TIPS AND TRICKS FROM TOM

There are many methods that can be used to modify our products. Our goal is to provide loads that are detailed enough to use as is, but that could look even more realistic with some additional detail painting. Rather than add additional detail painting steps into the manufacturing process, our philosophy is to hold the final cost down and let the end user "personalize" the load to his or her liking if they desire to do so. 

 This page has been added to share a few "Tips and Tricks" that we have received from end users of our products. If you have any methods to share please feel free to contact us. 

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Painting and Weathering Tips for Tarp and Scrap Loads

By Tom Fredenberg  

Photos by John Wallis and Tom Fredenberg

North Raleigh Model Railroad Club

GENERAL INFORMATION AND ADDING COLORS 

1. Tarps for machinery, crates, large industrial pieces and parts are various shades of brown, beige, blue, olive green, green, yellow, red and orange.  These colors are what I have mostly seen.  They are usually heavy canvas and impregnated with some type of waterproofing material.  Mix and match the tarp covers.  If using brown for instance, vary the shades to show separate tarps.  Or use entirely different colors to separate them even more.  Add numbers or the company’s initials or name.  This is very common.

2. “General Junk” (loose, crushed and/or large pieces) scrap metal loads contain a variety of items.  Choose the most obvious objects:  55-gallon drums, barrels, wheels, pipes, steel beams, automobile body parts etc.  Make these items the focal point among the rest of the scrap.  Paint the drums and barrels red and white or green and white, the pipes black, medium green or dark silver.  Automobile parts can be any color desired.

3.  “General Junk” is shipped in many ways depending on their size.  It varies from sheared or chopped to single large pieces.  Chopped and sheared scrap is usually shipped in heaping piles or baled, while crushed and loose scrap is just dumped into the gondola.  Due to metal and steel’s composition and exposure time, it rusts in a variety of “oranges and browns”.  Lighter rust shows less exposure time, darker rust shows longer exposure time to the elements.  General scrap metal and steel are usually shipped in open gondolas.

4. Automobile bodies are generally crushed (flattened) whole, piled high, chained down and shipped.  This is usually done by way of flatbed trailers, but some travel by rail on flatcars or in gondolas. 

5. Scrap aluminum is shipped as bales (compacted into squares) or loose piles depending on the material size.  It is almost always shipped separate from other metals due to the scrap resale value price.  Unpainted or non-anodized aluminum tends to be a bright silver-color because it does not rust.  It does however oxidize and become dull and have a tint of white or light, medium or dark gray on the surface.

6. Scrap stainless steel is shipped in the same fashion as aluminum and for the same reason.  Stainless steel has a very high scrap resale value price.  Stainless steel does not rust.  Unpainted stainless steel has a dull silver-color.

7. Scrap copper, brass and bronze are shipped in the same fashion as aluminum and stainless steel.  Unprotected copper, brass and bronze tend to turn a greenish-white when corrosion sets in and/or a dull brownish color.  Think of pennies and statues.  These materials have a very high scrap resale value price. The photo below represents a load of Baled Scrap Copper and Brass and was converted from a Hay Brothers Baled Scrap Metal load.

8. Recycled cardboard, paper and newspaper are usually shipped in bales, in 4’ square cardboard boxes called Tri-Walls or bundles are piled on pallets and wrapped in plastic.  They are generally shipped in boxcars or under a cover so not to get wet or litter.  Cardboard, paper and newspaper can be a variety of colors, although light brown, brown and white would probably the most common due to shipping methods.

9. Scrap automobile tires are either shipped whole or ground up into small pieces.  Whole tires can be shipped in containers, gondolas, stacked in boxcars or on flatcars.  Ground up tires are shipped in open or covered hoppers or they could also be put in permanent or recyclable shipping containers and placed in boxcars or gondolas.  Used and weathered tires tend to appear as various shades of medium to dark gray, not black as one would think.  On open gondola scrap tire loads, add a few specks of light brown to simulate mud.  

10. Household appliances are usually shipped separately due to their bulkiness and low scrap resale value.  Appliances are usually crushed and piled or baled together.  They come in a wide variety of colors.

GENERAL PAINTING AND WEATHERING RECOMMENDATIONS 

**ALLOW PAINT TO THOROUGHLY DRY PRIOR TO EACH STEP**

**SPRAY FINISHED LOADS WITH A LIGHT COAT DULLCOAT** 

1. Tarp Loads 

1. Choose an overall color or choose several colors to separate tarps.
2. Paint the entire tarp this (these) color(s).
3. Lighten or darken selected color(s) with a dab of white or a darker color.
4. Drybrush load in a top-to-bottom motion with appropriate color(s).
5. Add identification marks (name, numbers, initials etc) to tarp if desired.
6. If desired, mix a black or gray wash and brush over entire load.  This will make the creases and lines more visible.
7. Allow to dry thoroughly, about 3 days.

2. Baled Scrap Metal and Steel 

1. Choose an overall rust color.  (I prefer Southern Freight Car Brown or Rust)
2. Paint entire load this color.
3. Drybrush load with various rust and brown colors.
4. If desired, miscellaneously and sparsely dab bales with other colors (red, white, blue, etc) to simulate the paint from whatever items were baled.
5. If desired, mix a black or gray wash and brush over entire load.
6. Allow to dry thoroughly. 

3. Baled Aluminum and Stainless Steel 

1. Choose an overall silver color.
2. Paint entire load this color.
3. Drybrush entire load with other silver colors, but not too dark.
4. If desired, mix a black or gray wash and brush over entire load.
5. Allow to dry thoroughly. 

4. Loose, Crushed and Large Pieces

1. Choose an overall rust color.  (I preferably Southern Freight Car Brown or Rust)
2. Paint entire load this color.
3. Drybrush load with various rust and brown colors.
4. Choose the obvious features: 55-gallon drum, barrels, beams, pipes automobile body parts etc. Miscellaneously and sparsely dab bales with other colors (red, white, blue, etc) to simulate the paint of the original scrap material.
5. If desired, mix a black or gray wash and brush over entire load.
6. Allow to dry thoroughly. 

PREFERRED PAINT COLORS

1. Floquil 

1. Southern Freight Car Brown  (F110175)
2. Rail Brown  (F110007)
3. Roof Brown  (F110070)
4. Rust  (F110073)
5. Engine Black  (F110010)
6. Grimy Black  (F110013)
7. Platinum Mist (bright silver)
8. Reefer White 
9. Depot Olive (F110044)
10. Depot Buff or Armour Yellow 

2. Testors

1. Steel  (1180)
2. Aluminum 
3. Silver  (1146)
4. Red 
5. Flat Sea Blue  (1172)
6. Olive Drab
7. Olive Green
8. Flat Black  (1370)
9. Flat Brown
10. Zinc Chromate Yellow  (1184)

These colors are what I typically use, but are not limited to these colors alone.  Use the real-world as your color guide. 

I hope this information helps you better understand how scrap is separated, loaded and shipped and to create eye-catching tarp and scrap loads for your open cars. All the information is strictly from my own personal experience and observations.  While there are many methods in which to accomplish the same outcome, the above methods work best for me. 

Hope you enjoy your loads. 

Tom Fredenberg

Apex, North Carolina  

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THIS PAGE LAST UPDATED 06-17-2009

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