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Re: Ballast - Paint

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>Wolf Kirchmeir writes >>>> >>=>Hi all >>=> >>=>Is it best to paint the rails before or after ballasting the track. >>=> >>=>TIA >>=>-- >>=>John A Calder >>=>Home snipped-for-privacy@fireflyuk.net >>=>Yahoo snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com >>=> >> >>It helps to take a few colour pictures of track. >> >>Glue the ballast in place with acrylic matte medium or thinned water-based >>glue first. There two good methods based on my expereince and observation: >> >>A) >>Overspray the track with a suitable _ballast_ colour. Use a light colour, and >>apply additional two or more coats, each one somewhat darker, in an irregular >>pattern. Clean the railheads immediately after each application. When dry, >>use a narrow spray setting to spray the rails from the side -- a little >>overspray onto the ballast won't matter, since ballast is coloured by rust >>from brake-shoes etc next to the rails. Or else use a brush - again a little >>rust on the ballast will be OK. Clean the rialhead imemediately. The spray or >>dry brush the oil stain line down the middle of the track. >> >>B) >>Flood the ballast with several coats of acrylic paint stains, starting with a >>lightish colour and making subsequent ones a little darker each time -- try >>for irregularities and variations. Paint the rail with a brsuh (and clean the >>ral heads immediately). Drybrush the oil stain diown the centre of the track. >>If you make acrylic paint stain by diluting the paint, each coat will darken >>the final colour. >> >>HTH >> >Thanks for that Wolf, I have a number of tubes of acrylic paint that I >could use, just a matter of finding the right mix of colours. I haven't >got a spray gun so it may be time to invest in one although Nick Gurney >has mentioned Railmatch Sprays so I will try that first. > >Lots of good info on this NG very helpful chaps. > >Thanks again

Interesting thread this - However for those without an airbrush: I have in the past sprayed the track itself with a tin of brown undercoat from a motor car bits shop, wipe the tops with a rag soaked in white spirit and set asside to dry. After laying the track I used very thinned Humbrol track colour to wash over the ballast and blend it all in a bit.

I have just done a layout with rather a lot of ballasted area using chinchilla sand (very fine, suitable for N but tends to 'cake' when laid thick and glued (a wipe over the area with neat PVA glue and a bit more sand sprinkled over the area usually sorts it out). I painted the rails by hand and washed over the sleepers and the extra [lastic bits around the points with diulted grey. The chinchilla sand is very white (fine for fresh ballast) and I am looking for a spray can of mat earth or light grey to tone things down a bit - I think the 'wargames workshop' shops sell spray tins but I haven't managed to get to one to find out.

Reply to
Mike
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=>I painted the rails by hand and washed over the sleepers and the extra =>[lastic bits around the points with diulted grey.

That's the key - diluted colours, more like stains than paints. That way the tie (sleeper) colour shows through, albeit somewhat muted - which is just what you want anyhow. If you want to go the whole hog, dry brush ties at random with variations on their own colour.

Interesting how many different techniques have been contributed -- yet they are all variations on the same theme: the end result is muted colours giving low contrast between ballast, ties, and rails.

Reply to
Wolf Kirchmeir

Games workshop? They sell paint tins of acrylic in a lot of colours. For light grey I suggest 'spacewolves grey', although some may find it a little blueish. 'Codex grey' is darker than that, but still not a mid grey.

Reply to
Mark W

Mick,

Too late to tell you now I suppose but for next time try mixing black powder paint (as the powder, not made up) with the chinchilla sand before you put it on the track. Make up as much as you think you are going to need as its difficult to control the colour when you need more. I did all of my US N scale layout with it. You mention the sand caking, are you putting the sand down dry, wetting it and then adding dilute PVA or putting down the glue and then the sand on top? Incidentally Games Workshop paint is more expensive than Humbrol acrylic, I know 'cos I have to keep youngest son in paint. If you have a Hobby Craft shop nearby it may be worth looking in their paint section as a couple of months ago they were flogging the big pots of Humbrol off cheap.

Tony Comber

Reply to
TonyComber

I personally have a preference for citadel (GW) acrylic as it's higher quality and tends to hold better to an imperfect surface. It just needs to be sprayed carefully, spotting is the worst problem. If you like using inks to paint it's the best base for them.

Reply to
Mark W

Somebody mentioned using acrylic matte medium as a ballast cement...how?..do you thin it like PVA and use an eye dropper. I've always used PVA before but never really liked the way it left a sheen and darkened the ballast. TIA Ian Clarke

Reply to
IanClarke

=>Somebody mentioned using acrylic matte medium as a ballast =>cement...how?..do you thin it like PVA and use an eye dropper.

yes.

Reply to
Wolf Kirchmeir

=>Somebody mentioned using acrylic matte medium as a ballast =>cement...how?..do you thin it like PVA and use an eye dropper.

Yes.

Also, use isopropyl alcohol to wet the ballast before you dribble on the thinned acrylic matte medium, or the PVA.

Reply to
Wolf Kirchmeir

Thanks. I just bought some acrylic matte medium from Loomis and Toles.

Reply to
MartinS

Hi all,

isopropyl alcohol is usually obtained via a dispensing chemist in the UK which is a bit of a nuisance so a drop or two of washing up liquid added to some water will do the same job. The other item we don't have which is often referred to in US publications is 'rubbing alcohol'. This must be different to meths which leaves purple stains (from the dye in it), is surgical spirit an alternative I wonder.

Tony Comber

Reply to
TonyComber

Here in Canada, at least, "rubbing alcohol" contains 70% isopropyl alcohol, while "isopropanol 99%" contains - guess what? Both are readily available at pharmacies, marked "Poison - for external use only". They are marketed as an antiseptic and for relief of bruises, sprains and muscular aches.

Both methylated spirits and surgical spirit are ethanol (ethyl alcohol) to which methanol has been added, which renders it undrinkable - and highly toxic. Meths also contains a purple dye.

Reply to
MartinS

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