Can Spray Paint & Decals on Engines

[Anonymous]

I was reading the thread on painting, and searched for others, but I did not get a real feel for your opinions on using can spray paint on loco's.

I was going to have a little freelance industrial or mining railroad to work with my Conrail stuff. I was going to start by buying some undec. nonpowered
"dummy" units from Athearn, and see what I could do. Small, diesel switchers.

If I took my time and applied several very light coats from a spray can from the hobby shop, what results would I get?I understand it would be sub par compared to an airbrush, but ......pretty nice, maybe?

I was thinking of some sort of simple two color scheme, if I could find a nice straight line on the loco to place masking tape against (my artistic skills are lacking). Maybe the cab area would be the different color.

I wish I could paint those stripes on the ends of some loco's. The ones that are at 45 degree angles, to make the engine more visible.

How about these new decal sheets. I read the ads in MR ...... you use thier paper and software to create decals, and print them on my inkjet printer at home. Is it really that easy? Good results?

Thanks alot.
Jim Ledet

[cwclark]

you can buy decals with the safety stripes for the engine...first paint the engine in glossy colors...let it dry, cut out, position, and put on the decals where you desire them to go, liberally paint on some decal softener you can get at the LHS..let it dry...the next day take a hobby knife and carefully cut the decals to form them around any low spots and any indentations like engine hatch doors.. ect..brush on some more decal softener...let it dry.....then spray on dull coat over all the glossy areas....you can use spray paint just make sure it is glossy...the decals get an ugly, silvery, sheen under them when you use flat colors...also ..make sure the paint u use is friendly to plastic..some paints can melt or weaken plastic...Chuck[:D]

[Noah Hofrichter]

I can tell you that I love Spray paint. Being a 13-year-old, I can't really afford an airbrush right now, so I use testors spray paints. The work really well.
This is a model I did with spray paint. The entire stripe is a decal, with the lettering being clear letters so the paint shows through and it matches the paint color exactly.



I hope I helped you some.

Noah

[cwclark]

you do really good work Noah!..i'm impressed!...Chuck

[Anonymous]

i am in the mist of an project. D&RGW GP60 and i use spray paint for this project! even though its just black and then decals, still its coming out really good!

[dharmon]

Jim,

Spray cans work okay, but for the price of a few cans you can get an entry level airbrush kit at Walmart complete with a can of propellant. The only problem I have found with cans is that if the nozzle isn't kept clean it can create blobs of paint. You don't have as much control as an airbrush and the selection of colors is not as great. As far as the decals go, Microscale makes 45 degree barricade stripes in a variety of colors. I use them for my road's paint scheme, both the "old" blue/black/white and "new" two tone gray/blue.




Noah............very nice work. [:)]

[brothaslide]

QUOTE: Originally posted by dharmon

Hey dharmon - e-mail me when you get the chance - use the e-mail link in the profile/signature section.

[Noah Hofrichter]

Dharmon, Very nice picture of yours too, I like it. I am looking into that air "can" at walmart. I'm going to be doing a Few WSOR E/8 units, so I need the same color as the stripe in my previous picture, but it doesn't exist. I have a mix ratio for it, so I'll use that. I figure since I'll only use it three or four times I might as well buy that cheaper thing. Have you tried it? Is it any good?

Noah

[BRAKIE]

I have use can spray paint for years with very good results..I now use a Testors double action air brush with the can propellant with excellant results..[^][:D]

[locomutt]

Noah,,
that looks great,I only hope when I 'finish' my GP-9s and get paint on them,hope
they look as good.

Dan, that is also very nice work.
I agree with dharmon,air brushes do better;there is nothing wrong with spray can,
but sometimes the nozzles do screw up.

And if you have access to the Micro-Mark catalog,They have a Paasche VL on sale,for about 90 dollars. I have a Passche H model my Dad bought me over 40 years ago,
Still works![:)]

[dharmon]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Noah Hofrichter

Dharmon, Very nice picture of yours too, I like it. I am looking into that air "can" at walmart. I'm going to be doing a Few WSOR E/8 units, so I need the same color as the stripe in my previous picture, but it doesn't exist. I have a mix ratio for it, so I'll use that. I figure since I'll only use it three or four times I might as well buy that cheaper thing. Have you tried it? Is it any good?

Noah

Noah,

I recently replaced my 20 year old airbrush with a cheap one from Walmart. The Testors kit cost me about $20 for a simple airbrush, bottles and a can of air all in one package. I'm not an airbrush expert by any means, but the simple one does the trick for me. The nice thing about the airbrush, is that in your case, you can mix a small batch of the color you desire and try it out on something. If it's not right, you can remix until you get what you're looking for.

[Noah Hofrichter]

Thanks Dharmon, I'll have to give that a try in the next few months. I won't be painting till after Christmas, so I'll use some of the money I'll get for christmas for it, as I'm running short on funds right now.

Noah

[orsonroy]

Jim,

Everyone here is right on target. You can get professional results from a spray can, you just have to be careful not to let the paint get applied too thick. While I have a spray booth set up to be able to do any sort of painting I need, I still rely and even like rattlecans for certain projects. Anything I need primered, gloss coated or dull coated gets hit outdoors with a rattlecan, as do simple buildings in dark colors. Heck, most of my steam has a base coat of Krylon black!

As for decal stripes, check Microscale. They should have what you need.

[Anonymous]

Since every canned spray paint I've ever heard of is solvent based, you should use a spray booth and wear a HEPA filter mask when painting with spray cans. Either that or paint outdoors, but still wear the mask.

[Big_Boy_4005]

I have always been a fan of cans and glossy paint, as long as I can get the right color. The original Krylon is great, and I've never had any plastic compatability problems. Just make sure you are getting a good fine spray, and no splatters. But that advice is equally applicable to an air brush, as are all the proper techniques of spray painting. If you are planning to use decals, and almost every train painting project does, gloss paint is just the ticket. The decals go on the gloss paint surface much easier, and when done, just hit it with some dulling spray.

I once knew a guy that modeled UP. He liked Krylon paint so much, and one of their shades of yellow was just right. The thing was he didn't trust the spray can to paint his brass engines. So he took the new cans of paint and turned them upside down, and bled off the propellent. Then, with a can opener, he opened the bottom of the can and put the paint in an airbrush bottle. It takes all kinds.[swg]

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Noah Hofrichter

I can tell you that I love Spray paint. Being a 13-year-old, I can't really afford an airbrush right now, so I use testors spray paints. The work really well.
This is a model I did with spray paint. The entire stripe is a decal, with the lettering being clear letters so the paint shows through and it matches the paint color exactly.

I hope I helped you some.

Noah

Noah,

YOUR ONLY 13!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!![:0][:0][:0][:0][:0] I am impressed. Judging by your GP unit I didn;t start doing work even remotely approaching that kind of quality until I was in High School. When you get out of College, drop me a line, I would love to have you here at my Custom Paint Business. You have a bright and rewarding model building career ahead of you my friend.

Now since I seem to be the forum's un-official authority on custom painting. (But by no means the only one.) I have found that exellent results can be had from both spray cans as well as an airbrush. The thing I found is that with a spray can you need to adjust the model for the spray conditions. (I.E. Large volume of paint over a large spray area) This often neccicitates working quickly to give ample and even coverage yet avoiding runs in the paint. Also overspray can be an issiue. I was working on an F-8 Crusader model one time and sprayed it Gloss Gull Gray from a spray can. That particular spray can seemed to generate large amounts of overspray which eventually settled on the model causing somewhat of an eggshell finish as well as on the adcacent floor cabinents and counter. (We were doing this in the downstars kitchen in the house we lived in when I lived in Newcastle.) After it all settled it was clean everything up with laquar thinner and sand the model. (Fortunatly the Eggshell texture sanded out without having to repaint) An airbrush on the other hand, you can control. (Even the cheap ones to a course extent) This allows you to adjust for the type of finish desired. (a Medium Voulme of paint with a wide spray pattern for painting solid color) Fine narrow spray for detail work. and a Tight super narrow spray for wheathering) An airbrush also allows you spray mixed colors to allow you to have accurately matched paint on all your models if desired. If you want my pick for the best general purpose airbrush, It is the Badger Model 200. It has the all the best qualities of a great airbrush. (Easy to use, easy to maintain, easy to make adjustments) And once you have gained a little practice with it, You can go on to make spectacular paint jobs.

James

[ericsp]

Whether you use a spray can or an airbrush you should get a polystyrene sheet (Evergreen and Plastruct both make them, any hobby shop should carry either). And practice on it first, espicially if you have never used either.

[Anonymous]

I've tried them all, rattle cans, entry level Testors aribrushes and now I have a Passche VL I picked up off of ebay for $50. I say try them all, the cost of each should be within everyone's budget. Like me, I'm sure we can scrape those pennies together to move up to the next level. Even with the airbrush I still use rattle cans like everyone else. They have a purpose and work just as well.

Nice paint jobs guys! I like to see finished work. Now if I could just firgure out how to post picutres myself, I'd show off my Chessie GP-35.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for all the great replies, guys. I learned alot and I really appreciate it. I think I'm going to jump into painting and have some fun with it.

All the different interesting aspects of this hobby ..... its amazin. I'm new to this stuff and am definately hooked. I think I'm kinda going overboard.

Noah, and the other young guys ...... you boys are amazing. Your attention to detail will serve you well in life.

James ..... I have a son that wants to be a freshman at Montana State in Bozeman in two years. Any thoughts on that place? Thanks..

Jim Ledet.

[Noah Hofrichter]

Thanks for the compliment James, I really apreciate it. I'll have to do that, if I remember it, when i get out of College.

Noah

[Allen Jenkins]

Noah, the WC unit is the bomb! Ironmine, the type of paint you use matters. Like for example, Testers-too thick, the pigment is just not ground thin enough. This results in loosing the detail of the carbody, like in the door latches. Accurail paint has a microscopic grind in the pigment, however the carbody needs a primer coat, because the mold lines in the texture, flash lines, adhesive used to add detail, etc, are present if you neglect primer(grey, for instance). Accupaint is a well developed line, and some died in the wool modlers use Polly-S and Floquil, paints which require drying time. You know how to tell when any paint is cured(dried)? When paint smell leaves the carbody, it's ready for the next step. Important to any paint, is the temperature, 68-82 deg.F, and humidity, 40% or less. The most important, is humidity. This is why we use paint booths, (although I just paint ouside, when the temp. and humidity permit). Proper painting environment insures the surface texture has no orange peel effect. Wa***he carbody in distilled water, with dishwash liquid, rince completely, and dry. Do not touch the paint surface, as oil from your fingers, can haunt you for the rest of your life(seen it)! Use a straight edge on a piece of glass plate with the masking tape, to make any type of design you wish, and a thin piece of plastic can be used over and over again for a template. Do the decals, as per instructed, then glosscoat, and weather, don't use dulcoate at all, why put all this time into styling, to ruin it? Enjoy Your Custom Painted Producted! ACJ.