Hi, I am having a heck of a time with the pepaint of my Lionel 671
Following sugestions I read on here I tried the following-
I have stripped the shell with oven cleaner, degreased it with acetone and used krylon semi gloss black, it flaked off right away.
I then restripped it and used etching primer and it flaked off again also the paint dried too glossy,
last I stripped it again & tried epoxy paint from VHT (they make heavy duty paint for cars & motorcycle frames etc) it dried too glossy and still chips off easily.
I am at a loss as what to do with this shell, is there an easy way to prep the cast zinc for painting
is there a step I am missing? I have lots of experiance with building models & restoring full size cars and have never ran into an issue like this before....please help!
-Jason
The exact paint match for the black Lionel locomotives (and any other Lionel or American Flyer color) is made by TCA member Charles Wood. After stripping, follow instructions, it calls for #100 gray primer and then use #225 enamel paint (Lionel black satin)(it's listed under "Most Popular Colors"). You can air dry or bake at 150 degrees for 10 minutes.
www.trainenamel.com
turn up the sound, the music is good
Don U. TCA 73-5735
I have repainted many lionel steamers and have never seen paint "flake off" as you say. Whether you use primer or don't , it doesn't make much difference. Repainting the shell will never achieve the thickness of old Lionel paint so it may chip some what easily. What are you doing to make them chip? I usually lay on 3 coats of paint, that seems to help. That means after each coat dries, then add another. If you have a tractor supply near you buy yourself some Valspar brand tractor and implement paint. It dries with a low gloss and looks great. Very durable too. I don't like Charles Woods paint. There are many paints that will do the job well, like "SEM" paint, Krylon 1613, if you can find it. Krylon ultra flat black, and then spray on WD-40 and work in with a brush, then hand rub it. I use either the SEM or Valspar tractor and implement paint on mine. Make sure you spray extra paint on sharp edges like below the cab and the catwalks. Lionel actually dipped their boiler shells into a 55 gallon barrel of thick paint and let them drip until dry. That is why it lasted so long.
Roger
Using acetone (commonly found as nail polish remover) can be causing the reaction. After stripping try using white vinegar and water to wash the shell. Use either lacquer thinner or 99% IA to wipe the shell down. It's possible the acetone left a residue that attacked the paint.
It is quite possible that the acetone is causing your paint problem. Acetone dissolves paint, and any residue may cause problems with the new coat of paint. Suggest using naphtha (lighter fluid) for all degreasing, as it does not attack paint, or dissolve plastic.
George Tebolt carries train paints for various manufacturers. Scroll down to bottom. I have used his paints successfully.
Larry
I use 99% Isopropyl alcohol prep for painting. It's worked on diecast shells and plastic shells and I've never had a paint flaking issue. I also agree that it's probably the acetone that's causing your problems.
After I strip one, I just wash it with dish soap and a brush. Never had a problem later.
Thanks for all the replys
I think I'll skip the acetone, it might be stuck in the voids of the metal and that might the problem, I have had issues with lacquer thinner leaving a residue before so I'll try just soapy water or 90% alchohol.
I actually had thought about dipping the shell like original but it would use more paint than I need right now LOL!
Thanks again everyone, I might also try the tractor supply paint - good tip.
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