Re: Ballast - Paint

=>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.

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.

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

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.

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

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

yes.

=>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.

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

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

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.