Weathering Engines a Continuous thread.


Good Saturday morning to all. I have a few locomotives in various degrees of progress. 2 NS 9-40c’s arrived earlier this week and they are my first 6 axle purchases since I sold all the 6 axles in 2018. These will be used a on one of the 3 stack trains that will pass through the layout.
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I prefer Scaletrains in general for locomotives but I think Soundtrax has better diesel sounds then ESU. I changed out the speakers to Scale Sound Systems and started the process. Inspected and then cleaned with a brush using 70% Isopropyl Alcohol.

Looking for inspiration on I found these Railpictures.net
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Photographer credit is within the frame of each picture

I did mask the windows, headlights and ditchlights. The clear coat added was a 50/50 mix of Tamiya XF86 clear and X20a thinner. I let it dry 24 hours.

I then with a Tamiya mix of 20% white X2, 75% Isopropyl Alcohol and 5% x21 flat base I sprayed the fade mix at 18psi, with 26% humidity in a 68f degree area.

Interesting my own pictures are telling me I am not authorized, I will be back later

Back later
 
Pictures
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I added to the roof Pan Pastels colorless blender and charcoal black to the exhaust stacks. I then clear coated with the Tamiya blend mentioned in the previous post. The Pan Pastels literally dissolved before my eyes.

Monday I will use a Vallejo paint blend wash on the roof for a better fade and black exhaust
 
Back at it on this cold Monday

Washes only so far today. I like the fades, the roofs are ok and I used an oil grime exhaust mix around the exhaust stacks and I am holding judgement until that is dry. The 1st few washes over the truck frames and fuel tanks are fine and they are meant to be the base. The next coat is meant to be a heavier rust coat but as I break for lunch the mix is not the color I want. thank goodness for old box cars to test the color mixes on…
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Interesting my most favorite and harshest critic asked what I was doing upstairs already. Total her I’m a bit frustrated with the diesels and taking a lunch break. She goes down to the shop looks at them comes up and says, just clear coat them now. You can let them dry and look at them in a few hours, your thought process should be cleared up and then work on 1 at a time. She’s right so I am getting ready to clear coat.

Meanwhile
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I took the 2 diesels to the op session this afternoon from 3 to 9pm

I am happy with 8777. 8820 needs a bigger fade but running together they have a good contrast. I don’t want them exactly alike. Yep the windows were still masked when I arrived at the op session

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Nice part of belonging to a group of layout owners is it seems there are many experts. I was happy with the test performance of the 2 but they weren’t speed matched, but ran close. The owner of the layout put them on his test track and very quickly he had them speed matched. I was elsewhere and didn’t see it but he says he used JMRI. I was unaware of that capability but that’s another rabbit hole I am not going down. They did come back unmasked! An offer to buy both “as is“ was unexpected and turned down. I did tell him if he is still interested in May when the group comes to my layout, we can discuss it then.

I mentioned the Pan Pastel issue and one of the guys said use the XF86 straight, it’s the thinner dissolving the pan pastels

Next up is the wheel faces and the fuel tanks on both and maybe more body fade on 8820.
 
A adventure in frustration!

I got home late last night after an op session and decided I was wide awake enough and could clear coat some models. 3 diesels and 10 various sized box cars. No problem, did that and half assed cleaned the air brush, took a quick shower and hit the bed about 12:30am.

This morning, hit the 10 box cars and the 2 NS9-40c’s I’ve been playing with. No problem, sort of cleaned the air brush and headed up stairs for breakfast. 1/2 assed and sort of ARE NOT the way I normally clean my air brushes. But hey, it worked. After lunch and it’s back to the bench. Did a clear coat and again sort of cleaned the air brush

Now it’s time while everything dries to work on 2 sets of 5 each well cars. Paints all mixed and I’m ready to go! But the air brush is not. Is it clogged! No biggie, clean the tip and now I’m getting air but no paint! Take the needle out and clean that even though it looked fine, I can back flush but nothing coming out the tip end! Take the needle out, remove the tip and replace with a new needle, tip and cover. Everything I normally do while tossing the used tip, cover and needle into the Isopropyl Alcohol bath. Fire up the brush and I have a spray but like 30 degree spray angle coming off the tip. Now I’m frustrated and walk away! Not happy and the Rice pudding dessert I tried was just ok. Head down stairs and surprise, the water I’m spraying is sputtering and still on an angle! Pulled the needle, it is clean and it is straight. Take the airbrush to my tool bench ready to strip it down and hey there are the directions!

Sputtering usually indicates per the instructions sheet that the tip cover is not tight and that doesn’t allow the tip to seat! Not tight, it’s finger tight. Grab the air brush wrench and barely 1/2 a turn and it’s tight. Back to the booth and spray the water and 30 to 60 seconds later I am mixing the paint again that 90 minutes ago I wanted to spray…

instruction sheets are helpful
 
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