The Curmudgeon (Mike) and the Punk (Dustin) Build the SWSM Deer Creek Mine

[S&S RR]

Mike


I spent a few minutes going through the barn roof pictures I have - every one of them looks a little different.  Here is one of the pictures of a roof that is getting very rusty but not rusting through.  This is what I would shoot for in chalk color - a little darker brown and less orange.  To me orange is new rust as it would look when you are just getting through the galvanized.  I think the galvanized would be long gone on a mine roof with wood weathered like you have done so well.  Just my two cents.

[UP Fan]

Terrific reference photo.  Thanks for posting.

[EricQuebec]

Wonderfull, can't wait to see more progress  on this two project.
Eric Québec city

[Mark Dalrymple]

Mike - actually I don't own an airbrush.  I typically brush paint - both primer, gun metal and top coat, and then fix chalks with alcohol.  Up until now I have used Floquil.  I find by doing it this way I can install the roof first and then paint.  Often in my structures roofs need to be flashed into existing walls and the like and painting first leaves these touch-ups which can be tricky to blend.  It also means I can make sure I get paint on all the edges.  I also put nail indentations in my roofing before cutting into individual pieces using a blunt compass.  I then flip the pieces which makes them look like lead headed nails.  You need to get the nails at purlin spacing's, and if you want the bottom of the pieces to vary in length a little, you need to account for this.

I like the first photo as a starting point - but think it would look better with that metallic texture underneath.  The second one looks too random to my eye.

Must go - late for work!

Cheers, Mark.

[Mike Engler]

Thanks John- I appreciate your comments about the rust. I enlarged your photo as much as I could to try and see what kind of panels they are. They look wider than they are tall which I don't think is usual for corrugated. I think you are right about the colors, and probably easier to duplicate than Dustin's photo.


Mark, I've been working with your metallic paints and I thank you for your ideas. I am skipping the nail impressions on this model- too much else going on. I'll post some new pics a little later.


Also thanks to Eric, Alan, LHC, and Bob B.

[Mike Engler]

So I have had some fun experimenting for a couple of days, and I think any of these things will work. The lack of control of the etchant is good and bad, but Roger, Brett, Bill, and Mark all do a great job with their similar methods. Though I'm not done yet, Mark's idea of Gun Metal (I actually used Reaper's "Shadowed Steel" acrylic) has some merit. It looks like there is a steel roof under there. So here is what I went with after taping all the panels to a cardboard sheet:


1) Sprayed a light coat of Color Place (Walmart) Gray Primer
2) Dry-brushed Reaper Miniatures 09052 "Shadowed Steel" They have many metallic colors in little Vallejo style bottles.
3) Light brushing of Rembrandt 704.5 grey chalk.
4) Some light brushing and dabbing of Rembrandt browns and a occasionally a very little black chalk.
5) Applying rust with the burnt sienna chalks, mostly 411.3
6) When I got them about right I gave a light spray with my Dullcote replacement, Krylon Workable Fixatif. As Bill Michaels points out, some of the chalk disappears so you still have to touch up- or in my case add some more color- maybe.


I haven't totally figured this out, but I am getting close to something acceptable.


A few photos as I am about ready to move on to the head frame. The chute extensions and shed roof were added, as was the railing. I also added the flashing and made the strips ⅛" wide before folding.

[nextceo]

Panels look much better now. Nice work...

Alan

[S&S RR]

Mike


The roof looks great!  As for the picture I posted, for future reference if I post something you think will be useful send me an email and I will email you the raw photograph that will be much better for blow-ups.

[UP Fan]

Mike,

Thanks for the mini tutorial on your weathering technique.  The chutes look great.

[coors2u]

WoW!!!! That guy Mike sure is a tough act to follow. The tipple looks great from the roof to the footings. I love the picture that looks up from the bottom all the way to the top of the tipple.

[coors2u]

With all that said, I have been slowly working to complete my roof. I cut out all the panel pieces first. I use a mini
cutting tool for mine also.


I make sure to keep the pieces separate since there are different sizes.

[coors2u]

I wanted to test a few things first so I cut a few samples to work on. I used these to get the techniques down that I need to get the look I wanted. There are plenty of things that I am still learning myself.

[coors2u]

Once I got a general idea of the look it was on to painting them. I used the grey primer and baking method that Brett describes in the manual for the base.




First I dry brushed all the panel with a color I have called dark iron. It gives the panels a metallic coloring.Next I added layers of thin enamel washes to each panel. I built them up slowly so I could make sure not to just wash out all the groves with rust.

[coors2u]

Here is the finished result. This is with the enamel washes, chalks, artist oils and even a little AI lightly brushed on. I wish I had a better way to explain it. I just built it up a little at a time.

[coors2u]

With panels all weathered up to was time get them installed.