first.

Here are the faded cars that I've tried using Gary's technique.

Faded cars.pdf  [the pics look grainy, but after you download them, they look better]

Here are some of the same cars after I gave them a dose of weathering.

weathered cars.pdf

I've played a little with weathering some years before, but that was before I seen this fading technique.  Like I told Gary, it was the missing part of the puzzle for me.

After applying the fade coat, I used oil paints and powders for the rust on the roofs and sides.  Then applied several washes before shooting a coat of flat to seal everything.

I'm still trying to fine tune the methods for myslf....one step at a time. The next batch I'm playing with, I will have the logos & lettering sanded or rubbed thin, then proceed with the final steps.

I was so proud of my stuff, I thought I had finally gotten off the porch with the pups!  ;D     
That was until I started poking around here on Railwire   :-[

All I can say is there is a lot of fine talent here!
Thanks for sharing it!

Allen...





 

[GaryHinshaw]

Welcome aboard Allen!  Nice to see these examples posted.  I especially like the Rock and BN boxcars.  Do you remember what color you painted the door on that BN model?

Hey Gary, Tell Allen thanks a ton! 

Sure thing. Thanks a ton Allen!
 

-Gary

[Bendtracker1]

Gary:
I've been trying to remember, it's been over 5 years ago, but my guess would be Floquil's Oxide Red.  I think I just brushed it on at that.
Alien...

[Dave]

Gary,

I've been reading this thread for a while before becoming a member.

I am about to begin my first test of fading with the M. Graham zinc white. What I would like to know, is there any prep to the car surface before the fade or is the car or container right from the box?

Also, what is the significance of the use of window washer fluid? Can anything be substituted?

Also, any idea how this fade works on a painted and decaled car? I want to try this on 2 of my club's sand hoppers I just painted and decaled, but in my past experiences, anything flat over the shiny decaled surface brings out the decal film.

Thanks for the help,
Dave in Az

[GaryHinshaw]

Hi Dave,

Welcome to Railwire!  Here is an attempt to answer your questions:

* Since the fade mix includes a healthy dose of flat finish, it makes an excellent first coat for most weathering jobs.  You shouldn't need any special preparations beforehand, other than making sure your model is clean.  BTW, the flat finish is important for getting good smooth grime washes in subsequent steps.

* Window washer fluid has good flow properties, but since the fade mix is a spray application, that's not crucial.  I've had equally good results with distilled water.

* I've used this fade over decalled models quite often and have never had a problem with film showing up.  In fact, in one or to cases where I had some mild filming beforehand, the fade diminished it nicely.  Of course the key to successful decal work is a good glossy surface to start with.

Here's an example of some graffiti decals that were applied straight way to an Atlas Railbox car, prior to fading/weathering.  There is no trace of decal film that I can see.



Hope this helps.

Cheers,
Gary

[Dave]

Thanks Gary. Now I guess I have to figure out weather I want to use distilled water or try WW fluid. All I have around the house is bottled water.


Dave

[mark.hinds]

Has anyone had success with fading a dark color (like black...), while still retaining some degree of shine/gloss (as for the sides of well-maintained passenger equipment or portions of newly shopped steam locomotives)? 

MH