Hope you all don't mind if I start a new post rather than bury this question on technique in my original post on DPM structures.
The amazing photos convinced me. And because I found a good price and really good combined shipping from a seller on Ebay, I now have eleven DPM structures on my work table to build.
I saw one posting that suggested spraying the walls with the trim colour first and then painting the brickwork as this would be easier. That looks like it makes sense to me.
What type of paint do you all recommend for the job....just basic acrylic? Also Krylon has a line of paint that is specifically for plastic, but I would have to spray that on and then paint the tirm with a brush.
I'll provide my technique for brick buildings. It takes some time, but not all that much, and the results are pretty good.
First, you need to square off and trim the walls. This is necessary because, as you'll notice, the wall castings are quite thick, and the beveled edges are necessary to remove the pieces from the molds.
Next, I spray the insides of the walls flat black. I like to illuminate my structures, so I don't want glow-through. Given the thickness of the walls, this probably isn't going to be an issue with DPM's, but for thinner walls this is a good practice.
The basic brick color is chosen from the "primer" aisle at Lowe's or Home Depot. I usually use rust primer, but others are available. Or, you can brush on cheap acrylics in a variety of colors. After the base coat is dry, I do the trim with acrylics using a small brush. (Initially, this was very difficult for me, but with some practice my hand became steadier.) If you have a large section you want in a different color, you can mask parts of the building with paper and blue painters' tape, and then spray with a different color, too.
Mortar is next. I rub dry Hydrocal powder (used for plaster castings) into the mortar lines. Then, lay all the pieces out flat and spray water (using a misting sprayer) horizontally above the walls, so that you don't spray the walls directly, but rather let the water "rain" down on the walls. This keeps the water from disturbing the hydrocal. After an hour or two, the hydrocal will set and you will freak out, because it is such a bright white shade and it looks terrible. Take a damp paper towel and rub the walls, to remove the excess on the brick faces. Then, put a few drops of India Ink in a half-cup of water, and brush this on the walls. The hydrocal will absorb this gray wash and tone down a lot. I usually tilt the walls up at a 45-degree angle at this point, to allow the excess wash to settle naturally to the bottom.
If you're happy with the results, you can assemble the building at this point. I usually like to give the walls a spray of Dul-Cote at this point, to seal the hydrocal and give the whole thing a flatter look. If I'm going to add decals to the walls, like I do for a lot of my buildings, I put the decals on first and seal them with the Dul-Cote.
Oh, the roof. Most DPM's come with a rectangle of white styrene. I cut it to shape, and use balsa wood strips inside the walls to support it in place. Then, it's back to the hardware store for a spray can of black speckled paint. This stuff is more expensive than the primer, but one can will do a lot of buildings. Give the roof a nice even coat. I like to touch it up with weathering powders to get rid of the uniform look, and then seal the whole roof with Dul-Cote.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
I have seen your results in my other post. Your technique seems great.
Never thought about the mortar. The Hydocal sounds like a good idea.
Thanks for sharing.
Otis Hope you all don't mind if I start a new post rather than bury this question on technique in my original post on DPM structures. The amazing photos convinced me. And because I found a good price and really good combined shipping from a seller on Ebay, I now have eleven DPM structures on my work table to build. I saw one posting that suggested spraying the walls with the trim colour first and then painting the brickwork as this would be easier. That looks like it makes sense to me. What type of paint do you all recommend for the job....just basic acrylic? Also Krylon has a line of paint that is specifically for plastic, but I would have to spray that on and then paint the tirm with a brush.
Here's how I do it..
[Old link deleted by moderator because it is no longer valid]
Good luck..
I have done it both ways. 1- Spray the brick first, the trim out the windows and doors; or 2- spray the building the trim color and then brush paint the brick color and then add the moarter.
I think no. 2 is easier and that I what I do now.
Elmer.
The above is my opinion, from an active and experienced Model Railroader in N scale and HO since 1961.
(Modeling Freelance, Eastern US, HO scale, in 1962, with NCE DCC for locomotive control and a stand alone LocoNet for block detection and signals.) http://waynes-trains.com/ at home, and N scale at the Club.
First, surface prep. Before painting, wash in hot soapy water, rinse in clear water and dry thoughly. Make sure all the drops of water lurking in the nooks and crannies are gone before painting. Don't touch with bare hands after washing.
Second: Paint the inside to prevent that glow-in-the-dark look when you install lights in the building.
Third. Use red auto primer in a spray can from your friendly local auto parts store for brick red. It is good brick red, totally flat, covers in one coat, and sticks better than anything else. Spray the whole building, trim and all. Spray to get the building just barely wet to prevent sags and runs.
Forth: brush paint trim, window window sills, stone decorations and such.
Fifth: Fill the mortar lines with powdered white chalk. Plain old school black board chalk rubbed to a powder on a kitchen strainer looks fine.
Sixth: Skip the Dullcote, it marries into the chalk mortar and turns it invisible. Structures don't get much handling so they don't need the dullcote to fix the chalk in place. If you absolutly HAVE to dullcote, then apply the chalk mortar extra heavy.
Final tip. Two story buidings look much better with the second floor in place. Without the floor, the view in the second story windows shows a gaping hole. With the floor, the view is surprisinly natural. Cardstock resting on strip wood makes a good floor. Visit a picture frameing store and pick up some matte board cutouts. The center of the matte board is cut out in the picture framing process and the cut out pieces can be had for the asking at most places.
David Starr www.newsnorthwoods.blogspot.com