Ok so I’ve done weathering with chaulks and rattle cans, but have never tried doing a wash with india ink. Was just wondering what you guys use for your delivery method. Airbrush, sloppin it on heavy with a brush or squirt bottle ect. Do you thin it out first or straight out of the bottle. Got some new reefers coming that need to be dirtied up a bit and want to try this out.
Thanks Pete
I use rubbing alcohol in a small glass jar (about twice the size of a baby food jar) and add about 10 drops of india ink. Slop it on for a dulling-down, or use it sparingly for drips, etc…
I’ll second the just a few drops in a quantity of alcohol comment. First time I tried it I used a 50-50 mix which is basically black paint :o
I’ve never liked inks. Maybe I was using the wrong kinds of inks, but the ones I used I always had to seal with dull-coat or something like that to get them to stay put. I’m not a fan of that, as it introduces a homogeneous sheen to the entire car that–in this scale–kinda ruins the overall effect of the weathering. That, and you have to mask your windows, which is a royal pain! I use acrylic paints (the cheap 99-cent Folk-Art or similar bottles from Michaels, etc.). I rarely actually mix the paint and the water together, rather I put some paint on a small plate or such, and have a cup of water next to it. I dip the brush in the water, pull a little paint onto the wet brush, and apply it. If I need it thinner on the model, I’ll dip the brush back in the water and brush that onto the model to thin it. Before:
(http://1stclass.mylargescale.com/eastbroadtop/EBTDinky/EBT3rd225.jpg)
During:
(http://1stclass.mylargescale.com/eastbroadtop/EBTDinky/EBT3rd222.jpg)
(http://1stclass.mylargescale.com/eastbroadtop/EBTDinky/EBT3rd221.jpg)
After:
(http://1stclass.mylargescale.com/eastbroadtop/EBTDinky/EBT3rd228.jpg)
(http://1stclass.mylargescale.com/eastbroadtop/EBTDinky/EBT3rd210.jpg)
(http://1stclass.mylargescale.com/eastbroadtop/EBTDinky/EBT3rd229.jpg)
Or applied to a freight car:
(http://1stclass.mylargescale.com/eastbroadtop/Box162/Box16209.jpg)
(followed up with Bragdon’s weathering powders, which have a self-adhesive binder in them so you don’t have to seal them, either) or passenger car:
(http://1stclass.mylargescale.com/eastbroadtop/openhouse08/open13.jpg)
Note on the passenger car, the “dirty” paint is only in the corners. I wiped it off the sides with a paper towel right after brushing it on to get the majority off of the car, leaving the glossy green to shine through. You’re not going to get that contrast with anything that requires an overspray of any kind of sealer. Later, K
I have used India Ink applied with a soft brush. It has to be mixed rather dilute. I use 5 ml (one teaspoonful) India Ink mixed in one pint of rubbing alcohol. It does blend colors fairly well when applied after painting. Here is a picture of my Shay using India Ink wash over the entire locomotive and in particular blending colors on the firebox:
(http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg412/DrGrab/IndiaInk1.jpg)
Here is a box car with India Ink wash to fill in the spaces between the boards and wood grain followed by dry brushing with a light brown:
(http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg412/DrGrab/indiaink2.jpg)
I do hope to become more proficient with washes of water and acrylics in the future. It is another very nice way to weather lokies and rolling stock. Doc Tom
Thanks for all the ideas and pictures, everybodies stuff looks great. Looks like I need to start practicing.