Similar to a technique to draw with pastels... you can 'wash' pastels with rubber cement thinner.

You start with pulverized pastels - made by sandpapering your stick of pastel.  You apply to the surface.  Then wet it with solvent and allow to run, or wipe in the direction you choose.  

Try this on a coarse paper to see if you can create cirrus cloud effects... for the backdrop, maybe?

Just a reminder... always test your printing/ paints/ decals with the solvent of choice before proceding with this technique... but then  *obscured*   lettering is also a feature of a weathered car.

Interesting technique, Charlie. I've used chalks quite often, but when oversprayed they become alsmost invisible. The ones not oversprayed look decently weathered. I'm going to have to give the alcohol trick a try.

Roy

I have a similar car that I tried to weather using diluted acrylics.  The problem is that I just don't have any idea how the composit cars weathered, and the only pictures I've ever seen in color are models.  Mine looked funny and contrived when I found the car a while back.  Yours looks very believable.

The chalk and alcohol seems to have two things going for it:

• The result is pretty random.
• There is no shine what-so-ever to this weathering. Rust, dirt, and dust are not shiny either (although oil stains can have some shine to 'em).

Doing a car this way is a bit of an adventure. What looks like hardly any color while the alcohols is puddled on the car can turn into much more color than it seems it would. But no worries, go over the car with alcohol to remove some of the weathering. And coating a car side with the mixture while it is flat, than putting the car on its wheels and applying more alcohol to the upper edge of the surface can result in some nice, sludge drizzling down the side of the car effects.  Puddling alcohol and dark grey chalk on the roof of a steam era car can make it look like the car has rolled thousands of miles behind a loco that emitting a steady stream of smoke and soot. Add in a bit of rust for the really old cars and you can get a nice multi-hue effect up there.

For more modern cars where the rust bucket look might be more desired, using oil for heavy streaks of rust and the alcohol and chalk for drizzled dirt works (I tried it on a couple of covered hoppers).  I've not done a lot of this since I model 1952 when freight car paint usually included lead making the paint more durable.

It's so easy to do, and so easy to fix if it doesn't work right I urge people to give it a try.  I'm using standard 70% alcohol which doesn't dry as quickly as higher 'proof' stuff, but it's less likely to interact with a car finish. For the Accurail cars I've tried there have been no side effects.

Charlie

Interesting technique.  You don't say what kind of chalk you are using, it looks like the assortment from Bragdon Scenery.  Would that be the stuff you are using?  It works pretty good when used dry, but your alcohol seems to make it flow much better.

Thanks,

Mike

I've done the chalks before but never with alcohol.  I'm going to try this, I really like the results you achieved.

Well done.  My vote is actually 4+.  Excellent photography.  Short and to the point.

Excellent article I look forward to giving this a try. I also appreciate the in process photos they did a good job illustrating the technique.

Great job getting the complete subject in such a short article.

One question: When the weathering dries, can you handle it like when you cover it with dullcoat? Or is like using chalk alone where you have to be careful not to rub it off when you handle the car?

I'll know soon enought when this technic is tried but asking doesnt hurt.

Also, would you care to comment comparing this method with the chalks covered with Dullcoat alone?

I'd recommend handling the cars as little as possible.  None have been on my layout for long enough for me to render a informed, long term, opinion that would be more than guess work.  The chalk does seems pretty solidly attached, but lots of scuffing or rubbing would seem like a bad idea.

Charlie

 Good basic info for the newcomwer or the veteran.  Would like a mention of what products you used.  Not all alcohols are alike!  Some now come with additives that would not work well.  Also, wondering if the drying could be sped up with a blow dryer!  My 2 cents!!  NB

 I have not heard of using alcohol with the chalks. Looks like it could be a fun way to apply the chalks and it certainly looks good! Thanks for the idea!

I weather cars using both oil base & Acrylic chalk . After getting a car to be just the way I want it and not wanting to retouch it should I smudge it should the need arise to pick them up. Now that I'm sure I've finished, I spray a coat of "Design Master" "Clear Finish Matte" Matte#169 and once dry everything is permanent and there is no way to detect the Matte finish other than the fact you can now handle the model and wash dirt off when dust settles on the cars.

I buy my "Design Master Clear Finish Matte" at Michale's Crafts stores for those of you living in the USA.

On the can was a Manufactures web page so they may sell on line:         http://www.dmcolor.com

Dan