Questions regarding stripping/painting K-Line S-2 shell

[Roger Bielen]

Hi Dr. John,

I've been told that straight Pinesol works for removing paint though I haven't tried it.  I've just finished stripping and repainting several Madisons using brake fluid.  On a couple of the cars, Williams, it took a few days of soaking and scrubbing to get them dowm to almost bare plastic.

[brianel027]

Good pointer Ed, and thanks.

Dr. John, one more pointer: on your red and white paint scheme, be sure to use a museum artisit quality non-yellowing gloss coating spray. On a couple of my older repaints: a white snowbird scheme Lehigh Valley K-Line Alco FA and a McGinnis scheme New Haven Alco FA, the white has started to yellow a bit. So I learned my lesson the hard way. It's not that these locos look bad or anything... but I notice the difference. Some might actually like the effect... almost like a weathering of the otherwise bright white color. But I now use an artist quality non-yellowing gloss, at least over anything that will have white paint.

[otftch]

Just a small adidtion to Brian's instructions on using Micro scale decal solutions.You should wash the model with warm soapy  water to remove the decal residue before spraying the decals clear.I used to just wipe the model off but have noticed some water stains on the older ones.

                                                                                                   Ed

[Sturgeon-Phish]

I've used castrol super clean with real good results for stripping paint.  I soak the item in the stuff full strength for a day or two then clean it.

Jim

[stubbsO]

Brake fluid works, and I've heard that using the 90+% isopropal alcohol works too. What I did was about a 50-50 mix of the alcohol and brake fluid, let it soak for about a half hour then take a old tooth brush and brush to help scrub it off. It took me about 2 hours of soak and scrub to get it all off. Yours may take longer, just keep working it till your happy with the results. As for the deep nooks and crannys, corners, etc. you can either use a toothpick or the like to get into the tight areas. It was kinda hard to get it all out of the tight areas for me. I wound up using a dental pick and a old dull angled box cutter blade to get the tight areas. This was on a Lionel loco body. When done, give it a good cleaning in warm soapy water, then take it from there.

Theres also this stuff which I've heard is good, but didn't want to spend the $$ for it. http://www.chameleonproductsonline.com/homepagewelcome.html   Good Luck

[Dr. John]

Brian,

Thank you! I appreciate all of the tips. If this project goes well, I'm going to repaint a Williams GP-38 in the GM&O red and white scheme.

I have both a B&O and a Dr. Pepper S-2 shell to use, but probably will use the Dr. Pepper. Good ideas on opeining windows and adding marker lights. I'll try the windows, not sure about the markers, though. 

I'll check with Microscale on the decals, although I don't think they offer the ones I need. I've used Champ before in my HO days. A bit thicker than microscale but still work okay. And I have the Champ ones on hand. 

[brianel027]

To borrow from Dr. Fu-Manchu.... (I love his typical little intro)

Dr. Brianel here, resident K-Line S-2 expert ready to tackle your question Dr. John.

I don't know what shell you have as far as road goes, but the most important thing is to remove any raised lettering and or logos. If it is one of the early unpainted shells... Proctor & Gamble, ATS&F (blk and blue shells) B&O (solid blue), C&NW (solid green), some very fine automotive sandpaper may simply do the trick. Otherwise, yes brake fluid will work.

First get the window insert out. To do this you will have to bang the back of the shell against something like a piece of homosote. You don't want to damage the shell... just loosen that window insert. You'll also want to remove the headlight lens, which should pop out though on ocassion I've had to drill it out because I couldn't get it loose. The front headlight is really a long lucite tube going from the back to the front. You'll have to be cautious when removing this to not break it. But I don't worry about that because I install an actual headlight instead. Remove the decorative horn and bell too. Now you're ready for the brake fluid soak which will probably take a good 24 hours.

You should then be able to use a toothbrush and remove most if not all of the prior paint and lettering. Then you want to wash the shell real good in warm dish water soap. Now is also a good time to make any modifications to the shell. A Lionel metal decorative horn can be added in place of the K-Line one, so you'll need a slightly bigger hole. Likewise a decorative bell from a basic Lionel steamer can be added too, or a nicer ornamental bell from a better Lionel steamer. The Train Tender (Jeff Kane) has had these parts in the past. You can also use GG-1 marker lens to add red marker lights to the back of the cab. To add them to the front, you'll have to install an addtional light. I have also used Model Power 12v red GOW bulbs and added actual working marker lights to many of my S-2's and Alco FA's.

You can also cut open the door window on the back of the cab. Make a center pilot hole with a very small drill bit, then use a larger one and get the hole bigger. Then using agood quality jewelers file, square off the opening. Or smooth it out and leave it as a round porthole type window.

There are several brands of commercial spray paint I can recommend if you can find them. All of the following work with no ill-affects:

Spray-N-Go, Perfect Paint, Krylon Fusion, Krylon Shortcuts, Krylon Acrylic, Platic-Kote Odds-N-Ends are amooung the plastic safe brands I have found. You can use something like Rustoleum, but only once you have completely primed the shell with a plastic safe primer.

Use a dark color (but not black) to do the priming. Gray or rust are fine, and the red color you want as a final color should go over either one of these nicely. If you were going to use yellow as a final color, I would recommend using a quick covering a white primer over the gray to help with less coats of yellow being needed.

Follow the instructions and let the paint completely dry. One thing I like about the Spray-N-Go brand is that it dries in 10 minutes.... I love that advantage. Other colors can take a good day. Always let the color dry for a day anyways before beginning the decal process. I would also gloss coat the shell once before beginning the decal process. Decals go on and adhere better to a high gloss surface.

I would recommend checking out the MicroScale website and looking for their brand first. I've used the Champ Decals too, but I think MicroScale are the very best quality out there, and go on with the least possibility of "decal lines" showing. Many times heards off larger HO locos or large hi-cube box cars will work well for the semi-scale S-2 shell. I'll buy more decals than I think I need and try to get a variety so that I have options once I get to the decal process. Make sure you have a bottle of both the red and the blue Microscale decal solution.... red is stronger and will help with setting the decals into crevices, etc.

After the decals are dry, wipe the shell down with a smooth clean damp cloth to remove any extra dried decal fluid that might potentially cause discoloration. And then completely gloss coat the shell in several light coats to protect and to help hide the decal edges.

The use Testors Dull Cote to take away the high gloss. About 3 spray coats of the Dull Cote will be needed, but that should do it. I then use Armor-All Interior Automotive Protectant to give a nice semi-sheen to the shell and to help protect it against dust and other marks that might show more easily on a flat dull coated surface.

You can also make your own new window insert out of either drafting mylar or from the plastic material from a large plastic milk bottle. You'll have to measure the shell and it helps to use a razor and metal straightedge to make the final cuts. I make one long piece and then fold it so it drops snuggly right into the shell. If you leave one window open, you can glue a piece of wood below the inside of the window and add an engineer figure.

Any more questions, feel free to ask.

[Dr. John]

I am planning on re-painting a K-Line S-2 switcher into GM&O No. 11. It's a simple dark red scheme with gold letttering from a Champ HO decal set that should fit the short S-2 well.

What is the best method to strip the old paint without damaging the plastic? Brake fluid? Easy Lift Off? Or can I remove the lettering, prime first, then paint?

I do not own an air brush, so I will use spray paint. What is a good plastic-compatible brand? Krylon?

I look forward to your input!