# good mortar lines



## hokie1525

Painting an HO scale building. I'm having trouble getting the mortar wash to work. I did get it to look ok in my last building, but not my current one. The trouble I'm having is if I dilute too much then it doesn't really show up. Not enough dilute and it puts a film on the building that doesn't come off without taking off the paint underneath (I use acrylics, FYI). 

Any thoughts on technique? I thought I got my first building right so I didn't have to wipe anything off.


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## CTValleyRR

My best advice is to step back and take a realistic look. Does it REALLY not show up? Or is it not as pronounced as you think it should be when you get your eyes right up to it. Try this: take a building on which you have not yet applied the wash. Do one wall. From a distance of 5 feet, compare the adjacent walls. The one you have washed will look like brick, the unwashed wall won't. I also see that you're trying to get the walls paint free while the mortar lines are colored. That will never happen. No matter what technique you use, some pigment will remain on the walls on the bricks.

I use acrylic paints too. My wash consists of 1 part Vallejo Acrylic (canvas, ivory, or stone gray, depending on the look I want) and 4 parts thinner. Vallejo Acrylics are creamy consistency; for runnier paints, use less thinner. Make sure the wall you are going to do is dead flat and level. Apply the wash with a wide, very soft brush (my brush is 1/2"), allowing it to flow into the mortar lines. If you end up with a large blob of wash, you can spread it with the brush, or use the point of a small brush to absorb it (the corner of a paper towel or rag also works). Let this dry COMPLETELY (24 hours is a good bet). Then you can do the other walls (or do this before assembly). Most of the wash will settle into the mortar lines, subtly highlighting them. It will NOT look like you brush painted the lines, in most cases. Your bricks will appear lighter than before, so try using a somewhat darker color than you want the final one to be.

I have also seen mortar lines painted by putting a dollop of paint at one edge and wiping it across the model with a rag. Again, this will leave some pigment on the faces of the bricks, but most in the motar lines.

Others report using a powder like joint compound or grout. Again, some of it will stay in the faces of the bricks, most will collect in the mortar lines.

All of these techniques work much better on models where the mortar lines have good definition and real depth.

And, as with all works of art, it can't be rushed. Take the time necessary to do it right. You can always do a second application if the original doesn't look dark enough.


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## DonR

CTvalley, as usual, offers some very helpful suggestions.

I had the same type of mortar problem and solved it
by painting the bricks, then spraying with a matte clear
paint. That locked the brick color and I could then wipe
on the mortar and after it set, wipe off the brick color without
damaging them. You want it uneven anyway, if it's an
older building, maybe even a stair step brighter or darker
where the bricks separated slightly.

Don


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## thedoc

hokie1525 said:


> Painting an HO scale building. I'm having trouble getting the mortar wash to work. I did get it to look ok in my last building, but not my current one. The trouble I'm having is if I dilute too much then it doesn't really show up. Not enough dilute and it puts a film on the building that doesn't come off without taking off the paint underneath (I use acrylics, FYI).
> 
> Any thoughts on technique? I thought I got my first building right so I didn't have to wipe anything off.



You could apply the mortar color first and let it dry, then apply the brick color with a roller but experiment with the softness of the roller and the pressure used, just enough to apply the color to the surface but not enough to press the roller down into the groves. I am assuming that you are using a brick material that has mortar joints recessed from the brick surface.


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## hokie1525

thedoc said:


> You could apply the mortar color first and let it dry, then apply the brick color with a roller but experiment with the softness of the roller and the pressure used, just enough to apply the color to the surface but not enough to press the roller down into the groves. I am assuming that you are using a brick material that has mortar joints recessed from the brick surface.


Interesting advice. It would have to be a very firm roller, and it would probably have to be the analogue to "dry brushing", to keep paint from falling onto the mortar. Would be very difficult and would require a lot of practice and experimenting with technique and tools.

Also read about using pastel chalk to paint the bricks, rather than a brush. Since I spray prime with gray, that could work nicely. Would still require some practice but maybe I'll try that on my next building.


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## sstlaure

I don't paint - I use weathering chalks smeared on with my finger then lock down with matte clear.....Here's an example.

I also paint the whole building with red flat primer to get the brick effect prior to weathering.


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## MtRR75

hokie1525 said:


> Painting an HO scale building. I'm having trouble getting the mortar wash to work. I did get it to look ok in my last building, but not my current one. The trouble I'm having is if I dilute too much then it doesn't really show up. Not enough dilute and it puts a film on the building that doesn't come off without taking off the paint underneath (I use acrylics, FYI).
> 
> Any thoughts on technique? I thought I got my first building right so I didn't have to wipe anything off.


I did this on one of my structures. I made the wash so thin that it would run off. So I laid the pieces flat and then applied the wash. Most of it ran into the mortar cracks. Had to wait a while for it to dry completely. Then I took a fine cotton tip (not the ear q-tips, but the tiny ones that Hobby Lobby sells for artists to use), and dampened the tip and used it to polish the bricks that had too much wash on their surface. A little time consuming, but my building was quite small.


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## tiger

sstlaure said:


> I don't paint - I use weathering chalks smeared on with my finger then lock down with matte clear.....Here's an example. I also paint the whole building with red flat primer to get the brick effect prior to weathering.


Thanks for the visual reminder of how pathetic my 1:1 scale bricklaying skills are.


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## mike kennedy

*mortar lines*

here are some pics of my first effort for mortar lines...and I like the look very much. I'm building a roundhouse using a Korber kit. I mixed up some sheetrock mud with dark grey waterbased paint to get the mortar color. I applied this goo with a 1" el cheapo bristle brush and as soon as I completed a panel I wiped off the excess mud with a DRY paper towel, leaving the mortar joints full and a pretty good residue on the bricks...this took about an hour for all sixteen panels...let them dry overnight and removed most but not all of the residue with ooo [very fine] steel wool. First pic is at this point. Then sprayed with Rustoleum clear matte which are the next two pics. I like the end result, a little grimy looking which is right for a roundhouse...once it's up I'll decide if I want some grimy/sooty black on it...probably on the arches.


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## Patrick1544

Mortar looks good!


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## MtRR75

Looks fine. The unevenness makes it more realistic.


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## thedoc

The appearance of Brick work will vary with age and history. Fresh laid bricks have a new look, freshly sandblasted and pointed will look similar but the bricks may be more rounded. On older brick buildings the color of the bricks sometimes "bleeds" onto the mortar and the whole wall has the same color.


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## Ron045

I used lightweight spackle on this station. Spread it on and wipe off as much as you want with a damp cloth.

I especially liked where it built up on the three distinct layers and seemed to create a line across the whole building.

Have Fun!
Ron


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## Patrick1544

Looks good. nice job.


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