Mile End Garage.

My tuppence worth is........

With the main structure of the building being in such a worn state the roof would probably have been repaired to the same extent along the way, therefore the addition of corrugated sheets and even some plywood sections would not look amiss.
In fact I think it would look slightly out of place having a perfectly tiled roof.. Even if it was weathered and distressed as much as was physically possible.

A technique I used for distressing posters (1:1 scale and also scaled down) is to spray with hairspray and when dry paint a very dilute "mucky yellow" over the top in random areas (towards the edges primarily). When dry use a dampened tooth brush to brush away the yellow and hairspray, leaving some areas yellowed and also leaving some of the hairspray intact to look like the glossy finish has cracked and glazed.
Works a treat in any scale

Still undecided on the roof but I just had to give JohnJ's way of distressing posters a go:



Just tacked on with Blu Tac at the mo. Final job will be adhered with thinned white glue so will 'hug' the wall and timbers.

Colin, that sounds very much the same technique as used in winter washing AFV. I'll print another and give your way a try too. I like the idea of glossy areas, as that may be good for replicating old metal signs.

The sign looks good, Al. And all the colors on the wall and the sign really work together well.

That sign looks great    Al, what does the printing say on the sign ?? Could we get a blow up of it so we could read the whole thing ??

I know sign's can't talk, you have to read them   

The sign looks great now it's weathered Al.

Thanks guys.

Here you go John:

Getting into the detail stage is the exciting bit.
You can use the dregs of your cup of tea to yellow paper posters.
That's the way the antique fraudsters do it

Thanks for the 'staining' suggestions Colin and Ron.

Since I had a little time to spare this morning I thought I'd give the tea method a quick try. I think I applied a little too much maybe as it wicked well into the poster.

We only drink Earl Grey and Green Tea in our house and those just aren't strong enough. So out came the 'workers favourite'...... good old PG tips, stewed to within an inch of it's life!!!   

I'm also going to give Colin's hair spray method a try, before deciding on the technique I'll use.

Wot, no Lapsang Souchong LOL.
Looks brilliant, very authentic Al.

Love to drink Whittard's Earl Grey. Shame to use it on model work. Maybe a little for the poster, and then drink the rest!!!

The poster's looking great. It might look better placed on one of the side walls of the garage. A decaying remnant of wartime.

The structure is looking very authentic.  In reading other comments, I agree the roof and tiles need a degree of weathering to match the structure.  That can be hard work as it is both very visible and a large area.  There are probably a lot of tips in model railroading videos.  The Hairspray Technique I've seen on You Tube with (if I remember) both military tanks and in weathered abandoned cars (maybe Dr. Cranky).  As to the corrugated roof, it may be good to read a bit on painting to see if certain paints work better than others and if "etching" of the metal needs to be done with vinegar or a weak acid like that.  Good luck and thanx for sharing the whole story of this nifty project!!

GaryDainton wrote:Wot, no Lapsang Souchong LOL.
Looks brilliant, very authentic Al.

Heaven forbid Gary, none of that Chinese rubbish in this house, just good old BRITISH tea don't you know!!! LOL

pete s wrote:Love to drink Whittard's Earl Grey. Shame to use it on model work. Maybe a little for the poster, and then drink the rest!!!

That's why I used 'The Workers Favourite', PG Tips Pete!!!!

RetiredMike wrote:The poster's looking great.   It might look better placed on one of the side walls of the garage.  A decaying remnant of wartime.

You're right Mike. the left door will be wide open against the wall and will cover the missing paint anyway.

Any more progress Al?   

Not at the mo Gary.

We are having our en suite shower room gutted and turned into a wet room, so things have been a bit chaotic in the last few day.

Hope to have an update by the end of the weekend.

Not being pushy at all Al.
Good luck with the bathroom, wet rooms are brill.
Keep on keeping on!!

GaryDainton wrote:Not being pushy at all Al.

I know that ya daft haepeth!!! LOLO

 

Hey Al: the poster is looking good. Just for info, I keep an old alcohol bottle -- medicinal not drinking -- around. When I clean brushes I pour the left over alcohol into the bottle. Over time you end up with a really grungy kind of thin stain. I use it for the final aging of signs. Seems to help blend the signs in.

Beautiful job!

Like John J. I used to keep a jar of lacquer thinner for cleaning brushes. I used the dirty thinner to stain stripwood. Dried fast w/no warping.

That's a great tip Clay.
Thanks for sharing.   

Thanks guys.

Thanks for the 'grunge' tip also. Been throwing that stuff out!!! LOL

I now need to decide on the final configuration of vehicles and people. These are my alternatives.

I'd like your opinions please!









The model T will be well weathered and probably part covered with a tarpaulin.

Please vote at the top of the page.

I like #3.