Corrugated Metal Roof...

[Honger]

Howdy all,

I'm putting a corrugated metal roof on my freight loading dock and I am using aluminum foil. I'm looking for some input on weathering the roof.

I'm using aluminum foil partially because I like the thickness of it over the commercially available corrugated roof products... but mainly because I'm cheap and I like doing stuff on my own. I've thought of using some sort of photo-etching chemical to craze the finish and eat parts of the foil away. Does anyone have any knowledge/experience with this idea/technique?

Also, anyone have tips on doing some rust weathering on it? I tried just drybrushing some rust color acrylic paint over it with mixed results. I'm thinking of painting it solid gray and then drybrushing again. The brightness of the foil under the rust color just didn't look right... galvanized metal isn't that shiny afterall.

I'm also looking for any other input on corrugated metal roofs ya'll may have. Thanks beforehand for your input and thoughts.

Joel

 

[Doc Holliday]

Joel,
I don't have any weathering tips for you, but am sure interested in what others have to say. My LHS sells HO scale corrugated tin (by Campbells I think) for $8.95 for six little tiny sheets. How do you make the corrugations?

Doc

 

[Russ Bellinis]

Joel,
I don't have any weathering tips for you, but am sure interested in what others have to say. My LHS sells HO scale corrugated tin (by Campbells I think) for $8.95 for six little tiny sheets. How do you make the corrugations?

Doc

If you can find a sheet of styrene with corrugations on it, you could use the styrene as a pattern and lay the aluminum foil over it, tape down one side, and using the point from a plastic burnishing tool push the foil down into the grooves.

 

[ezdays]

If you can find a sheet of styrene with corrugations on it, you could use the styrene as a pattern and lay the aluminum foil over it, tape down one side, and using the point from a plastic burnishing tool push the foil down into the grooves.

Depends on the gauge, but someone had posted a picture a long time ago about using ribbon cable and burnishing it the way you describe.

As far as aging it using photo etchant, I'd opt to use paint and chalk to get better control over the process. You can always overpaint, it's hard to add back etched away foil..

 

[Iron Goat]

I heard from another MRR modeler, that Friskars makes a small hand tool that "corrugates" foil, thin metal, etc., and he said he had used it for making roofs. I will check out my local crafts store tomorrow and let you know.... as I think that would be a handy gadget to have.

Bob

 

[Matthyro]

There have also been posts about using a reasonably corse file and burnishing the foil with a piece of balsa wood. The files I have make good N scale roofing that way. I paint it with acrylic craft paints and usually paint them grey then when dry paint on a wash of a mix of water and burnt sienna. If the mix is right the "rust" settles where you expect it to be.

 

[James Schultz]

My wife does a lot of rubber stamping and scrapbooking, and she has a tool that she uses for corregating her cardstock. It works well. I believe it also comes in several different sizes. You can't run the stuff you're corregating through the tool too fast though or you could ruin the corregation. You can get it at any craft store like Michael's or Jo-ann Fabrics. Good luck,


Jim

 

[Gary Pfeil]

Here is a pic of a corrugated roof I did with Campbell material. Foil is no different, I use SP lark grey to paint the corrugated and rusted with several shades of rust.

Gary

 

[MasonJar]

Depends on the gauge, but someone had posted a picture a long time ago about using ribbon cable and burnishing it the way you describe.

As far as aging it using photo etchant, I'd opt to use paint and chalk to get better control over the process. You can always overpaint, it's hard to add back etched away foil..

I got some help from this thread (thanks jon, chris, etc, etc...! )

http://www.the-gauge.com/thread6647-need-suggestion-for-metal-roof.html

with these results:

http://www.the-gauge.com/thread6682-n-scale-coal-shed.html

Andrew

 

[Honger]

The ribbon cable yielded great results for you there Andrew!

Here is my first attempt:

In this picture I have a test piece glued down to some cardboard for practing my weathering and corrugation technique. Again, I drybrushed on the rust colored acrylic directly to the foil. I'm going to reattempt with a grey undercoat (Gary, that appears to have really helped yours)... and probably mix some chalks in with the acrylic to give it texture.

Doc:
I've been making my corrugations using a piece of corrugated styrene. I have some leftover Evergreen corrugated styrene from a previous project and I just burnish the foil over the grooves... works perfectly although it did tend to make the foil coil up.

 

[MasonJar]

Honger...

Looks good!

Andrew

 

[Jodam]

Honger,
I have used, ribbon cable with success, on numerous occasions for water tanks OZ style and roofing, in both N & HO.

For making switch & amplifier panels in the electronic industry, i often etched the shine off aluminium sheet to give a matt finish. a solution of Caustic Soda and water is used and the aluminiun suspended in it.
It would give a better looking Galvanised finish, with the small thickness of ally foil, a concentrated mixx applied in patches would most likely eat holes.
A bit of experimenting could produce great weathering.

The Caustic Soda crystals are available in the Soap & cleaner section of supermarkets here in OZ

A word of caution The name is accurate rubber glove & old clothes recomended.

 

[Honger]

Does anyone else know if it is sold as Caustic Soda here in the states or something else? Sounds kinda like lye to me. Anyone else weigh in?

 

[Doc Holliday]

Honger,
I don't know what Caustic Soda is, but you might give lemon juice a try. I put in shiny galvanized tin countertops and my wife spilled some lemon juice. Took the sheen right off. Maybe it just reacted wit the galvanizing though.
Doc

 

[Jodam]

Caustic Soda is "Sodium Hydroxide" sold as a solution by Dow Chemicals for our purpose a stronger solution is better.
I did a web search for Caustic soda, to get this info.
Hope it's helpful,
Damien.