I just got finished with my re-restoration of my AF Royal Blue.
Just as a reminder, here's what it looked like before I ever started:
And here's after my original restoration:
It looked alright, but the lettering was the wrong type, the paint was obviously thin in quite a few places, and I didn't strip the old paint off. You can't see it here, but the old paint showed through quite a bit.
And here's now!
I don't know about the rest of you, but I think it looks a lot better than my first attempt. Smooth and bold paint, proper pre-war lettering, and a glossier finish. I actually stripped the shells completely this time so the fresh paint would be smoother (lacquer thinner worked great on this one. The old paint turned to dust in minutes!!). I did more work on the handrails and ladder this time to brighten and shine them up more, and they're also lacquer coated so they won't tarnish or rust again. It also has the proper pilot wheels now instead of the freight car wheels I had on there before. The Krylon Royal Blue is a bit lighter than the AF Royal Blue, but not nearly as much as the pictures make it out to be.
I should also have the freight cars finished pretty soon. The paint and everything on the Shell tanker and caboose are good, but I re-did the boxcar (the old white was too tough for lacquer thinner, so I had to use a brass wire wheel). Once I have the numbers, I'll give the cars a finishing gloss coat, and then they'll be done!
I'm overall much happier with how everything's turning out now.
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Darth,
That is a beauty! I can appreciate the work and effort you took to restore this gorgeous locomotive. The finish is smooth! You state that you applied Krylon. Did you purchase the pint/quart cans and apply it with a spray gun?
"I like my Pullman Standards & Budds in Stainless Steel flavors, thank you!"
Very nice indeed. It was your train that brought me here - I bought a basket case 350 off e-bay in July. A local "train expert" had the train for three months to clean it, put it back in running order, and restore it with the understanding this was to be a gift for my Father-in-law.
After three months the only difference is the container it was delivered in. I brought it in a box, got it back wrapped in newspaper. It still doesn't run, the pain job looks awful - it wasn't stripped, the rails were painted over, it's just a wreck.
All that to ask - I need a primer in taking this thing apart. Is there a manual that is better than others, or specific instructions you could give for removing the front rails and such?
Where did you get the lettering? Exact part numbers would be very much appreciated.
Nope, I just bought a less than $3 9oz. spray can from the local Ace Hardware. That paint's a really good value with the amount and finish you get.
Darth, I can't pretend to be a savvy judge, but it looks first class to me.
Crandell
Beautiful work
Jim
no train guyI bought a basket case 350 off e-bay in July. A local "train expert" had the train for three months to clean it, put it back in running order, and restore it with the understanding this was to be a gift for my Father-in-law. After three months the only difference is the container it was delivered in. I brought it in a box, got it back wrapped in newspaper. It still doesn't run, the pain job looks awful - it wasn't stripped, the rails were painted over, it's just a wreck. All that to ask - I need a primer in taking this thing apart. Is there a manual that is better than others, or specific instructions you could give for removing the front rails and such? Where did you get the lettering? Exact part numbers would be very much appreciated.
Wow, I guess you've really got to be careful with some of those "experts". Some people just don't care.
I actually found a website a few days ago that has diagrams for the post-war 350 Royal Blue. You can see them here: http://www.hobbysurplus.com/xviews/350sstrmHSS.asp It's not the clearest I've ever seen, but it should give you a basic idea.
To take the chassis out, you have to remove two screws behind the cylinders. It should slide forward just a little after that and lift out. You'll probably have to take the headlight out with it. The handrails are fairly simple to remove. They're held on by bending the metal back on the inside. Just unbend it with some fine (but sturdy) pliers and they should push right out.
As for the lettering, I got it from The Train Tender. The part numbers for post-war 350 lettering are 350ADS or 350ADS2, depending on which version you have. The lettering is made with fine self-adhesive stickers, so you have to have clean hands when putting them on and you have to make sure you get them right where you want before sticking them down (and you have to work slowly to avoid trapped air bubbles). Here's a picture the owner of Train Tender sent me a while ago:
Hope this helps!
Nice restoration it looks great. I need to do the same to mine now!
Darth, I'm in the middle of restoring the exact same Royal Blue consist that you just did except the I'm missing the tank car (for now). Yours looks great and I hope that mine looks as good as yours when I'm done.
Thanks all for the compliments. SkyArcher, if you take your time to do things right, I'm sure yours can look just as good.
It took some trying, but I finally got a photo of the Royal Blue's real color (all those other ones were pretty washed out).
As you can see, the Krylon paint is actually extremely close to the American Flyer paint. It just reflects the light in a way that makes it easier to get washed out in pictures.
That is beautiful. That Krylon color looks spot on to the original to me. If you are thinking of repainting the white rings around the headlight, a white medium Elmer's Paint Pen (available in the craft section of Walmart) works great.
Great job, your Royal Blue looks awesome. I use Krylon paints in my old Corvette restoration. They are like professional grade rattle cans if there is such a thing.
Thanks for sharing,
George
That looks beautiful! Good work!
Darth.......beautiful. With the before and after pictures, stunning.
Jack.
IF IT WON'T COME LOOSE BY TAPPING ON IT, DON'T TRY TO FORCE IT. USE A BIGGER HAMMER.
First let me say that Royal Blue looks fantastic! Color match is great in my opinion..
Couple things about paint and decals I thought I'd add in.
Rattle cans always seem to act better when warmed up in a bowl of hot/warm water first. This increases the pressure in the can which will help it to atomize better and I believe it helps the paint to flow out a bit better.
For decals did anyone ever try wet application? I used to do vinyl lettering and almost always wet applied it to get a smooth application. Wet application also allows you to reposition and to work out any air bubbles. Once applied, positioned and smoothed out it's best to leave it sit over night so as not to disturb the decal until the water evaporates. BTW a wetting agent can be made with rubbing alcohol, dish detergent (just a drop or two) and water.
Lover of all things Gilbert, truly a man ahead of his time.
Very, very nice work.
Glad you preserved after the first try was not up to your standards. I think that it demonstrates the need to strip off all of the old paint, right down to the metal.
I have used the Krylon spray can paints myself on some plastic cantilever bridges on my HO layout., It does a thorough and even application, even on hard to reach parts. A word of caution, though, on using Krylon spray can paints. You need to spray horizontally, straight at the target, because the spray is slightly spotty. If you spray down on the target from above, droplets of paint can fall on the target and mar the surface.
Rich
Alton Junction
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