lionel 300 hellgate bridge

[Anonymous]

ive recently aluminum bead blasted this bridge(hellgate) , it has been dissassembled and is still apart,already has been epoxy primed and now ready to paint my question is this..... should the finish be glossy, semi glossy or satin finish ??? i am going to use base coat finish system ive have never seen one that wasnt faded out do to its age dont know how lionel intended them to look if anyone out there knows please advise thanks, hank

[rlplionel]

I would use at least a semi-gloss finish on your bridge. Lionel intended these bridges to be the centerpiece of a layout, and used bright, shiny colors accordingly.

 

[Anonymous]

In my opinion I would use gloss. BTW I had good success stripping paint from prewar items using a 10% solution of caustic soda (sodium hydroxide). Nothing wrong with glass beading though. Dale Hz