Distress a wagon

Steve Nall offers an innovative means of creating peeling paint and rotten wood effects using fine metal leaf.

Steve Nall offers an innovative means of creating peeling paint and ageing wood.

Having just spent six weeks completing a number of 4mm scale GWR wagon kits, all represented in a ‘recently restored’ state, I decided I needed a change. There is an intriguing line of wagons at the Great Western Society at Didcot, awaiting restoration, and most show the effects of peeling paint and rotting wood. How could I best represent those effects on a ‘OO’ gauge wagon, I wondered?

Metal rusting and bubbling effects can be effectively represented using weathering powders and chalks, sprinkled by brush over wet paint to achieve a more granular effect. Wood does not rust or deteriorate in the same way, but it does peel and decay, so metal leaf has turned out to be ideal to represent those particular effects. I’d already used imitation gold leaf on other creative projects, so I decided to experiment with this material, using a couple of Parkside Dundas kits to test the process.

A few words of guidance: it takes a lot of trial, error and patience to use this material effectively and, to begin with, it will seem impossible to get it right. It seems to want to stick to everything other than where you want it to go. It also breaks up and floats away in the air. Practice makes perfect though!

Using tweezers does help when applying the leaf, and soft tissue is useful for gently bedding the leaf down onto the wagon surface. Don’t worry if the leaf breaks up as you handle it – this doesn’t detract from the overall effect and in some cases actually helps. Also, you’ll find that loose bits of leaf get everywhere, so it’s best to try and restrict yourself to working on a small area and keeping loose flakes confined to that. Clean your fingers at every opportunity and, most importantly, do NOT sneeze!

Steve has aimed to recreate the look of a weather-worn wagon sitting patiently at the end of a siding, awaiting restoration. The textured bodywork and layered approach to the weathering has created a convincing patina.

Thanks to the effects of weather and age, paintwork inevitably blisters and peels away from timber bodywork, as illustrated by these preserved wagons at the Great Western Society, Didcot, awaiting restoration. The distinctive texture is almost impossible to capture effectively with paint alone, so Steve decided to try the use of thin metal leaf. BOTH: STEVE NALL

7 With all of the loose material removed and the surface dusted down, the weathering could begin. I kept a close eye on the real wagon – I noticed that some door areas were distinctly different shades (they had weathered differently) so I represented this on the models.

5 GWR decals were added, as before, with enamel paint washes applied before and after. A sharp pencil tip was used to emphasise the plank grooves, adding a slightly darker grey shading that contrasted with the livery colour.

8 The leaf takes paint well but it’s critical to get rid of any metallic sheen. Various enamel wash shades were built up and a coat of matt varnish toned everything down. It’s worth doing a thorough check from every angle in bright light, to make sure the shiny metal is covered.

4 A scalpel tip teased the leaf away from the struts and seams, while a cocktail stick and coarse sandpaper roughened up the surfaces, creating further texture. Remember to keep any strokes of the tool or sandpaper in line with the grain’s direction.

6 The ends were treated in the same way, adding individual strips of the foil to most of the planks, keeping the glue away from the various strengthening struts. After brushing away the loose metal leaf, the tools and abrasives added the extra texture.