Nicotine yelllow

[Pete Williams]

not having a very good eye for colour matching or mixing, I was wondering if anyone knew a source of 'Nicotine yellow' paint that would give that certain 'kippered'  tint to once-white painted surfaces.
I HAVE tried looking on the net, but apart from a expensive aerosol used in stage productions all I can find are methods of covering the discolouration but not one for creating the effect.

[jimowers]

Of course you could always side-step this problem by modelling 21st Century preserved railways as we have tried recently where smoking is banned   ;D

[Graeme Dunbar]

Colours are far from absolute. As well as being affected by the undercoat they are also affected by colours around them and the lighting. The area being covered will also have an effect. Colour in a large block looks different to colour in a detail.

It is quite likely that the final effect will depend on the surface and paint type. A treatment that looks spot on on one surface may not on another. Possibilities are building up washes of dilute brown ink or paint, misting with an airbrush or possibly even applying weathering powders or scrapings from artist's chalks.

[Stefan Krebs]

Dear Pete,

I would try extremely diluted tea (an a scrap piece). The challenge would be to avoid the 'rim', i.e. tea stains collect their colour at the edge as they dry, whereas nicotine stains and natural fading (yellowing of white happen evenly. I have a van I built 35 years ago, and I sealed the decals   with varnish, which has yellowed over the years (don't ask which varnish, it was a spray can). So, if you got the patience there is a way to achieve the most realistic effect, ahem.  :laugh:

Cheers
Waldschrat