Trains.com

Painting an old Lionel steam engine

7658 views
6 replies
1 rating 2 rating 3 rating 4 rating 5 rating
  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, November 30, 2005 2:56 PM
The Krylon sticks well-I sanded the old shell here and there. I put several light coats on-probably 6 or so, letting each dry well. After the 6 more coats of Dullcoat, it should take anything.
Tom
  • Member since
    December 2003
  • From: Baltimore, MD, USA
  • 263 posts
Posted by 4kitties on Wednesday, November 30, 2005 10:49 AM
Just wondering, do any of you have problems with paint adhesion when using the Krylon? I use it on vintage electric fan blades which gives them an excellent appearance, but the paint doesn't adhere nearly as well as the factory paint, and it scratches fairly easily. I would think that would be a big problem on something like a locomotive that's handled a lot. Have you found it to be an issue, and how do you get around it?

Joel
  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, November 29, 2005 1:39 PM
The Krylon is the way to go. I had an old 2055 chassis with a 2063 shell. I repainted and relettered it to 2055. Use the krylon w/ many coats (thin). Then buy dry transfers-they are abot $5 for a sheet of many differnet size numbers. Buy a can of Testors Dullcoat and give it several more coats over the numbers to seal and protect. It looks great and is as durable as a rubber tamp from what I can tell.
  • Member since
    January 2005
  • From: New England
  • 6,241 posts
Posted by Jumijo on Monday, November 28, 2005 5:30 AM
Krylon Semi-Flat Black is a perfect choice. It dries very fast and looks perfect on an old steamer.

Jim

Modeling the Baltimore waterfront in HO scale

  • Member since
    May 2005
  • 382 posts
Posted by trigtrax on Monday, November 28, 2005 4:50 AM
A company named InsulX High Gloss makes a completely flat black alkyd based paint. (odd name I know). I've used this for special order projects. One drawback is you've got to handle the finished project with cotton gloves to avoid leaving finger prints.
If I were to redo a post war steam engine I'd use this. It would produce a painted engine perfectly matching the chemicaly blackened parts. Then I'd give the whole thing a coat of Armor-All. Instant Mint [}:)]
  • Member since
    December 2004
  • 3,176 posts
Posted by csxt30 on Sunday, November 27, 2005 2:50 PM
http://www.olsenstoytrainparts.com/
This place should have the right paint and possibly a rubber stamp for the number. There are some more sites, & hope this helps !
  • Member since
    November 2002
  • From: US
  • 2 posts
Painting an old Lionel steam engine
Posted by dicknich on Sunday, November 27, 2005 2:26 PM
Please recommend a black model paint for restoring old Lionel steam engine. Want to avoid a vivd dark black. Need something to blend in with other old engines. Also, how do I restore the number on the cab? Thanks.

Join our Community!

Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.

Search the Community

FREE EMAIL NEWSLETTER

Get the Classic Toy Trains newsletter delivered to your inbox twice a month