Model Train Rust!

[@JCsRiptrack]

So is your experience of painting/simulating rust?

[@kentpool7414]

Outstanding work.

[@struck2soon]

Good video John. Emphasising the need to reference prototype photos is spot-on.

[@JCsRiptrack]

Thanks. There's lots of real world examples, plus there are so many different variations on a theme.

[@heavyj4805]

I am totslly enjoying watching the weathering vids JC....this one is pretty excellent, looking forward to the next and the next and the next....

[@JCsRiptrack]

Thanks Heavy J. More rust is on the way. :)

[@railanimal4380]

Soo Line forever!! Nice work👍

[@JoeG-firehousewhiskey]

I love it!! Thats looks perfect!! I enjoy watching your techniques

[@JCsRiptrack]

Glad you like it Joe. It was a fun challenge.

[@davebnsfnscale4433]

Found a three car set of white Soo hoppers,never ran them as they are just too white,thanks for the inspiration to get them road ready.your rust effects are so realistic, hope I can get somewhere close to your results

[@JCsRiptrack]

Thanks Dave... I'll answer your other question in my reply there. :)

[@wilzdart]

very nice video i learned about weathering trucks and what to use...thanks for sharing

[@JCsRiptrack]

There's a few different ways to weather trucks, but this one is definitely one approach. The real challenge is getting something that will stick well to the plastic.

[@wilzdart]

@@JCsRiptrack john how about dusting powers on damp matte medium?

[@JCsRiptrack]

You can mix powders with mediums like odourless thinner, or even fixers if you're feeling brave. I've not tried dusting it over damp medium, because if you use a brush to apply the powders, it may wick up the medium when you apply it. Still, it'd be worth trying on a test piece first. I would imagine you can further manipulate the powders after the medium has dried.

[@corbandallas8644]

Great work!

[@JCsRiptrack]

Thanks! Rust is fun, and really, I could do several videos on it...

[@mhojunction]

Nice video JC, Thanks

[@JCsRiptrack]

No problem. Glad you liked it. :)

[@w.rustylane5650]

My technique for simulating rust is to use REAL rust. I take 2 rolls of 0000 fine steel wool and put it into a quart jar and cover the steel wool with white vinegar. I set in a window that gets a lot of sun, usually my kitchen window and give it a shake or two each day. I usually leave it in the window for a couple of months or until the steel wool is mostly dissolved into the vinegar. After the steel wool is consumed by the vinegar I pour the mixture into a square or rectangle glass baking dish (one my wife gave me out of her kitchen). I then put the baking dish in my closet and leave it for a couple of weeks. When the liquid has evaporated I take a single edge razor blade scraper and crunch all of the remains into a fine powder and store it in small containers like snuff boxes. You can get different colours of rust by varying the amount of time you leave it in a sunlit window. When I want to use my rust powder I usually mix a few scoops of the powder with 50% Elmer's glue and 50% isopropyl alcohol (70 - 91%) and add a few drops of water soluble glycerin. I apply the rust mixture like paint to the model. If you want to make plastic appear as metal you can make the rust up as a wash and wash yer model in it and let it dry. You need to add a top coat to keep the rust adhered to the surface. I usually top coat with a flat acrylic top coat. Nothing looks more like rust than, ...RUST!

[@OhioCentralModeler]

Do you think you could do a video about how you weather modern (rusted) boxcar roofs specifically? I'm yet to find a technique(s) that I like and they're one of the most visible parts of the model.

[@davebnsfnscale4433]

Can similar results be obtained with just acrylics?

[@JCsRiptrack]

Hi Dave. It is do-able with acrylics, but it's harder in some ways. Acrylics are really good for chipping effects and blocking in colours. To use them in place of the oils, you need to acquire and practice with various blending mediums, retarders, and the like to get them to behave more like oils. Oils simply have those natural properties right out of the tube. This is why I take the mixed-media approach. That having been said, oils intimidated me greatly until I bought a couple and tried them. Just make sure to keep oil and acrylic brushes, palettes, and thinners separate. :)

[@troybrodrick7208]

another great video! So do you always use a dry brush to feather out your rust?.Ive been using one with just a touch of thinner?

[@JCsRiptrack]

I use both, but it depends on how dry the oil paint has become. I start with a dry brush to blend stuff (or even a paper towel on larger areas)... if there's something a bit stubborn, I use a lightly dampened brush to manipulate it a bit, let it dry for about a minute and then come back with the dry brush to smooth out any hard edges.

[@jacksong1218]

Pretty nice work JC. I liked your technique of airbrushing through the stuffing fiber, I will have to give that a try! I think your ladders on the far left and right of the car could use a bit more dirt, as they look cleaner than the sides of the car (less brown). I also use the airbrush rust then oils technique, but im very light on the airbrush. I usually plan out exactly how thick the streaks will be, and make some templates of thin paper that I hold a few inches away from the car, so there is not a hard line of paint. I feel I get more control than just totally free handing it. Then i come in with some darker brown oils, apply them full strength to the model, and then streak them down with a flat brush in thinner. Final step is some powders to give a less uniform look. Just my workflow though!

[@JCsRiptrack]

Thanks! Inevitably, I look back over my own work and look and think about ways to improve it, or how I might do it a little differently if I were to do the same car again. I've not tried the template streaks with an airbrush specifically on a car, but I'm certainly willing to give it a try. I've used that trick when painting clouds on a backdrop, and it does work rather well.

[@seale1234]

right...paint what you see...tricky part using a white car when you get a lot of contrast...jeez I have seen today some CSXT grain hoppers, buff and just toally rusted...everything rusts...thks...

[@JCsRiptrack]

Hi John, thanks. That's why I suggested the Neutral Wash as it's more of a warm grey... but then again, rust, lots of rust can give some heavy contrast lines on its own!

[@seale1234]

@@JCsRiptrack sometime I'll catch the Ann Arbor Railroad grain train in the daytime and share a pic of some of these hoppers...incredible lack of maintenance, imo