This thread was started in January, 2017
KKarns
January 2017 edited January 2017 in Working with Wood
Following much procrastination, I call it detail planning, I am kicking off the Dr. Grunge Advanced Wood Clinic. It was suggested that I contribute to this clinic, as I would not have been so presumptuous to have started this on my own. There are so many wonderful modelers here on the forum that I am humbled to be able to “knock elbows” with you guys and talk some shop.
First and foremost, and please remember, the techniques and methods are not “how to do it”, but rather just “how I do it”. We are all unique in how we go about detailing stripwood. There is no right or wrong, success or failure, however, to achieve a desired result there are some guidelines.
I cannot over emphasize the contribution Brett has made to this hobby and to the “science” of detailing stripwood. If I don’t have anything else, I have enthusiasm! I studied Brett’s manuals and his methods for detailing stripwood and came to the realization early on that if I could, in my mind, master the art of detailing the wood I would be well on my way to achieving the results I envisioned. Brett instilled in me the concept that the coloring, detailing, and general care of the stripwood is the single, most important, factor to a realistic and quality model. I took this to heart and spend more time and get more enjoyment out of working with wood than anything else. It lays the foundation to the character and story your model will betray.
I stated “Advanced Wood Clinic” which I believe warrants some clarification. Brett provides comprehensive instructions for detailing stripwood in two main formats:
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The manuals included in each and every SWSM kit. My advice is study these manuals carefully. They are tried and true methods and if followed will result in a superior, beautifully detailed structure.
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The Craftsman Kit University, accessible from the SWSM Home Page. Go to Online Clinics and then select
“Adding Texture and Details to Stripwood”. This is an excellent tutorial that compliments the manual instructions. This tutorial is supported by the video link “Adding Details to Stripwood”.
With this plethora of detailed information Brett provides on detailing and finishing stripwood, it begs the question; why have the clinic presented here?
Brett lays the foundation for quality, highly detailed, stripwood in the above tutorials. However, the modeler will develop his or her own variations, techniques, and styles. This clinic will explore what I like to do with my wood and how I achieve the results that you’ve may have seen here on the forum. We are attempting to do in an afternoon what nature and the elements take years to do. So, if we are able to achieve this type of weathering and detail in a short time…that’s some powerful stuff and creates a structure full of character and realism. So off we go…
This is our first glimpse of our beloved SierraWest Scale Models stripwood. This gathering happens to be from the Loco and Service Shops kit. Brett carefully packages and sorts the stripwood and seals them in individual labeled bags. In my experience his wood is always of high quality, details beautifully, and is sorted and packaged for ease of use and assembly.
So…grab a fist full and lets grain and stain some wood!
Is that a BlueSky Company Warehouse manual?..more on that later.
Comments
MitchN
January 2017
Ken,
As you know, I am always asking you how did you achieve that look? Your weathered wood is exceptional and the results are, in my opinion, what we are all trying to achieve. Is the magician going to let us see how he does it? I hope so.
Mitch
KKarns
January 2017
Oh yea Mitch…this is just a preamble…much, much, more to come…
admin
January 2017
Doc G… well lets sit back and enjoy the way this grunge master makes his stripwood look so fantastic. I asked Ken to create a forum clinic for us detailing his award winning methods for creating the grungiest wood around. He graciously agreed to share his secrets. Very excited to watch this clinic progress!
Geezerbill
January 2017
Ah Ken, thanks so much for starting this clinic. This is a perfect time. I am so looking forward to it. It is going to be great!
Geezerbill
David_C
January 2017 edited January 2017
Thank you Ken for providing your expertise. Brett’s techniques really got me to appreciate the finer art of this hobby since I started buying his creations, and with your input, I can only hope to gain more valuable lessons. I have learned so much from the artists on this forum. Thank you to you all.
David
Michael_Pearce
January 2017
Looking forward to this Ken
Michael
KKarns
January 2017
Thanks Brett for the intro. and look forward to getting into the subject at hand. Thanks guys for your support of this thread, should be fun…Ken
KCSTrains
January 2017
Ken, thanks for doing this. I can’t wait to see your version of preparing wood. Also, I’m going to hold you to another clinic about “rust.” That’s where I really struggle.
Happy New Year. Phil
Geezerbill
January 2017
Yes Phil, I agree “Rust” would be another excellent clinic for Ken to do.
Geezerbill
nextceo
January 2017 edited January 2017
Hey Kenny…I’ll be following along. Cant wait to see if you share your “special ingredient” with everyone or you decide to still keep that a secret. As they say, a Great Magician never reveals all of his secrets.
brownbr
January 2017
I’m sure it will be fun and entertaining at the same time…like a trip to Epcot.
SteveCuster
January 2017 50.191.105.21
I’m following along Ken. Looks like it’ll be a great tutorial.
CarlLaskey
January 2017
I am lost here who am I going to follow and where are we going?
KKarns
January 2017
Well looks like we have a decent following with everyone poised for some miraculous, astounding, revelation in stripwood detailing…ahh..no! Sorry to disappoint, as a good bit of this will be review of information Brett has provided since the first SWSM kit hit the market back in 1995. Brett knew then what we all know now, thanks to his tutelage, that texture is the secret to realistic modeling.
So, am I going to move right to adding texture to our stripwood?..ahh..no! If you’re looking for a thread on stripwood detailing that’s a few paragraphs long, this isn’t the one. My plan is to take you through my entire process including my thoughts, philosophy, methods and peculiarities as it pertains to detailing my wood. Very little is my own and anything that appears to be my own was likely spawned from others work. I do however, hope I have developed my own style and many of you have expressed satisfaction with the results I have obtained. All techniques are within the scope of SierraWest Scale Models materials. No mysterious solutions with “eye of newt”, or any concoction that will take a dedicated internet search to obtain. Any errors are my own but I take no responsibility for shoddy modeling! A phenomenon I have yet to see on this forum. I don’t rush my modeling, as most of you know, so I’m not going to rush through this.
So, have I lost a good number of you?..good…then we’re down to the serious modelers.
I’ll get into what I do before actually working with the wood tomorrow…
Bill
January 2017
Wow! I’m back from vacation just in time for this to get underway!
Your structures (and specifically the wood) have qualities that are different and unique, making them unmistakable as a “Ken Karns” project. I’m SO looking forward to this.
If you’re taking attendance, mark me as “present”!
Geezerbill
January 2017
Here’s another Bill that will be present!! And a front row seat for my poor hearing.
Geezerbill
sdrees
January 2017
This is coming along at the right time. I have been building a new layout this past year and I need a change of pace so within the month, I was going to start work on Shelby’s Marine. You have another person who is looking forward to your tutorial.
CarlLaskey
January 2017
ED Do you have your ticket yet I think Alan is selling them.
Carl
KCSTrains
January 2017
Present!!!
Geezerbill
January 2017
Ken, do I get in for half price seeing Carl and Ed get in free?? Besides they are outstanding modelers whereas I am not and really need the help. I’ll even bring you a Washington apple every day.
Geezerbill
CarlLaskey
January 2017
Apples you here that Ed. Teachers pet.
CarlRowe
January 2017
I’ve got my pencil in hand so I can take notes. Hmmmmmmm, maybe I don’t need notes, it’s going to be here for all to refer to at any time.
KKarns
January 2017 65.24.55.94
Sounds like the class size is sufficient to continue…thanks for the support guys and hope you find some useful material here and there. Things will go slow and more of a review but will heat up later on.
The first thing I do, following my studying of the manual and kit contents, is make a decision as to how much texture I want to put into my wood. This is a personal decision based on how I want my structure to look and the character it will posess. This is actually a big deal, as it is easy to add more texture but much harder, if not impossible, to remove it if you go too far. Stands to reason that the more texture that is put into the wood the more weathered it will appear. At least that’s what it will look like was being done, which is why the level of texture and weathering should fit the overall structure age and level of deterioration.
So I have decided how much texture I want and I have my stripwood sitting in front of me. The next thing I reach for is the tool(s) used to create the initial texture. This initial texture is followed by the coloring of the wood which is then followed by the really fun stuff…the individual board details…more on that later.
So for now the word “texture” will be replaced with “wood graining”. Bare stripwood is just that bare. We want to create the illusion that the wood at least somewhat old and weathered. Keep in mind that not everything prototypical looks good once scaled to 1:87 (my medium). I perform wood graining as the initial step for ALL my stripwood regardless of how it will be used, unless of course it’s being used where it won’t show for some reason. The only tool I use for my initial wood grain work is a small steel wire scratch brush. There are many steel brushes out there and every modeler has their favorite which is perfectly fine. Mine is shown below…my hired hand model is showcasing the type I use.
This wire brush has the following attributes that makes it my choice for 1:87 scale grain work:
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Bristles are not overly stiff. Now this aint science but here’s my theory on why that may or may not be important. Stripwood already has wood grain. The wire brush shouldn’t create the grain rather enhance and define it…make it pronounced in a hurry like nature does over time. If the bristles are too stiff they tend to make the grain where as the more pliable bristles follow the original grain removing material as it goes. The extreme example is a razor saw that totally ignores the original grain and makes uniform grooves in the wood. We’ll discuss this more later.
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This brush is very easy to control due to it’s small size. I am able to “feel” the brush working the wood, which I like.
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The brush is readily available from numerous sources and is fairly cheap to purchase. They don’t however, last all that long. This is not a life long tool!
You guys modeling larger scales, and bigger wood, may want a larger brush. I work with only 2-3 pieces of wood at a time. Any more than that and I feel I don’t have the control I need. So I place the pieces on my bench. I use a piece of solid oak wood to lay my stripwood on to brush. I then brush the wood back and forth until I get the grain pop that I want. I have done this enough I just have a good feel for when I’ve got the level of detail I want. If you’re not sure on how much texture you want, perform some work on some test pieces first.
The following is some stripwood I grained as described above. This wood is from the classic BlueSky kit…more on that later.
This close up shows the wonderful natural grain that has been worked into the wood. The next step involves fine tuning this wood in preparation for “Staining”. I will use the word “staining” to include any method used to color the wood. More next time…
Bill
January 2017
I like your take on texture: “enhancing rather than creating” grain.
KKarns
January 2017
Appreciate your thoughts Bill and really glad to have your wisdom and insight here. Keep an eye on me as I go through this and interject at will.
KKarns
January 2017
Why thank you Mr. Ed…that would be Garnet Red #29840 from the SierraWest/Reaper paint set collection.
CarlRowe
January 2017
KKarns said:
Why thank you Mr. Ed…that would be Garnet Red #29840 from the SierraWest/Reaper paint set collection.
LOL
Geezerbill
January 2017
Looking good Ken.
Geezerbill
KKarns
January 2017
Glad you liked that one Carl…
Thanks Bill…hopefully we’ll be getting into some useful stuff soon..
KKarns
January 2017
I finished up last time with the initial “graining” of the stripwood. Following the graining with the wire brush, an inherent problem that is created is the production of fine pieces and slivers of wood known in the hobby as “fuzzies” I wish there was another term used but that’s what we have. Remember I said this process is not “how to do it” but “how I do it”…I dislike, and have a low tolerance, for the frizzy wood that is a byproduct of the graining process. In a word, this must be removed…OK four words. This frizzy wood is not at all prototypical and detracts significantly from the appearance of the finished walls depending of course on the severity of the problem. Granted, in 1:87 scale the frizzy wood may be hard to see if its reasonable but will show up in pictures and really has no place in a high quality structure model (again, a little is unavoidable and not what I am referring to). I treat all my stripwood by removing these fuzzies all the time, every time. Here’s the process I use:
I collect a wad of fine steel wool about the size of a golf ball and fold it in half between my thumb and fore finger…and with a pinching action I pull or draw each piece of stripwood individually through the steel wool. This action with my finger and steel wool in one hand and the stripwood in the other I can control where the pressure and action of the steel wool is being effective. You want more pressure along the edges, which is where most of the fuzzies are, and less on the face of the wood. This results in two quite effective actions:
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Removes 90% of the fuzzies.
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Serves to knock down the sharper ridges of the graining process giving a nice warm weathered appearance to the wood.
Yes, this process is time consuming and a bit messy as the steel wool will shed small steel fibers all over the place so do this over a trash can or piece of newsprint or something similar. You also must check the wood carefully as a few steel fibers may get stuck in the wood and must be removed. Take this process into account when you grain your wood as the steel wool will reduce the impact of the grain just a bit. Also, do not overdo this, just enough to clean up the frizzy wood. I believe you must be vigilant here as too many fuzzies will ruin an otherwise well detailed wall.
NOTE: The amount of fuzzies produced is based on two main variables; One is how aggressive you are with the wire brush work (pressure, time, and bristle firmness) and secondly the quality and hardness of the stripwood. Soft poor quality wood is miserable to work with. The wood Brett provides us is top quality and works up extremely well.
Depicted below is an example that illustrates the problem and solution…
Problem: Note the small splinters and pieces adhering to the wood following the graining with the wire brush, this is what we call the “fuzzies”. Not good…
The same wood after being treated with the steel wool process outlined above. Good…
Note how the grain is virtually unaffected by the procedure. Also good…
As I continue to work with my boards any stray pieces of frizz are removed using a good pair of fine forceps. As the boards are detailed later on these scattered pieces will crop up but are much easier to deal with once the initial treatment is done.
Next up will be some notes on staining and then the individual details…
MitchN
January 2017
Dr. Grunge,
My impression, from your pictures, is that your grain is deeper than the grain I am achieving with my brush. My grain shows up but yours really shows up. I think I have a case of brush envy. When I use steel wool on my wood it seems to polish and darken it. Your results do not show that so, for me, it must be technique. Keep the posts coming, please.
Mitch
Geezerbill
January 2017
Wonderful Ken. Enjoying the clinic and appreciate you taking the time to do so.
Geezerbill
KKarns
January 2017
Hey Mitch, I tried counting an average number of back-n-forth strokes I typically give my wood and it’s around 5 or 6. Of course the pressure is a variable hard to describe but a medium pressure is a start. I don’t like overly grained wood as I impart more detail later that gives me the look I want so maybe it’s the shadowing on the pictures.
You should not get any color change or transfer with the steel wool if things are dry and on UN-STAINED wood. Not sure why you would be getting a polishing and darkening effect?? Might you have colored your wood first?
Thanks Bill, appreciate the support. I encourage questions and chatter regarding wood work here. This is our clinic not my clinic.
CarlLaskey
January 2017 edited January 2017
Ken I use the fine sponge backed sand paper for the fuzzies .It is made by 3M.
mayhaw9999
January 2017
Ken, so glad I got back on the train this week. It’s been too long. Really looking forward to the grunge master at work.
David U
KKarns
January 2017
Carl, I do a bit of sanding as well which is coming up in the next installment, just not on the initial de-fuzzing. Any method that gets that crap off the wood is worth the effort.
so do I Ed, but I know where to find em!!
Glad you’re aboard David, hopefully you’ll enjoy the ride down grunge lane…
nextceo
January 2017
Thanks for the tips…
KCSTrains
January 2017
Ken, I’m glad you distinguished between enhancing the grain and creating grain. I believe I do the latter. I’m going to try to apply less pressure the next time and see what I get. Again, thanks for doing this. Phil
KKarns
January 2017
More to come Alan…like you need it with your wood work!
Right Phil, I think it’s a key aspect to working with our wood. Glad to have this thread going and anxious to get to the good stuff but need to lay down some foundation work.
KKarns
January 2017 edited January 2017
So, I have completed the graining of my wood followed by removing the frayed wood or “fuzzies”. Next order of business is to color or stain my wood. Here we interject a very personal choice and that is the color of the wood. My suggestion is to follow the recommendation Brett includes in the manual for each SWSM Kit. Brett does an enormous amount of research into the structures of his kits and the color choices are not a whimsical thing but come from years of experience coupled with that all time consuming research…you’ll never go wrong here.
With that said, we all have our favorite way to color wood and Brett certainly encourages the modeler to create a build that is unique to the individual modeler. The beauty of Brett’s instructions is that it sets the basis for color and finish choices within a reasonable color palate. O’Neills is a good example. There are three main structures and each one tells a story by how the wood is colored and finished. Each structure can have a range of color tones within a family of colors and still maintain the character and tell the story as intended. This is the cool thing about kit building, Brett sets the standard with his pilot model, we then introduce our own individuality and character by how we choose colors and detail and finish our wood, among many other details of course.
My choice for base color is by two main methods depending on the finish I want and that is either chalk or AI. Each has its merits and reasons I choose them, so lets take a peek. The chalk method developed by Brett is the most versatile when it comes to color. This method is clearly explained in the Craftsman University here on the web-site and not to be repeated here. The point is chalks allow a great variety of color choices by just selecting the chalk color you like. Keep in mind there is a fairly narrow palate of base wood color that makes sense…browns and grays are what I limit mine to.
To get a good gray base color the use of AI provides a good choice. I use several strengths of AI depending on what I want to do. To stain my stripwood I use the relatively low ink concentration AI and keep putting on successive applications, with a dry time in between, until I get the darkness I’m looking for. In addition, regardless of weather I use chalk as the base or AI, neither will be used alone…if your confused it will become clear next time.
So lets see an example..
The wood on the left was stained using chalk (408.3) and the ones on the right with about 3-4 applications of the AI. You can clearly see the difference and both would be applicable in certain situations. Now, some folks would see fit to take what you see here and start building their walls…no, no, no…shaking my head in print! This is only where the fun starts…
brownbr
January 2017
Interesting that you color before doing the “extra” touches.
KKarns
January 2017
Nice you noticed that Bryan, so hopefully I may touch on some techniques that may not be readily apparent.
CarlRowe
January 2017
And…
KKarns
January 2017
Working on the next episode Carl…this will be where we talk details.
CarlRowe
January 2017
KKarns said:
Working on the next episode Carl…this will be where we talk details.
Ready and waiting.
KCSTrains
January 2017
Oops!! I would have started building already. Now you have my interest … Phil
KKarns
January 2017 edited January 2017
Good Phil, as it should get more interesting…
So..I have grained my stripwood and then stained. From here on out I will use the wood that was stained with the AI a gray color as it photographs just a bit better.
The next step I take is to sand off the sharp edges of the boards. The first time I tried this I was sold on the concept and the results. Sanding the edges creates boards that appear warm and worn and despite being butted up against each other appear spaced just a bit. This also serves to introduce our first level of contrast and that is the lightening of the board edges. It was mentioned that many modelers may do the detail work on the boards and THEN stain the wood. The only problem I have with this is it creates a monotone color on the boards and doesn’t highlight all the nice details that are added.
Here is what the boards look like with the edges before and after sanding…
Boards before I sanded the sharp edges off. Note the monotone color of the boards and very tight space between them.
Same boards with the edges slightly rounded. Also note the contrasting of the light edges and the slight separation appearance. Now granted, these are subtile differences but when added to all the other details I will be demonstrating it makes a sizable impact on the overall finished wall.
The tool I use that’s an indispensable component to my board detailing is a sanding stick. My hand model is featuring the one I use below…
Not any secret weapon here just a sanding stick that most of you are familiar with. However, it’s how I use this thing is why I would not be without it for board detailing…
The flat surface is utilized for basic sanding and is what I used on the edges just illustrated. The tip of the stick is where the secret lies…more on that next time.
The business end of the sanding stick. This is where the tool is so valuable for board detailing which we will discuss in the next installment. Following the rounding of the board edges the next thing I concentrate on is detailing the board ends. Both for the bottom and top of the walls and where two boards butt together. In either case the first step is to slightly round the board end. This is in lieu of detailing the board end. This process creates an instant weathered look and when coupled with the board end detailing that will be featured next time really sets the foundation for a nice weathered board.
I have used the sanding stick and slightly rounded each board end a bit. Notice the two boards on the right…I sanded the top edge on one side or the other just a bit to create some variety and serves to thin the board edge down a bit. Also lightens the wood here and there which will give me nice contrast as we continue. Next time I will start detailing the board end…
KCSTrains
January 2017
Ken, you have delivered to my expectations. I would have never thought of this, but it makes perfect sense. I like your sanding tool. What is it and where can I get one? Phil
MitchN
January 2017
Dr. Grunge,
You may get there eventually in your demonstration but you must differentiate your weathering between floor boards and siding boards. Floor boards get worn and weathered while siding boards get weathered.
Mitch
Bill
January 2017
Great technique, Ken! Where did you get that little sanding tool and what’s it called? I’ve been using Emory boards that I steal from my wife, but I like the looks of this gizmo.
Sanding the edges slightly is sort of a “dry brush” technique in that you are highlighting the edges–without using any paint at all!
Also, if you look at pictures of old weathered barnwood, you’ll notice that when they age and dry out, the tend to warp–the board edges will curl in or out. I believe this is called cupping. Your technique achieves this in a simple effective way.
Here’s a quick 1:1 example. See how the extreme left edge is lighter–almost white, on several of these boards?
Okay…sorry to threadjack (again!). Back to Ken!
KKarns
January 2017 edited January 2017
Hi Phil, Thought once we got to the good stuff in would be a bit more helpful. I got the sanding thingy at my local hobby shop but Micro-Mark sells them and they call it a Sanding Wand and advertise it as “delicate control” which I agree with and one of the reasons I like it. In addition the sanding belt rotates along the tool with thumb pressure so as the paper wears you just move it to some fresh. Then the whole thing is replaceable with a new strip in various grades.
Thanks Mitch and yes, I will address the differences in floors vs walls.
Hey Bill…thanks my man, and see my response to Phil regarding the sanding thingy. Great pic and thanks for the real world example, it really helps illustrate the point. Love having you guys wade in here…love it don’t we?
Bill
January 2017
Got it: Sanding Wand!
Here’s a modeling example of the cupping effect. Rather sanding the edges, I used a new exacto and lightly shaved some the edges. I took this picture with my iPad, so the colors are a little bold, but you get the idea:
CarlRowe
January 2017
Sanding wand ordered.
brownbr
January 2017 edited January 2017
Bill, I really like the gray color you got on the small boards above the door. What’s the formula?
Ken, I’ve always liked the look you get by sanding the boards. Started on my first SW kit. And on the next one, I am definitely going to focus some attention on the corners as you show here.
KKarns
January 2017
Great Bill…thanks for posting and gives a nice illustration of the edge treatment effect.
Yea, why do they have to name things so…well you know…sanding wand? Why not sanding rod or sanding stick? Don’t wave it around Carl…just get to the serious detailing.
KKarns
January 2017 edited January 2017
Bryan, Well congrats on the launch of your first SWSM Kit. Who is the lucky recipient of your attention? It’s a technique that’s at least worth a try to see if you like it.
KKarns
January 2017 edited January 2017
I feel that due to the projected length of this clinic, and the fact that some who may be following haven’t seen any results of the techniques I’m discussing, I thought I would post an image of where we are headed and the results we expect to cover.
The image below is a small portion of the wall I just finished for the BlueSky build I’m working on. This section is the Main Barn. Note the various details, these will all be covered in subsequent installments here. Note the sanded board edges and sanded and slightly rounded board ends. That’s where we are now with the clinic.
brownbr
January 2017
Great looking wall.
Sorry about my last post. I meant to say I’ve been sanding the wood in the way you describe since I built my first SW kit 5 or 6 years ago. It was the O scale rigging shed since you asked. And I’m still going to put some extra focus on the corners next time.
Geezerbill
January 2017
Ken, I REALLY like the color tone of the example wall pictured above. Although it is off topic could you please explain how you achieved that color. The details are very good. Thanks again.
Geezerbill
Geezerbill
January 2017
ED, Maybe we should do a group buy from Amazon on the sanding sticks. If anyone is interested please say so on the off topic thread.
Geezerbill
KKarns
January 2017
Thanks Bill, and I don’t think wood color is particularly off topic at all. That wood was stained with AI, maybe 3-4 applications with the wood fully dry between applications with some brown chalk used sparingly here and there. The lower half appears more the actual color as the top half seems to have picked up a bit of glare maybe.
KKarns
January 2017 edited January 2017
Back at it. I am now to the point where I begin detailing the ends of the board. The example here will be for boards at the bottom of a wall. I want a board end that is weathered and worn due to years of moisture and the elements lapping at the wood.
I take my #11 blade a begin picking and slicing slivers of wood off the end. I actually want to remove a bit of the wood going with the grain. I also cut pieces off to simulate missing chunks, etc…once this is done I then lightly hit the end with the wire brush.
In figure 1., I have demonstrated this to the three pieces of wood photographed earlier in which I showed the edges and board ends sanded. I will continue to use these three pieces throughout the process so you hopefully can follow along the transition.
Back to figure1. Note the areas where the wood was removed and the board in the middle with a piece cut off the side. This can be done to taste but don’t overdo it unless you want a very heavily weathered or damaged wall. With all these type of details, a little goes a long way. Also note this process has created light areas where the wood was removed, this adds to our contrast effect as will be shown later.
(figure 1) You will notice the frayed wood has returned and the areas where the wood was removed looks sharp and fresh. Enter the sanding wand! The following procedure is important and why I like this sanding wand so much. Each board is sanded with the TIP of the sanding wand going with the grain. The tip allows me to get down in the groves I cut and smooth and age the detail and the rough wood edges the wire brushing created (see figure 2)
(figure 2) Note the attitude of the sanding wand tip to get down in the grooves and smooth things up and remove the frayed wood.
So the following picture shows the board ends with sanding of the previous details that were made. Note the old weathered appearance rather than the fresh cuts and frayed wood. This is so important and will look terrific once the final coloring/highlighting is completed.
I will continue on with all the various board detailing such as knot holes, saw banding, and other subtile details next time…
admin
January 2017
Great update and info Ken!
brownbr
January 2017
This is the kind of attention to detail that makes your models stand out.
KKarns
January 2017 edited January 2017
Thanks Brett, hopefully the info. from here on out will be useful and interesting…
Thank much Bryan, appreciate that.
Wes
January 2017
Hey Ken
Thanks for taking the time to post this useful info. Its much appreciated. This thread shows why board on board building just cant be beaten.
KKarns
January 2017
You bet Wes, hope there is some useful material here. Board on board is where it’s at. My mother said never end a sentence with “at”…ehh…
Bill
January 2017
Great info, Ken!
Quick question–in the last pic, did you touch-up the areas that you picked at with A/I? Or, is the result we see simply due to the earlier ink applications?
KKarns
January 2017
All the detailing up to this point was after the initial application of the AI stain. No additional has been added yet. Once all the detailing is complete I come back and stain/highlight these areas individually. I posted the following picture under Carl’s thread on Mother Nature…
This is an image of the partially complete front wall of the Main Barn for my BlueSky build I’m working on. Note the mottled tones, this is what the final highlighting will accomplish after all the final details are imparted in the boards.
Geezerbill
January 2017
Ken, thank you for the answer regarding the wood color! This clinic is very informative. Thanks again.
Geezerbill
KCSTrains
January 2017
I’m back again from my travels. Anchorage was just darn cold!!! Ken, keep it up. I’m really learning a lot. Phil
KKarns
January 2017
No problem Bill and thanks for the support.
Anchorage!..geesh Phil that is off the beaten path.
KKarns
January 2017 edited January 2017
Previously I had sanded the detailed board ends with the tip of my sanding stick to smooth and age the rough detail. I then continue with the board detailing by imparting various worn and damaged areas sparingly throughout the boards. I will come back later and feature the board ends that are butted together and the details I concentrate on there. In this segment I will show three different types of detail. The first is a simple worn area along the edges of the board. I utilize just my sanding stick and with tip I sand the edge in various spots creating a “dip” in the wood along the edge (figure 1).
(figure 1)
To reiterate, this is prior to the final highlighting with my stain. The worn areas are easily seen and serve to age the wood and give it some character. Always remember these details are done sparingly and not on every board. Less is more…
In the next example I utilize my #11 blade and at a very oblique angle cut slivers and chunks of wood from the board (figure 2, left image). This creates sharp angles and edges on the lip of the cut areas, we want to age this…This next step is very important and makes all the difference in a detailed aged board. I take my sanding stick and lightly sand the cuts with the tip of my sanding stick to smooth, blend and age the cuts
(figure 2, right image). Brett was kind enough to assist me in putting side-by-side imaging together here. I felt it imperative to give a better feel for the subtile differences I am referring to. Thanks Brett!
(figure 2) Note the subtile difference between the right and left image. Once stained and detailed with chalk this will blend nicely and give a great old weathered effect.
With this example I created, again with my trusty #11 blade, a damaged area on a board where something contacted it at an angle. Again, note the rough and fresh look to the image on the left. I followed with the same sanding with my sanding stick to smooth and blend the area.
This process can be used throughout your wood work with any variation you choose, from small little imperfections to large damaged areas. The key is to slightly sand and age the area and then provide the coloring and highlights to blend.
Next time I will go over knot holes and the board end detailing for two boards butted together.
brownbr
January 2017
When will you be adding the bent-over nails that didn’t quite get hammered in all the way? A big ol’ thick nail would be about 1/8" so in HO that would be .0014".
KKarns
January 2017
Hmm…I could do that…
Joel
January 2017
Just catching up with this thread. So glad you are doing this. I love the attention to detail and the colouring.
Looking forward to hearing more.
KKarns
January 2017
Hey Joel, really nice hearing from you. I’m pacing it out a bit so there is much more to come..
David_C
January 2017
Thank you Ken, this is the look I’ve been trying to accomplish but never achieved. I always enjoy your clinics.
David C
KKarns
January 2017 edited January 2017
I break down board end detail depending on where the board end will end up on my structure. The board end detail I have illustrated thus far is primarily for the boards that are along the bottom of the walls of a structure or where board ends meet doorway or window trim.
Here is an example of a series of finished boards from my SWSM Loco and Service Shops build. These are individual boards with a faint paint peel. Note the board end detail with the finished staining and color. Once I start my wall I will select specific boards and the ends will be at the bottom of the wall.
Here is a wall from my Loco and Service Shops with the individually selected boards with the detailed board ends at the bottom.
The next type of board end detail is where two boards butt together. I like to lightly sand the ends and detail the board ends in a similar manner as the boards for the bottom of my walls. I then impart nail holes. Nail holes are of course a matter of taste and admittingly out of scale as 1:87 nail holes would be virtually invisible. However, if done properly can enhance the wall detail significantly. This is worth repeating…not everything prototypical looks good in 1:87 scale! Subtile is the key to nail holes and as Brett mentions, does not look good uniformly applied to vertical siding. My opinion…it doesn’t look good to have uniformly applied nail holes in anything other than clapboard siding and then should be faint and barely noticeable. I only apply nail holes to siding where boards are butted together.
I work my nail holes in two main ways. The first is just a straight nail hole. My nail hole tool of choice is a fine pointed scribe end placed in a pin vice. My opinion…never use a pounce wheel to make nail holes. Firstly they are only used for nail holes uniformly applied in a line, the tool makes holes that are not round, and they are much to uniformly spaced.
My hand model displaying my tool of choice for not only nail holes but also a type of knot hole, which we will discuss later on.
Back to hole-ology, I make two nail holes per board end. I always have a piece of scrap oak wood as a backing as I detail my boards. This allows the details to be cut and punched into the wood without breaking the wood or injuring myself with a blade or punch. Either just a straight on hole pushed into the wood or, my favorite type, is to push the point of my tool all the way through the wood contact the backing and pull it out through the end of the board. This leaves a hole and a split in the board end which is very prototypical. The nail weakens the board end and over time the board will split where the nail is.
Here is an example from my SWSM O’Neills fabrication build of a typical butted board end and nail hole application. Note the faint nail holes and how the wood is split where the nail is. In other words, not a single round hole.
Here is another example from O’Neills. Note the other details here such as the splits and cuts we discussed earlier. Next time we will get into knot holes and variations of same.
January 2017
Great effect on the knots, nail holes and all around.
KKarns
January 2017
Appreciate your thoughts here Leonard and taking the time to check it out and provide some feedback. Always nice to know you’re on the right track..
KKarns
January 2017 edited January 2017
So far I have detailed my boards by sanding the edges, followed by detailing my board ends both single boards and butted boards. I continued to further detail the wood with various defects, scrapes, holes, etc…Now I’m ready to put in a few knot holes. My philosophy on knot holes is to use them sparingly, vary how they appear and where on the board and on the structure they appear, and how they are weathered and detailed.
I primarily use three different types of knot holes; round, oblong, and knot holes without the knot. To start I carve out a shallow oblong depression in the wood, similar to how I did the cut marks described earlier, with my #11 blade.
Here is a board where I have done just that. Cut out an oblong shallow depression followed by sanding and smoothing with my sanding stick. The bottom will be an oblong knot hole and the one on top a round one. These knots are done with round wood toothpicks. I punch a hole in the shallow depression I just made, put a very small amount of wood glue on the tip of the toothpick and insert the bottom one at an angle (oblong knot) and the one on top straight in (round knot). The further the toothpick is inserted the bigger the knot.
After a few minutes to let the glue dry I take a rather dull pair of old nippers, as I want the wood to smoosh a little rather than a nice clean cut, and cut the toothpicks off flush with the board. Also, I make sure I’m cutting the toothpick parallel to the long axis of the board. Once I cut the toothpick off I then push the knot further down in the depression if I choose or leave it slightly proud, depending on the look I want. I then snip and sand whatever was protruding from the back of the board.
Note the snippers are parallel to the board.
Board with the knots installed. I then back the board so as to not push the knot out the back and detail the knot as well as the surrounding area if needed. I pick out any glue that oozed out around the knot. I also detail the knot by putting split marks, chipped areas all with my #11 blade. I then follow with staining and a dusting of chalk depending.
End result of an oblong knot. Note the effect the depression gives around the knot and the realistic cracks of the knot itself and the chalk “dirt/grime” around the knot. Also note the saw blade banding on this board. This is simple and easy to do. I just run my #11 blade across the wood with a light touch. I do not want the wood to flake up just some subtile marks.
Another board, this and the previous board are from my O’Neills Welding Shop, with a highly detailed oblong knot. Note the rot and “insect damage” along the bottom of this board. This was simply done by punching “divots” with my scribe tool, then weather.
The last tip of knot hole-ology I learned from Brett during my O’Neills build. Brilliant to say the least. This method literally takes 2-3 seconds to accomplish and the results are great! Quote right out of the O’Neills manual…“using the point of a compass” I use my scribe tool “make a depression in the wood” I actually poke mine all the way through to make a knot with the knot missing “Vary the pressure applied for variety. Keep this random” very important “the tool can be pressed straight down to create a round knot or” which is my favorite way “rocked back and forth while pressing to create an elliptical knot”.
Start here and…
end here…this makes the elliptical knot hole…no knot
A so, so picture to attempt to illustrate the effect.
Next time I will show some final coloring and weathering and a few other subtile details and then wrap up this clinic and let everyone get to it.
KKarns
January 2017 edited January 2017
So wrapping things up here on the wood clinic.
Referring to the left side picture…the left board is and example of the simple knot hole described by Brett and illustrated in the last segment. The board on the right illustrates one of my favorite quick and easy techniques I developed. I take my #11 blade and slice right through the board that is on a backing. Once the blade is removed, the cut closes right up and is all but invisible until…
This next step is the key and really is amazing for how simple it is. I take the board and turn it over and rather than apply the stain (AI in this case) or chalk stain (chalk thinned with alcohol) to the front of the board, which would cause the AI to flood the knot hole and the split, I apply the stain sparingly to the back of the board over the detail. The AI leeches through and wicks up the crack giving the subtile but nice effect you see on the left two boards. Notice how the AI is only in the crack on each board.
The images on the right are the boards with additional AI and chalk weathering to taste. This dulls down the stark contrast of the original AI application.
This picture is of the three boards I have been using to demonstrate the techniques. All have received final AI and Chalk applied to taste.
And finally…a wall with all the techniques combined. Hope this has been an informative clinic and time to get back to the bench…Thanks for following along.
Dr. Grunge
CarlLaskey
January 2017 216.66.125.15
Very impressive Ken thank’s for taking the time.
Carl
brownbr
January 2017
A first-rate demonstration. Thanks for putting this together.
admin
January 2017
Outstanding! Thank you Ken for taking the time to create such a wonderful clinic. So much useful information that can be immediately applied to any project.
KCSTrains
January 2017
Ken, great stuff. Can you hear all the learning going on? Phil
KKarns
January 2017
Thanks much Brett and appreciate you giving me the opportunity to post my thoughts and suggestions regarding this clinic. Hope the material was useful and informative.
Thanks Carl for your thoughts.
Appreciate that Bryan, it was enjoyable to put together and nice to have my thoughts down in one place.
Glad you were there Phil and thanks for the encouragement along the way. “Wood” I do it again…sure thing!
sdrees
January 2017
Hi Ken,
I have been following along on this. Thanks for sharing the Masters techniques with us. It sure will help me improve my models.
Bill
January 2017
Brilliant work Ken. Lots of new and unique ideas–all of them simple and effective. Invest the time and the results follow.
Thanks for sharing!
SteveCuster
January 2017
Great tutorial Ken. I picked up a few of those sanding sticks today at a local show. Will definitely apply this info to my next build.
mayhaw9999
January 2017
Very, very well done. Lots of unique techniques that will be added to my knowledge base. Thanks for this clinic,
David U
KCSTrains
January 2017
Ken, now it’s on to the “rusting” clinic. You do such a great job rusting things, that I want to know your secrets. I’ll give you a chance to catch your breath and work on your present project, but I would really like to see it… Please!!!
KKarns
January 2017
No problem sdrees, glad there was something there of potential use!
Hey Bill, thanks buddy appreciate that. Time is the key, no rushing this type of detailing as you know. I’m looking at my BlueSky build…one wall with 7 boards put on and I have been working on that for 3 evenings! Will shaw that later on.
Heard your echo Ed…thanks.
Thanks Steve. I think you’ll like those sticks, and so glad we adopted the word “stick” rather than “wand” like the manufacturer describes!
Good David, and appreciate your thoughts. Don’t hesitate to contact me later on for any questions…and that goes for everyone…
Phil, sounds good and we can always make sure we have something to ponder in Altoona…your up to your armpits in alligators with that bench work from what I see…
MuddyCreekRR
January 2017 edited January 2017
Outstanding tutorial…I can’t wait to use the techniques on my "O’ scale O’Neills…Thank you for taking the time to do it for us all…
Geezerbill
January 2017
Ken, I have finally been able to catch up here. Sure glad I had the front row seat! Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful techniques with us. It took a lot of time to do so and the clinic came out fantastic. I now have everything in Word ready to print off. Thanks again.
Geezerbill
KKarns
January 2017 edited January 2017
Muddy, thanks for your support of the clinic, means a lot to know it was useful.
Hey Bill, heard you had some computer issues to resolve! Thanks for the kind words and support of the clinic. The lack of follow-up questions would lead me to two conclusions; one would be that I covered things pretty well, and the other would be the hot air hasn’t filtered from the room yet!
CarlLaskey
January 2017
HOT AIR Ha Ha
KKarns
January 2017
Hey…I’m not the only one full of hot air…just the only one right now!
Wes
January 2017
Brilliant tutorial Ken. Thanks for taking the time to put it together.
KCSTrains
January 2017
Ken, I’m sure there will be follow-up questions once we start trying your methods. This will be a great reference thread. Phil
KKarns
January 2017 edited January 2017
Heard that Ed.
You bet Wes, and thanks for your thoughts on the clinic. Never sure how that kind of thing will turn out.
Thanks Phil. Oh.. by the way, our itinerary for Altoona are quite a ways off, as I’m getting in later on Thursday and leaving early Sunday. Sorry it didn’t work out any better than that.
KCSTrains
January 2017
No problem Ken. I’m sure I’ll just rent a car.
nextceo
January 2017
Thanks for all the close-up pictures…that one with the insect marks is fantastic!
Geezerbill
January 2017
I agree with Alan and I also really liked the pic with the insect damage. Very, very convincing.
Geezerbill
Joel
January 2017
Great work. Thanks for taking the time to present it all so nicely.
KKarns
January 2017
Bill, that was a really fun detail to add and so easy. If you do a couple of boards together it really gives that rotten “punky” wood look.
Glad you liked it Joel and always nice to hear from you. Putting the methods to good use and am heavily into my BlueSky build. I hope too see you at the EXPO…
mikemettelka
April 2017
How would you go about doing the clapboard siding?
KKarns
April 2017
Right Mike…I should have titled it “Dr. Grunge Advanced Stripwood Clinic” as I did not touch on clapboard. The manual should be referred to in this case and Brett does a splendid job of describing the techniques for wethering and detailing clapboard and goes further to outline the specific treatment for each individual kit that calls for clapboard. I illustrated a few advanced types of weathering and damage that are possible with clapboard siding in my BlueSky build thread. If you have any specific questions regarding clapboard I’m sure the experts here would be happy to help…
David_C
April 2017
Ken, thank you very much for your tutorial. I will definitely apply these techniques to my future builds, and hope they will turn out almost as good.
KKarns
April 2017
You bet David…if you have any questions as you’re working up your wood, don’t hesitate to post…
MarkG
April 2017
Thanks Ken, I followed this and it is nice learning from a master. I really appreciate the work you did on your Loco and Service Shops. A question to the group about nail holes. Is less, more? Theoretically, there would be nail holes at the internal framing, not just the board ends. I also realize that too many nail holes can be distracting. Your thoughts?
admin
April 2017
Great question Mark, and one that hasn’t been tackled here in several years…
Nail Holes… where to begin? One of the best aspects about our hobby is the diverse opinions and for the most part, community acceptance of those differing opinions. I’m not trying to be pc. Model railroaders tend to be pretty mellow folks. There’s always the exception for sure but usually not the rule! OK, I got stories about crazy ass modelers but thankfully I have many more stories about awesome customers!
I usually do not model nail holes or nail heads as I find most of us make them too big and obvious. A pair of subtle nail holes at a board end emphasizes the fact that two boards are meeting and I will usually add them there. But I avoid rows of nails holes along a stud line. Yeah, I can go and search for images and find plenty of examples of old clapboard siding with rows of nail holes. So yes, the prototype exists but that doesn’t mean you should model it. Think about any SierraWest diorama set in say 1935. It would be prototypical to plunk a shiny brand new cherry red Ford pickup truck in the middle of the scene. No weathering, straight from the dealer, 5 miles on the odometer. So yes, prototypical, but looks like crap. To my eye the same holds true for row after row of nail holes.
Now if you are determined to add nail holes good for you. I refer you back to my original statement about mellow hobbyists. And yes Ed is probably the “mellowist” of us all. But please, please do not use a pounce wheel to create your rows. The pounce wheels available in our hobby leave a rectangular impression in the wood, not round. Just horrible, terrible, crap. You can find pounce wheels from the clothing/pattern making industry that leave round impressions behind if you search hard enough. Very tough to find today where the holes are spaced close enough for HO or even O Scales. Also please keep your rows straight. The studs behind the siding is presumably straight so make sure your rows follow the “stud lines”.
Now Karl Allison has some nifty techniques for making nail holes but that is his story to tell…
KKarns
April 2017 edited April 2017
Well thank you “mgietz” the Loco and Service Shops is an outstanding kit and was so much fun working it up. Glad you got some good use out of the wood clinic.
Page 3 of this wood clinic outlines my use of nail holes.
Karl.A
April 2017 edited April 2017
I disagree with you 909, of course the nailholes have to be perfectly straight. Otherwise they’d miss the stud. A stud edge is only 1+3/4" wide, if you miss the center, the stud will split, the siding will fall off.
True, there may be a max 1/4" variance in real life but that is impercievable in scale models.
In real life there is either a stud or a guidline that you follow as you nail each board on, working up the wall, to ensure it is secure, you therefore hit center stud within an 1/8th… straight lines.
Nothing ruins an otherwise great model more than bad nail holes.
HO, selective, distinct areas subtly done for effect.
O, if done right you wont see them except in close up pictures.
A model with no nail heads will always look better than a model with badly done nail heads.
Karl.A
MarkG
April 2017
Thanks for the thoughtful responses. I’m in the design and layout process now to place my structures in such a way as to bring them to life and tell a story. I’ve been away from the modeling for a few years as life happened, but am excited to be back modeling again.
I’ve talked with Brett quite a few times, and kept up with the build threads and am blown away by the openness of the group here, and the experience and skill. Yes, I know experience is what you get when you find out there was less skill than anticipated.
Thanks for welcoming me, and for the helpful ideas.
Mark
Jerry
April 2017
Ed not to be picky but do you mean Chuck Doan??
kebmo
April 2017 edited September 2018
i plan on texturing stripwood today. i’ll probably have an update mid-week. between o’neill’s and the backwoods water tower scenery i’ll be busy today.
geoawelch
September 2018
Ken, what a complete tutorial on modeling within modeling. Such a great accompaniment to Brett’s written and video instructions. I learned so much from this tutorial.
KKarns
September 2018 174.103.25.66
Appreciate that George and glad you found it useful. I do take a good amount of time working my wood on my builds. It sets the basis for the entire project and thus so important.
vietnamseabee
September 2018
George…there’s also a couple of texts dealing with castings that are great assets..I think Karl did one and Kevin O’Neill did one…
Terry
kebmo
September 2018
i copied and pasted all of the pertinent posts into a Word doc. 41 pages.
geoawelch
September 2018
Thanks Terry - I have read those. Huge fan of Kevin and the late Brian Nolan
geoawelch
September 2018
kebmo said:
i copied and pasted all of the pertinent posts into a Word doc. 41 pages.
Is that emailable?
kebmo
September 2018 edited September 2018
yes, its a pdf, if you direct message me your email address i’ll send it to you tomorrow.
Pappy
April 2019
Great Job KKarns!
I have a question.
Does both sides of the wooden planks have to be wired brushed?
I’m doing the HO version of Brass & Iron Foundry and planks are a bit thin to wire both sides which makes them subject to split and break.
admin
April 2019
With HO Scale I generally recommend brushing one side - in most cases I do call this out in the manual although there are times both sides are required, just depends upon the use.
kebmo
April 2019
if anyone would like this in pdf format, message me your email address and I will send it to you.
kebmo
April 2019
done.
JeanGS
April 2019
Bravo for this demonstration.
Can you send it to me in Pdf ?
Thank you.
kebmo
April 2019
check your email.
kebmo
April 2019 edited April 2019
jean,
i sent it and my gmail says it had a problem with the delivery and will keep trying for 22 more hours. if you don’t have it 24 hrs from now let me know and i will send it a different way.
kebmo
April 2019
my bad. jean, you should have yours, it’s pappy’s that was messed up and it’s because i mis-spelled his email domain. pappy, i’m sending it right now. sorry about that.
JimK
April 2020
Ken,
This is a question, but do not know whether you will receive it here. I have read, printed and studied this advance wood clinic and want to adopt your practices. Your presentation is very clear and convinced me that I would like to follow your approach. Your efforts and greatly appreciated.
Here is the question:
When you built the Brass and Iron Foundry, which I am starting, did you do the detail work on the strip wood, board ends at bottom, knot holes etc. before or after the damp brushing?
I have read most all of your presentations on this forum and your work is amazing. Thank you for sharing.
Jim
KKarns
April 2020
Hey Jim, First off, thanks so much for the kind words here. Secondly, you’ve picked a great kit to work up.
I have mentioned many times that I’m of the opinion that the time and effort spent on the wood work defines and sets the stage for the entire build. You brought up the example from The Brass & Iron Foundry however, the methods of course work for any wood structured kit of course, with minor differences. My order of wood detailing is pretty much the same with variations depending on the wood being painted and peeled or just weathered and stained etc. I typically take my stripwood and impart the base grain first then run the wood through steel wool to remove “fuzzies” and this has the added effect of rounding off and weathering the sharp peaks in the wood grain from the wire brush graining. I then stain the wood with just AI for a base coat if I’m going to paint the walls, or AI or chalk if its going to be just weathered wood.
So lets take the Pattern Shop from The Foundry build. Knowing I was going to do a peeled paint effect, I grained the raw strip wood and removed the fuzzed wood with steel wool. I then stained the wood with AI. I then did the damp brushing with the red color. Once that was done I took each piece of stripwood and rough cut each piece a bit longer than required based on where it was going on the wall template. I then detailed the bottom board ends and added any splits, knots, damage, etc.. prior to gluing the piece down. I went back over the detailed areas and added more stain or chalk as needed to get the grungy appearance I wanted which can be done before or after glueing. Most of the deterioration would have occurred just like this, that is, after the paint was on. The top ends are typically much less weathered and are hard to see due to the overhang. You can however go back and rough up the straight cut upper ends as desired once glued down and trimmed. Also once the boards are all done and on the wall you can go back and slowly build up a little more paint up under the eaves where less weathering would have occurred. This is much harder to do, but not impossible, by treating each board individually with more paint on the top end and harder to control. Plan ahead for rot or damage to boards next to each other and that kind of thing…above all, don’t hurry this phase of the build! Hope this long winded response addressed you question adequately…Ken
KCSTrains
April 2020
I recently re-reviewed this tutorial and it was very helpful on the treatment of wood. I plan to use this method going forward. Thanks again Ken. Phil
sdrees
April 2020
Ken, what tools do you use to detail the bottom ends of the boards.
Mountaingoat
April 2020
This tutorial has been a major difference in my modeling. Many thanks. Rick
JimK
April 2020
Ken,
The very detailed and complete response, is very much appreciated.
Work on Morton’s started this week and after preparing and installing most of the boards for the Pattern Shop, it became apparent that a different approach was needed. Pan pastels were used for the coloration, something that has been successful in the past for non-Sierra West kits. It looked awful.
Called Brett and he very kindly is sending me another template for a rerun. The damp brushing technique has been problematic as I always seem to put on too much color.
Then I studied this tutorial…which has been a Godsend. I have started on a new set of boards and your response to my question confirms the approach adopted. So far some boards have been prepared. I am using a sanding stick to round the edges after the damp brushed paint is fully dry. Other details will come next.
From my perspective this latest addition to your wonderful tutorial closes the loop as regards painted boards and is a logical conclusion to the sequencing you employ. Thank you for the lightening past reply.
Thank you,
Jim
KKarns
April 2020
No problem Jim, anytime. If you think you have too much paint on the boards after damp brushing, wait until dry to the touch and lay the board down on a flat surface and use fine steel wool in one direction with varying pressure depending on how much paint you want to remove. It will take the paint off the high spots which looks great anyway and would be how the boards would likely weather. With this method the paint peel won’t look like its ready to flake off more like it has worn off over time.
MuddyCreekRR
April 2020
Ken is dead on point with that…..had a few spots on my boards with too much paint…the 000 steel wool works wonders…it also evens out the tone a bit…
JimK
April 2020
Ken,
I picked up on steel wool to improve appearance of wet brush application based on Brett’s instructions but did not do it with pressure sufficient to remove any of the overly hearvy paint. Will follow your advice. Moving along well with both Pattern and Repair shop. Thank you again.
TomMich
April 2020
Jim, in addition to the steel wool to remove too much paint I sometimes have success going back and using the wire brush to remove it. Just go over the painted boards as you did to weather them initially.
JimK
April 2020
Tom
Thanks. Will try this too,if need be.Actually on repair shop small boards, initially had too little paint. Second application needed for some.
vietnamseabee
January 2022 edited January 2022
I started working on the wood floor of a new build the other day but before I began the graining of the stripwood I pulled this old thread up to review. Soooo much good information here…Thanks Ken,er, Dr Grunge…I guess the names were change to protect the guilty..
Perhaps some of the newer members to the Forum haven’t seen this rascal before
Terry
geoawelch
January 2022 174.196.19645
This thread is a Magnum Opus on weathering wood.
George
admin
January 2022
geoawelch said:
This thread is a Magnum Opus on weathering wood.
George
hah! very well said!
SonofVietnamSeabee
January 2022
This is a helpful thread. I hadn’t seen this one before - I will bookmark it, brew a cup of coffee and start learning!
KKarns
January 2022
Glad it is proving useful guys…such an important subject and foundation for our builds.
randyp
March 2022
Ken I wish I had seen this post before I started my Truck Repair. The edges would not have mattered because of the battens but i sure would have liked to use the tiqunike on the board ends. Thanks Randy
KKarns
March 2022
Good to know you found it helpful…I enjoy working the wood and spend a good bit of time in that area on my builds. Cheers.
geoawelch
December 2024
Hi Ken,
Was going to ask this privately, but thought it might answer questions for others.
The question pertains to detailing the ends of boards and hope it’s not a silly question.
Most walls are glued in place over a template with the board ends extending over the guidelines and then the tops and bottoms of the wall trimmed at once. The question is - do you detail the ends and line them up with the guidelines or detail them later in place (which seems like it would be challenging)?
Thanks again for all the time and effort you put into this clinic and to Brett for encouraging you to do so.
Cheers,
George
KKarns
December 2024 edited December 2024
Hey George, appreciate the question and it’s a good one to clarify how I go about it. Thank you for your continued support and your camaraderie here on the forum my friend…appreciate ya!
“Walls by Brett”…trademark!..
are provided in three main configurations; board-on board in which boards are placed over wood framing, boards over templates, which George is referring, and pre cut walls such as clapboard siding. I have specific ways I go about detailing the walls depending on how they are provided in the kit.
Boards over templates:
I always start by painting both side of the template flat black for obvious reasons. I detail my boards, and specifically the board ends, individually prior to applying to the template. Most of the distressed detailing (cracked, missing, rotted, damaged, etc.) occurs on the bottom of the boards near or in contact with the ground. In my work, placing boards overhanging the bottom of the template (ground end) and then cutting straight along the edge of the template results in a much too clean uniform edge. My method involves individually placing the detailed board ends along the bottom edge of the template as I see fit. Depending on how weathered and damaged I want the bottom edge to look I may have some boards not quite reach the bottom and others reaching the bottom to give a staggered random look. The top of the template, at the roof line, I most often overhang the boards and trim straight away. I then rough up the clean edge after all the boards are on and glue is dry. The top edge is most often less weathered and damaged compared to the bottom. However, individual boards can still be detailed after being glued to the template, just a bit more fiddly to get a good look.
The obvious issue with detailing missing, damaged, rotted wood at the board ends over templates is exposing the underlying template. The bottom of the template, in selected areas, can be carefully cut away to give the illusion of traditional siding over studded walls. If I want larger areas of missing boards. I will cut away the template and put in a small section of studded wall so the studs are visible due to the missing siding. The following are a few examples:
KKarns
December 2024
Template walls with a portion cut out and replaced with studding for effect.
Here is the structure with the siding placed over the templates
Example of scribed clapboard with studding put in and horizontal siding on the interior.
Board-on-board with horizontal interior siding showing through.
geoawelch
December 2024
Thanks a million, Ken
glandesjr
December 2024
Hi Ken:
This is great information and great help in understanding how you do your weathering. The results certainly speak for themselves. I look forward to trying out some of your techniques in my next build. Take care.
KKarns
December 2024
You bet George W.
Thanks much George. Appreciate the support.
