Weathering with pan pastels per MR article by T. Koester

[rogergperkins]

?

[ednadolski]

"Weather a Locomotive in 7 minutes..."

Not to start a bash-fest, but it's things like this that make me wonder why I still subscribe to MR.  He even shows a stopwatch in some of the pictures.... when did weathering become a race against time?   

Anyways, the article says that the pan pastels apply like chalks.   I've never used chalks, but if that's true then I would expect that you would need a fixative if you expect to handle the models.  If you're putting them on unitrack or other plastics then you may need a clear flat coat beforehand so that they have something to bind on.

HTH,
Ed

[DKS]

IMO, this was one of the worst articles I've ever seen in MR. It should never have made it to press. Worthless.

[VonRyan]

Definetly not an article I plan on referencing if I ever decide to weather my H10w.


-Cody F.

[lock4244]

IMO, this was one of the worst articles I've ever seen in MR. It should never have made it to press. Worthless.

Don't speak too soon, David... I'm working on an article on weathering with Play-dough 

[DKS]

What step am I missing. This article said no fixative needed.

No fixative is needed assuming you don't handle the model much. There is some bonding action that takes place between powder and paint, but it's tenuous at best.

Chalk or powdered pigment weathering is nothing new; it's been used quite a lot and still popular, particularly among the military modeling crowd; indeed, there's an extensive--and expensive--line of powdered pigments from MIG and others. However, it's usually done with considerable care--certainly not something done in haste. It also won't work on unpainted plastic, as there is nothing to which the particles can bond, requiring a clear flat coat first.

I'm hoping MR gets whacked with a pile of letters to the editor complaining about that atrocity of an article.

[Catt]

So what is wrong with the article?It is about using the Pan Pastels to weather a locomotive.It also shows how quickly it can be done which was the main point of the article.There is no law in model railroading thart says you have to work as fast as Tony did.

Now that I think about it I have come to realize this thread is just another excuse to bash MR.

[tehachapifan]

This issue was not their best for sure. Shows how much Pelle contributes with his amazing modeling and articles. He apparently took this issue off and I think it says just that somewhere in there.

[DKS]

Now that I think about it I have come to realize this thread is just another excuse to bash MR.

Read the posts carefully: I'm not bashing the magazine, but instead the author and his dubious notion of turning the weathering process into a race against the clock. It's an exercise in slap-dash (read: sloppy) modeling, IMO.

[havingfuntoo]

Read the posts carefully: I'm not bashing the magazine, but instead the author and his dubious notion of turning the weathering process into a race against the clock. It's an exercise in slap-dash (read: sloppy) modeling, IMO.

That is why there is no fixative suggested, after you have finished and you can wash it off and have another bash at it ………. it is called time trial weathering

[VonRyan]

So what is wrong with the article?It is about using the Pan Pastels to weather a locomotive.It also shows how quickly it can be done which was the main point of the article.There is no law in model railroading thart says you have to work as fast as Tony did.

Now that I think about it I have come to realize this thread is just another excuse to bash MR.

I agree with DKS.

I personally see a lack of any real 'technique' in the article. It would certainly have been benenficial if Tony had taken the time to better explain the materials and his preferred process rather than trying to slim down time and the reprinting of a previously used (and questionably accurate) diagram.


-Cody F.

[jimmo]

I read the article with a great deal of interest because one of the methods I use on my structures for coloration (and weathering) is a technique I call "chalk painting" where I apply the color to a flat white base just like most of us apply weathering. I have ordered a set of basic earth colors that I will try out and report back here what I have found.

I too am a little leery of applying powder to a locomotive (especially steam). I can't imagine that not having some kind of negative effect on the loco's performance.

[DKS]

I read the article with a great deal of interest because one of the methods I use on my structures for coloration (and weathering) is a technique I call "chalk painting" where I apply the color to a flat white base just like most of us apply weathering. I have ordered a set of basic earth colors that I will try out and report back here what I have found.

I've used that same technique on wooden structures, except that I start with a base coat of primer grey; white tends to make the structure too brilliant, to my eye.



Full article: http://jamesriverbranch.net/project_13a.htm

[kalbert]

I don't think the "7 minutes" claim was meant to create a beat the clock type competition out of weathering or to imply that somehow Koester's weathering technique is superior only because it's fast fast fast. I think it was meant to show that improving the appearance of a model with weathering need not be a time consuming process, and as an example here is a way to weather a locomotive that takes just a few minutes and produces a generally more appealing model than one right out of the box. I'm no particular Koester fan but I assume his intent was to reach out to people who may have limited amounts of time to do these types of things and show them a method that works. Whether this article conveyed that message well or not I guess is up for debate. You're free to take whatever message you want from it I guess. It baffles me that so many people read Model Railroader even though they don't like it?

[bobdobbs]

Hi

Looks intriguing to me.  Yes I know MR puts many Comercial-ad-articles in print, but I will put my money where my mouth is and order a kit and post pics as soon as I get the kit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3g5iqDQti8

http://modelingcolors.com/index.html