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Comments
jk
Do you have time to show the steps on your metal roof weathering? I've only had moderate to no success this far..
I used lead foil as the base. If you are not familiar with it, you can get some where military models are sold. You can use heavy duty aluminum foil as a substitute which is probably more in scale for thickness but you will need to prime it and handle with more care.
Cut 1/2" lengths of the foil then cut those into 1.5" or so lengths. Place a piece of brass rod on a flat surface. I used a piece of .045 which was in the kit. Center the foil over the rod and start pressing down with your fingers. Some will get crooked...reposition the foil and do it again. When you get it pressed down all the way you will start to see the form taking shape. Take a couple pieces of scrap wood...thick pieces like 1/4" or 3/16" and lay them on both sides of the foil where you pressed down. Keep the brass rod in place and press the wood pieces together towards the rod. You will get the shape shown here.
To paint I started with a light gray enamel wash mixed in with a dirt/dust wash. I did not prime but if you use aluminum foil you will have to prime. My dirt wash is the thinner I use to clean my brushes. I never clean out the bottle just keep adding spirits to the jar. When dry, take a small piece of sponge with tweezers and blot on a rust texture. Dark rust paint will do but I use Vallejo "rust texture". Once dry, add a bit of track wash to the rust spots then thin those with mineral spirits which softens the edges. Add a bit of rust streak pin wash if you like. This is where these panels are in the pics. As a final step, I may add 1 more layer of dust.
To install them I will put my roof together by running a bead of glue with a small piece of scrapwood like a scale 3x3 to hold the panels together. This must be done in place on the structure. I got a tip a while back about using a ziplock baggie with some dirt or ballast in it to lay on the roof so it dries in the right shape. Once the glue is dry I'll start adding the metal ridge pieces with epoxy. Use your finger to fold them down flush with the roof. I'll pick the best ones first cause I won't need all that I made.
For the moss, I mixed 50/50 white glue water. Brushed it on where I wanted the moss then sprinkled a bit of the ground foam and pressed it in with my finger. Tap off the excess and repeat where you like it. When the glue dried I painted with light slimy green, added a dot of dark slimy green then blended those together. Touched a couple spots with streaking rust.
It seems like this diorama will be every bit as interesting as the into the woods one.
I'm in San Antonio for the week and there's a hobby shop here that i'll go to. I'll look for some of the lead you mentioned as well as a few other things. I'll make a list based off of your recommendations.
Terry
Kevin your comment about finishing got me thinking on what was left to do. Turns out the list is a bit long. Starting on the Bates today. Got my HR department looking for the right job applicants.
Biggest thing holding me up right now though is waiting on parts to install the lights.
The magnet wire came in and I got the shades threaded. They are primed and hanging to dry in this pic. There are a couple of steps that make working with this wire much easier.
1. Make sure your wire is long enough...if you need a foot, make it 2. You can cut some off easier than adding some on.
2. Always twist your wire. I have a handy tool with an alligator clip soldered into a brass rod. Clip it to the wire and start spinning.
3. after you thread it through the tube, put a piece of painter tape on the end where the LED goes and tie a knot in the other end. This way you can tell the color of your wires after priming and you don't get wires crossed on the board. If you cut some length off the wire, tie another knot in the end.
More on the wiring later.
I was able to assemble the Bates, paint it and start weathering. Going with very little rust, some chipped paint and accumulated mud/dust on the lower hull. These pics show where the mud is starting to accumulate. I won'd make it any thicker but the photos show area that need to have the edges softened. I'll stipple on more of the mud in these locations. Once this is all dry, I'll add a few grime streaks and start adding the treads.
HR department came through with some warm bodies. Hard to call all of them workers though.
I put on some streaks for dirty grime and some fuel/grease. Also did a pin wash on panel lines, etc. I'll see how it looks tomorrow. May need to darken or lighten streaks. After that I think 1 final layer of dust will do it.
The accumulated mud is starting to look more realistic now.
I'm thinking with pine trees, there would be an abundance of pine needles everywhere. I feel like the 2 roof valleys would be full of them. I'm trying to make them look right before I decide to secure them.
Great looking roof. Neat idea to add pine needles in the valleys. A new realistic dimension in roof debris.
Later, Davw S. Tucson, AZ
Maybe it hasn't rained in some time?
Thus, i would think there would be more debris on the roof panels with the least slope. The rail part has a very steep slope. However, the blacksmith area's slope is what 1-3 degrees? I think that is where most of the buildup would be.
My two cents.
Sounds like a good plan. And Phil is spot on about cleaning them of a shake shingle roof. What a pain! Thanks for the memory, Phil. (Not!!!)
Later, Dave
I took it outside today to get a few all around shots in natural light. This helps me look for touchup areas.