weathering wood ?

India ink is available at any art or craft supply store, and office suppliers as well.  It's the stuff used by caligraphers, pen and ink artists, etc.  For the record, don't spill it on yourself... It's PERMANENT!

Thanks for all the input fella's it is very usefull.  I plan on trying alot of different methods and I'll pick the one that works best for me.  Where can I get India Ink?

I've planed on using a wood roof but haven't decided yet

Thanks again

dunkard,

I made a gray-wood old building when doing model railroad structures... I mixed a made an off-white paint using white and a touch of gray, watered down the paint and washed out the wood with the mixture so that when I spread the paint it would retain some of the wood's color. 

After dry I took black india ink and watered it down and applied the ink-wash lightly to the wood with tissue, dabbing up anywhere it seemed to get too dark/heavy.  Using a dry-brush technique with the ink-wash afterward wrapped it up nicely for detail. 

Any place there might be visible nails in the wood you could then create runs streaking down from rust/rain by using a darker mix of the india ink wash and dabbing it below the nail spots using a toothpick or a very fine brush.

Will it have a rusted tin roof or any other fun weathering?

If you think you have the makings of an aged, heavily weathered building, would you like to submit to the "Wasting Away" group build? 

ajlafleche,

That's a really cool figure model.  And the bottle on the ground is a great touch!

The board walk is balsa with a stain of Payne's gray oil applied in different concentrations.

You could also try india ink mixed with rubbing alcohol. More ink, darker stain. The alcohol evaporates very quick and you can control how dark by how many layers you apply. Remember that alcohol if VERY flammable so be VERY careful. You could also try pastel chalks from your favorite art supply or craft store. Come in LOTS of colors. Some are even oil based.

dunkard_trapper:

You could use a weak tea or coffee with a wide brush followed by a clean lint free cloth. Then when that is dry (leave for a couple days) you can go back in with a wash of dark brownish black for the deep areas and let that seep into the joints etc. After that dries then go back in and give it all a once over with lighter versions using a drybrush technique to highlight the heavily worn areas.

You could also apply a few different coats of paint to give it the "really old look" in between layers mask off spots to "peel" later by placing small grains of sand with a water soaked brush. Let these dry in place and paint your next layer. Continue with the placement of the sand and paint layers as you wish. When you're finished take an old toothbrush and lightly scrub over the surface. This will dislodge the sand and leave you with a "peeled paint effect"

Cheers;

Gregory