More on the Scrap Metal Yard

Last week I wrote that I had 2 scrap dumpsters, and that they were in need of some weathering in order to fit in properly with the look of a scrap metal yard.  Well, it turns out that I have 4 of them, and I weathered 3 this week, as well sprucing up the small office that I'm using for now in the scrap metal yard. I painted the window and door trim, as well as the electrical box detail on the front.  And it's got glass in the windows now too.

For the weathering on the 3 dumpsters, I used a product that I picked up recently, and had tried only onetime before now.  MIG Jimenez "Chipping Fluid" is a pretty cool product, and I think that the dumpsters are a perfect place to gain a little more experience with it. The idea with this is to give the impression that the paint on the dumpsters is peeling and the steel is rusting.

Paint a base colour on the item (dumpster, boxcar, building, whatever). Seal the base colour with a lacquer - I used Testor's Dullcote - and allow to dry thoroughly.  Then I painted the chipping fluid over top of the lacquer and allowed that to dry. Then I painted a 2nd colour (using a rust coloured acrylic paint) over top of it.

As soon as that was dry, I dampened a small brush, and using light pressure, worked it back and forth over that top coat of acrylic paint.  With very little effort, the 2nd layer of paint soon began to peel and lift off, leaving areas of the 1st colour showing through.

Mig Jimenez Chipping Fluid - for Heavy Chipping Effects

Also, this week I've made a gate for the rail entrance to the scrap yard, using .025 steel wire and bridal veil tulle. I'm also thinking through an idea I've had for a chain link style gate for the street entrance to the industry as well.  It didn't have to be perfect, as the look I'm going for is a fence gate that's been around and used for a while.

The Grand Trunk has been called in to pull a couple of loaded gondolas from the scrap yard, but they'll have to unlock (well, not really) and open the gate before entering.  The gate pivots from one side.

With the entrance gate opened, the GP38's are about to enter the scrap yard while a waffle sided boxcar sits out on the mainline.  It occurs to me as I look at this photo, that I really should have painted the web of the rails a rust colour before I put down the scenery dirt. Oh well, maybe I can still paint it now anyway.

Now, here is my cropped photo of a painted and a little bit rusty corrugated steel wall on a building here in town.  I've printed this on paper and used it for a section of the fence that surrounds my scrap industry.  If anyone would have a use for this image (siding, roofing, fencing, etc.) on their layout, please go ahead and use it. Using Corel Paintshop, I printed this out at 24 mm high (close to 8 feet in HO scale), which automatically gave a length of something like 134 mm (5.25 inches).