Aging - for a more realistic look...

[Soapz]

So, I have way too much time on my hands and thought it might be a good idea to talk about making the houses look more realistic. Do you have the ultimate tips for making your houses more realistic looking? (Yes, I spent a few hours on Otterine's blog...)

I thought this could be something to share here in one thread. Any tips on aging wood, metals, painted siding, roof tiles, etc... I'm not talking decay, just a bit of age so it looks real.

I've been looking into dulling brass fixtures with ammonia and copper pennies and wax rubs. But, I decided to give a brass darkening solution a go. I don't like the shiny new look of brass lamps for my house. I will post before and after photos of the lamp. (when it all gets here.... hahaha)

Anyhow, anyone want to share?

[havanaholly]

Do you have a brass darkening solution recipe?

Here are two recipes for bug juice (for aging wood):

1. With a hammer and nail poke holes into a large jar lid, put a steel wool pad into the jar (fluff it up a bit; do NOT use a soap pad), fill the jar with plain ammonia to cover the steel wool, cover the top of the jar with the lid and set it somewhere dark and ventilated for a couple of weeks.

2. Fill a small jar with isopropyl alcohol at least half full. Drip India ink into it by droppersful until the desired silvery color is achieved on a piece of scrapwood.

I aged Emma's kitchen stove with burnt and raw siena paint washes and grated chalk pastels in gray: http://www.greenleafdollhouses.com/forum/index.php?app=gallery&image=39290 I think I described somewhere how I aged the cookware when I painted it.

[Soapz]

Aging Brass:

If lacquered: Remove lacquer with acetone.

Fill container with water, add copper penny and immerse brass piece in water without touching the penny. I have not tried this, so the ruling is out on this one.

[Deb]

I have bunches of tuts on aging because it's one of my favorite things to do. To dollhouses, I mean, not myself. LOL!

Here's one for creating a weathered patina. I used a rocking chair for the tut but the same process can be used on anything from furniture to shingles to walls.

http://www.greenleafdollhouses.com/dollhouse_news/APR2012/weathered-miniatures.html

Here's one for aging shingles by Tracy's daughter Rachel.

http://www.greenleafdollhouses.com/dollhouse_news/DEC2008/dollhouse-roofiing.html

This is a toofer with one tut for crumbling plaster walls and another for a newspaper insulated attic:

http://www.greenleafdollhouses.com/dollhouse_news/JAN2009/Greenleaf-Dollhouse-Kits-JAN-2009.html

This issue has another toofer in it. Tracy and I thought it would be fun if we both did our own version of how to distress plank siding so there are two methods here:

http://www.greenleafdollhouses.com/dollhouse_news/MAR2009/Greenleaf-Dollhouse-Kits-MAR-2009.html

How about a rusty tin roof?

http://www.greenleafdollhouses.com/dollhouse_news/MAY2009/rusty-dollhouse-roof.html

[Caseymini]

I use the formula that I learned from Noel Thomas back in the 80s. It is less toxic than the ammonia kind. It's simply any kind of metal that will rust. I have used nails as well as steel wool and the only other ingredient is vinegar. It works with both white and cider vinegar. I have used both. Let it sit in a bottle for a couple of days until, when tested, it's a color that you like. Then brush on the shingles.

[fov]

I'm not sure if this qualifies as a tip, since I only did it once, but I had some vinyl bricks on my Gull Bay that looked way too clean and pink. I wanted to age them but also didn't want to introduce any new color elements to the house, so I brushed on the same gray oil-based stain that I used for the shingles. It gave them a nice dingy look. (Doesn't have to be stain, a wash of gray paint mixed with water would have had a similar effect.)

Here's a before and after - the chimney on the left has had stain applied, the one on the right hasn't.

[havanaholly]

Casey, I think I'll try your bug juice recipe next time, since the odor of apple cider vinegar is a lot pleasanter than that of ammonia, and DH & I drink it with honey every AM.

[Caseymini]

Holly, you're right vinegar is a much nicer drink than ammonia. Just be sure to take the steel wool out before you drink it. You might get it caught in your throat!LOL

[shannonc60]

For aging anything and everything, I use a water based antiquing or gel stain medium, or make my own using water based paint in chosen colour and a retarding or extending medium. I brush onto the item (sometimes I will wet my brush, sometimes not), maybe leave for 30 seconds or so and then wipe off with a damp sponge. Using a light coloured antiquing medium will enhance an item's lines, rather than making it too grungy. Using darker colours will obviously make it age. I find these types of media easier to work than just a watered down paint as they give you more control (ie thicker) and won't dry as quickly.

[Debra from Olde Cape Cod]

Where would I get a retarding or extending medium? Is it sold with the bottle acrylics or over in the artist's supplies?

[Dalesq]

Vinegar is my agent of choice for creating the patina on the copper roofs I've done on both Smokey's Place and the Big Tennyson

http://www.greenleafdollhouses.com/forum/index.php?app=gallery&image=93992

http://www.greenleafdollhouses.com/forum/index.php?app=gallery&image=92182

[shannonc60]

Yep, retardant or extender are sold in the same little bottles as the acrylic paints. I usually get the Plaid Folk Art brand ( largely because that's what the local craft store stocked). You could also use the Jo Sonia gel medium (I think that's what it's called) but I could only get it in a giant bottle and it wasn't cheap.

[Debra from Olde Cape Cod]

Thank-you Shannon! I have a couple of tables to crackle for Vincent and it would be nice to have more working time....

[Selkie]

Where would I get a retarding or extending medium? Is it sold with the bottle acrylics or over in the artist's supplies?

I have plenty of "retarding" (my ongoing can't remember .... ) solution and boat loads of "extending" (my hips) solution and it's all packed in the box labeled "Lost Marbles" where I keep the spares for time like this when I've totally lost mine! I can share some if you'd like. It's free!

Oops! That's not really what was being discussed here, now was it? Sorry, the temptation was too great and I couldn't stop myself.

[CheckMouse]

I'm still learning on this aging process (in minis!) and am not real happy with the way my old cabin turned out. But I did learn a trick or two on aging fabric, as I wanted old and tattered curtains in the cabin. I took the used coffee grounds out of my coffee pot, put them in a bowl, and added some hot water. I let that steep for a few minutes, then soaked the fabric in the mixture for about 10 minutes (adjust time as needed). Placed the curtain on a paper towel, shaped it, and let it dry.

This picture shows the yellow-checked fabric I started with on the left, and the aged curtain on the right. Before hanging it I put some rips and tears in it, and sprayed it with hairspray to hold the shape.

I did this with a piece of lace curtain also, and the coffee grounds got trapped in the holes of the lace. After it was dry, I gently brushed off the bigger pieces, and left the tiny ones there.

[havanaholly]

I had read somewhere to use old coffee grounds or tea leaves to steep and age fabrics.

[Debra from Olde Cape Cod]

In one of my books, the lady actually rubbed a used teabag on the folds of an apron to age it more...

[Soapz]

Great tips - thanks everyone. Keep them coming - if anyone remembers older threads about this topic, link them here - it will make it easier to navigate for everyone.

[Cheverly]

Vinegar is my agent of choice for creating the patina on the copper roofs I've done on both Smokey's Place and the Big Tennyson

http://www.greenleafdollhouses.com/forum/index.php?app=gallery&image=93992

http://www.greenleafdollhouses.com/forum/index.php?app=gallery&image=92182

Thanks for posting these! I've been wondering how to handle the patina since I want to do it on both my Victorian bays.

[welcomehomeminis]

I used to use tea—and, believe it or not, lemon juice (on paper or fabric), held over a flame, which looks quite nice—to age things. But both are highly acidic, and so not stable long-term. You know how scrapbooking supplies all yell loudly about being acid-free? That's because over time acidified stuff crumbles, like old wood-pulp newspaper. So adding more acid an cause troubles down the line.

Now I fake everything I want aged—with various mixes of stain, or acrylic paints, or watercolors, or pastels (and a spray fixative), or artist's illustration pens (nice tutorial on that here— http://www.miniatures.com/Webpage.aspx?WebpageId=1583 ), or pigment inks (like they use in rubber stamping). Anything that can add color and also stays stable.