Engines, engines, engines

[kpnuts]

Hi all some people have said they thought my engines looked very realistic (I think it helps in that most of my life I've been around or worked on either motorcycle or car engines) so I thought if anyone wants to know how I do any aspect of weathering an engine they could just ask or if it would help maybe I could try and post a video (pretty rubbish at social media) 

Here is a random sample of the hundreds of engines I must have modeled over the years 

[thatz4u]

nice detail

[kpnuts]

Thanks Al

[cobraman]

They do look very good.

[DiscoRover007]

Nice details. Curious as to what paints you're using and washes?

 

[Venom]

17 minutes ago, DiscoRover007 said:

Nice details. Curious as to what paints you're using and washes?

 

Nice engines.  .....Knowing the scale of each would help too, and if any are 3D printed etc.

[jchrisf]

3 hours ago, DiscoRover007 said:

Nice details. Curious as to what paints you're using and washes?

 

I agree.. I'd also love to know what paints you use for your metal colors.  And you are right @kpnuts, they do look very realistic.

[kpnuts]

Hi all so the first installment, I'm basically the laziest modeler ever and if there's a short cut or an easy way to do something I'm there.

So heres the first bit of aging an engine, since I'm working on an engine atm I decided to use that as the first example.

First requirement talcum powder.

Here's our nice clean engine

I use enamels so in this case I dip the brush in white spirit before picking up some talc(you can use water but you would have to matt the engine first as the water will just bead otherwise) I then dab the loaded brush on the engine (really load it all up with the white spirit and talc)once that's done flood with white spirit till it looks how you want.

I used gun metal from ABT

To highlight the bolt heads.

I then dust it all with Uschi powders

Then buff that with a soft brush

 

My ref pic

Sorry thepics are in order but didn't go where wanted in the post (did say I'm rubbish at this.

This is going to end up being a very long post as I have lots of stuff to add to it (assuming you want it)

 

Edited August 21, 2021 by kpnuts

[Foghorn Leghorn]

i like the 180° pipes on the Ford GT. A lot.

[kpnuts]

Can anyone tell me how to get the pictures where I want them.

[stitchdup]

10 minutes ago, kpnuts said:

Can anyone tell me how to get the pictures where I want them.

Load up ypour pics before you do any typing. Then as your typing when you get to where you want to insert the pic click the plus sign on the pic and it will be inserted after the text. Then its just keep typing and add the pics when you are ready for them

[TooOld]

10 minutes ago, kpnuts said:

Can anyone tell me how to get the pictures where I want them.

At the top of your post click on the three dots in the upper right corner , you'll see the option to edit your post . Then you should be able to copy and paste or delete the photos and repost them where you want them .  Be aware that after a couple days , maybe three , you can no longer edit the post .

[kpnuts]

Thanks guys

[kpnuts]

Hi all well I have been given lots of ref pics of this engine and none of them are as distressed as this is, so a bit of white spirit and a cotton bud and it's looking more like it should.

So next method, here is the sacrificial engine for this example (and for most of the others)

OK as I said at the start of this I use mostly enamels so I can't say if this works with acrylics (although I've found in the past adding washing up liquid to the solution tends to have the same effect as white spirit)

If you want an engine that looks like it's been in a dusty environment (as in my mad to the max bike) 

Get an empty tin or bottle into that pour some matt colour of the earth in the area your engine has been driving in ( for the mad to the max bike I used sand as it was set in a desert, for this I've used earth)

Add talcum powder to it and mix keep adding talc till you get paste like consistency then add white spirit keep stirring till you get the consistency of milk, add the talc to the paint first don't thin it till you've added the talc as the talc doesn't seem to take the colour if you thin the paint first.

OK so use a big brush and load it with this mixture and dab it all over the engine(really cover it so it gets in all the nooks and crannies, then load your brush with white spirit (this is the important bit hold engine as it will be in the car or bike and flood the engine with white spirit just let gravity do its thing.

This is how it looks when dry

All the plastic parts I dab with ABT copper oxide blue patina

And again blend with white spirit

I also add ABT engine grease anywhere you might expect an oil leak

[misterNNL]

On 8/18/2021 at 4:07 PM, kpnuts said:

Hi all so the first installment, I'm basically the laziest modeler ever and if there's a short cut or an easy way to do something I'm there.

So heres the first bit of aging an engine, since I'm working on an engine atm I decided to use that as the first example.

First requirement talcum powder.

Here's our nice clean engine

I use enamels so in this case I dip the brush in white spirit before picking up some talc(you can use water but you would have to matt the engine first as the water will just bead otherwise) I then dab the loaded brush on the engine (really load it all up with the white spirit and talc)once that's done flood with white spirit till it looks how you want.

I used gun metal from ABT

To highlight the bolt heads.

I then dust it all with Uschi powders

Then buff that with a soft brush

 

My ref pic

Sorry thepics are in order but didn't go where wanted in the post (did say I'm rubbish at this.

This is going to end up being a very long post as I have lots of stuff to add to it (assuming you want it)

 

I like this look. What is the "white spirit" you use? Alcohol?

 

 

[kpnuts]

Turpentine?

[Matt Bacon]

8 minutes ago, misterNNL said:

I like this look. What is the "white spirit" you use? Alcohol?

Cheap and cheerful paint thinner/cleaner intended for gloss/oil-based house paint. Made from petroleum, usually sold as “turpentine substitute”. Art stores will sell you “low odor turpentine” which is better in many ways, if you only need small (a couple of pints) quantities…

best,

M.

[kpnuts]

Sorry for such a long wait before a progress report but I have to wait till I'm doing something that relates to this topic.

OK so for headers I use ak real metal steel

Ak real metal gold

And valejo Arctic blue

First paint the headers with AK steel ( if I was doing bike headers I would buff the steel up first) (the AK range of metal finishes are amazing and all can be buffed) (the buffing works even better if you have of the paint on the cotton bud or cloth you are buffing the work with) 

Slightly off point my airbrush died so I decided to try and replicate finishes without one.

So get some of the AK gold on your brush(medium flat brush) work most of it off on a tissue and dry brush only on the first bends of the headers.

Next get a cotton bud dip it in AK steel and rub most of it off then dip it in the Arctic blue and starting at the dry brushed gold blend from the gold down towards the exhaust.

Here's how it should look.

If on a motorcycle you would blend less and the header would be highly polished.

[alan barton]

Ken, I don't think I have ever seen a weathering tutorial that was so precise in explaining exactly what you do.  Thank you for taking the time, I will definitely be borrowing some of these tips in the future when working on engines in some of my dirt track racers.  The tones on that Ducati engine are exactly what I am looking for.

Cheers

Alan

[bisc63]

On 8/21/2021 at 2:51 PM, misterNNL said:

What is the "white spirit" you use? Alcohol?

White spirit = Mineral Spirits

[kpnuts]

Hi all here's my method for aging plastic parts on car engines you know fuse boxes, air boxes drive shaft gators and such.

I use mig 502 Abteilung model colour copper oxide blue patina

I roughly dab the 502 over the part 

Then hold the part the way it will be in the car and scrub loads of white spirit over the part and let gravity do its job

[kpnuts]

Hi all I'm thinking of expanding this to include bodywork, interiors or any and all aspects of my modelling techs, firstly would anyone be interested, secondly should I post it all here or set up separate sections for each subject.

[peteski]

In that case I would suggest either changing the subject line of this thread, or starting new thread(s).  I would vote for the later, instead of cramming it all here.  It will be easier to find that way later.  You could also post links in each of your threads cross referencing the others.

Edited September 13, 2021 by peteski

[kpnuts]

Hi so heres another quickie (very messy one)

Take some AK real metal in this case steel put it on a cloth take some string and press it into the AK steel

Fold the cloth over the string

Put your fingers on the cloth over the string and pull the string through

Lots of braided hoses, you can use different thicknesses for different sizes of hose or even double it put it in a dremel and spin it up to double the thickness.

Put some hearshrink on the ends and paint steel.

[kpnuts]

9OK so this next one will be in 2 parts as its more than 10 pics long.

Doing an old oily engine .

So heres how it looks before 

First my favourite leaky engine product.

So put it on joints or gasket areas (think about where a real engine would leak)(for anyone who doesn't know anything much about engines don't put it on fuel injection or electrical areas, fuel injectors do leak but not using this product)

Whilst this is still wet my next favourite colour (I know you may be thinking is he nuts, but trust me)

This is important keep engine in the orientation it will bevin the vehicle then load the brush with white spirit and flood the areas with the colours on them, you should end up with this.