Weathering Tires

[MrBuick]

Quick question...I found this great tutorial from Dr Cranky's Lab on youtube about weathering tires, but he didn't mention what grit paper works best for this, or if there are different grits depending on how weathered you want to make the tires appear. Can anyone elaborate on their preferences? 

 

Here is the video I'm speaking of https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=az8GGzObtxA&list=PLFB4DF65CB083B434&index=12

[Ace-Garageguy]

Over the past roughly 50 years I've found 180 grit wet-or-dry paper to be my favorite for giving a very realistic used look to tire treads. 

If you have tires that have a mold-seam down the middle, my preference is to start with 80 grit dry to rid the tire of the seam, and the step that sometimes occurs, and to follow that with the 180.

I don't do it like the Crankster (though his method works fine). I'll just assemble a wheel and a back in the tire (to support the edges) and simply slide it along a piece of the appropriate-grit paper that's been stuck to the bench, as if the tire was doing a burnout, turning it frequently. 

The results:

[Foxer]

I'll just assemble a wheel and a back in the tire (to support the edges) and simply slide it along a piece of the appropriate-grit paper that's been stuck to the bench, as if the tire was doing a burnout, turning it frequently. 

 

 

Yeah, that's the way I like to do it and rotate the tire in my hands as I stroke to keep it even.

[Snake45]

I like either 280 or FRESH 320 grit on a foam-backed Red Devil sanding block bought at a hardware store. Been weathering treads with this setup for a couple decades now.

[espo]

All great ideas. Another is to pickup some ladies finger nail sanding sticks. They are usually very inexpensive and most drug store or even the market carries them. As pointed out the very fine ones if you're doing the side walls. Another thought, After sanding the tread mask it off with tape and lightly spray flat clear on the side walls.  

[Ace-Garageguy]

A builder of spectacular truck models (whose work I'm pretty sure I saw on this forum) uses a glass-bead blaster to take the shine off his sidewalls. His truck tires are absolutely realistic in appearance.

[MrBuick]

All great ideas. Another is to pickup some ladies finger nail sanding sticks. They are usually very inexpensive and most drug store or even the market carries them. As pointed out the very fine ones if you're doing the side walls. Another thought, After sanding the tread mask it off with tape and lightly spray flat clear on the side walls.  

Thanks for the tips guys. Espo, what effect does the light clear achieve...just helping to make the sidewalls look more realistic? 

[Snake45]

I should have added that I've never sanded or weathered sidewalls, but I hear that if you want to do this, something like Comet cleaner on a toothbrush works well.

[espo]

Most of the kit tires have an almost to shinny appearance on the sidewalls. I think that the flat clear from Tamiya gives a more realistic look. I have also found that if you have used any type of white wall or raised lettering treatment the chance of smudges are minimalized. I'm finishing a model now that I'm using the reissued Good Year tires on. On a previous build I some how whipped off a couple of the letters on the tires and really lost the look I was going for.  This has not been a problem since I started doing the flat clear. Try it on a spare tire and see what you think.     

[NOBLNG]

On 2/9/2016 at 9:57 PM, Ace-Garageguy said:

A builder of spectacular truck models (whose work I'm pretty sure I saw on this forum) uses a glass-bead blaster to take the shine off his sidewalls. His truck tires are absolutely realistic in appearance.

I found this thread after trying my sand blaster on some tires from a Revell Jeep kit. First I rounded the edges of the lugs a bit with a file and took down the center mold seam (not quite enough?). Then blasted them lightly with the crushed glass that I have in my cabinet.

[Straightliner59]

35 minutes ago, NOBLNG said:

I found this thread after trying my sand blaster on some tires from a Revell Jeep kit. First I rounded the edges of the lugs a bit with a file and took down the center mold seam (not quite enough?). Then blasted them lightly with the crushed glass that I have in my cabinet.

 

 

 

 

I've not seen much better than that! Looks great!

[Bills72sj]

I use the sandpaper taped to the bench method too. Since I have a mini-lathe, I may experiment using it.