Weathering powders???

Donga666 · 21-08-2006

Hi I am new to this forum!

I came her looking for some 'nuts & bolts' advice on using Weathering powders. I currently have a (small) selection of MIG productions powders BUT none of their mediums. I have experimented with Acrylic 'gel' medium and just 'stippling' it on (to minimal success).

But i want the stunning results you see in modelling magazines etc....

So, Help! links and general advice greatly appreciated

BTW, I am weathering buildings (a bit), vehicles and figures/cloth for dioramas using 'rust' & 'european earth'. But I can spend some of my pocket money (that my wife lets me have) on some more media/recommendations.

new to trains · 21-08-2006

i too would like to know more on this, i use artist pastels crushed down rather than weathering powders from model shops, i then add with brushes and finally fix.....

what over methods are used....? is there a better way ?

Donga666 · 21-08-2006

I've never had much luck with 'pastel powder' because the pigment is not pure enough or ground up fine enough. The powders I have invested in are VERY fine and disolve well in mediums.

I have heard about people using alcohol and airbrush solvents (acrylic).

But I don't know, Ive just seen little snippits.

**Bunkerbarge** · 21-08-2006

My experience is limited but I have a set of MIG Pigments that I used on the Revel U-Boat and i was really impressed with them.

The great beauty is that you can do what you want with them, they are so versatile.

Painting them on dry is a bit limited as they will only adhere to a rough matt surface and then of course require sealing. You can mix them with absolutely anything you can imagine to paint, airbrush, drybrush etc. Mix with resins, glue, water, thinners, varnish, anything.

I painted the U-boat with Johnsons Kleer then made a wash from the pigments, water and a spot of washing up liquid to remove the surface tension and improve flow. When the wash was dry I lightly wiped the excess away with paper towels intil I had the effect I wanted. The big advantage at this stage is that you can add and wipe away to your hearts content until you get the effect you need. Finally a sprayed on coat of matt varnish to seal it all in.

All I would say with pigments is experiment with old scrap models and surfaces until you feel confident enough to give it a go. I was amazed at how easy it was to get a realistic finish. I wouldn't bother with thier own mediums as there is so much you can do with what you already have on your modelling desk and the mediums are expensive.

Nigel.D · 21-08-2006

9 times out of 10 weathering powders are either chalk or coloured talc if you buy artists chalk you can get any colour under the sun and grind then to the grade you need. i have used chalks for years and have found them second to none if you want to see look at the gallerys for my king tiger and my u47 !!! that being said a lot of people use different methods and materials ! In the end you find one that your happy with and it quickley becomes a favourite! If you do a search you will see a lot of models incredibly well weathered using different methods One is not better than the other ! Just different.

jankers · 22-08-2006

This is very interesting, i've not heard of powders before.

Sounds like something to consider for the next model.

J.

**Bunkerbarge** · 22-08-2006

Well worth a try Jankers. You will be surprised how easy it is to improve your model.

Donga666 · 23-08-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bunkerbarge

I painted the U-boat with Johnsons Kleer then made a wash from the pigments, water and a spot of washing up liquid to remove the surface tension and improve flow. When the wash was dry I lightly wiped the excess away with paper towels intil I had the effect I wanted. The big advantage at this stage is that you can add and wipe away to your hearts content until you get the effect you need. Finally a sprayed on coat of matt varnish to seal it all in.

Johnsons Kleer?

What is that, I have also heard people talking about 'future wax' as well? What are they?

(bearing in mind I am in the UK in Rainy East Yorks).

**wonwinglo** · 23-08-2006

Donga666,go to your local supermarket,down the cleaning products and floor products isle,look for bottles of Johnsons Kleer,it is labelled as a floor polish but is actually a self levelling clear acrylic finish of very high quality,once you have used it you will continually find other uses,again and again,it has become a modelling standard,a bottle will last you for years,my bottle on the floor here is going yellow on the outside ! but the contents are perfect.
'Future' is the name of the product on the other side of the big pond,same stuff.

**Bunkerbarge** · 23-08-2006

Donga666 have a look at my U-Boat build thread to get an idea of how usefull this stuff can be in a modelling environment.

Once you have a coat of this on you can wash and weather to your hearts content and just as easily remove what you are not happy with. Only when you are ready do you set the whole lot with a coat of varnish.

Do a search here for it on this forum and you will see how usefull it is for applying decals as well.