A syringe can be an incredibly useful and versatile tool that goes beyond its traditional medical use. One of its...
Cart 0 Product Products (empty)
No products
Free shipping! Shipping
£ 0.00 Total
Product successfully added to your shopping cart
Quantity
Total
There are 0 items in your cart. There is 1 item in your cart.
Total products (tax incl.)
Total shipping (tax excl.) Free shipping!
Total (tax incl.)
Search Tips
Tips categories
Latest Tips
-
What can I do with a syringe to help my modelling?Read more -
What are the benefits of using a hand drill when modelling?Read moreHand drills are used in modelling for intricate jobs where a power drill would not provide the delicacy, pace and...
-
What is the difference between a traditional DC motor and a coreless motor?Read moreDC motors such as the ones in your model engines, work on the principle of an armature (made of several wire coils to...
-
How do I build a Metcalfe kit?Read moreBuilding a Metcalfe kit is a great way to gain modelling experience. Building one should not be feared because they...
-
What is a traction engine?Read moreA traction engine is a self-propelled steam-powered vehicle designed to move heavy loads, plough fields or provide...
How can I model fuel or oil stains on track?
Oil spills and evidence of oil leaks are a common feature of many railway tracks around engine depots and at the end of station platforms where locomotives have been stood idling, but how is it modelled?
Choosing a paint to represent oil spills is easy as there are many purpose-made modelling paints available to achieve exactly that effect, AK Interactive's Fresh Engine Oil being just one. However, if you prefer to use paints that you already have lying around, consider whether you want your oil stains to look fresh. If you do, use a gloss paint, if you don't, a flatter finish would be more appropriate.
Paint aside, the real secret to realistic oil spills is the use of a caking agent first. This can be anything fine and powdery, with some modellers having experienced decent results using household talcum powder while others prefer to use a really fine ballast. Once you have decided upon a substance to use, it should be applied and set on top of your original ballast in the usual way using a PVA/water mix with a drop of washing up liquid added.
The effect that the caking agent closely replicates is the gunky and congealed consistency that a real oil slick would exhibit, but be careful to use it conservatively, you can always add more if required.
Posted in: Tracks
Click here to receive the tips weekly in your mailbox. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Related products
Related posts
-
How to clean model railways track?There is of course the old tried and tested method, the track rubber which does the job, no railway modeller should... - Is Peco track and Hornby track compatible?Peco Setrack and Peco Streamline are compatible with Hornby track as they all share the same gauge width of 16.5mm....
- How often should I clean my track?This a hard question to answer. There are no hard and fast rules about how often you should clean the track. Bear in...
- How do I cut flexible track?Once upon a time I would have said a newly bladed junior hacksaw and some warding files, but these days I would have...
- How many pieces of curved track do I need to make a circle?As we all know it takes 360 degrees to create a circle, a standard curve is 22.5 degrees and a double curve is 45...