Custom Painting Loco's and Cars...

[Anonymous]

Hey all, More questions...maybe i should change my name to the ? mark seems it would be more suiting rather than Doctor, arent they supposed to have the answers?

Anyway, staying true to my theme of "My Own Railroad Prototype" i am buying undec'd loco's and cars(or stripping kit cars) and im wondering, those of you who also paint your own locos/cars what do you use to:

1: do the painting? airbrush, spraypaint, or brush?
2: what do you use to tape off sections to create multiple coloring
3: Do you paint the letters of the railroad on your locos/cars or do you use decals?
4: Any other hints/tips to custom dec'ing locos and cars would be much appreciated......

Thanks, and at that im going to bed, the wife has been calling me for the last hour, i keep telling her if she would just buy me a faster computer I would get to bed faster :) G'night all, and Thanks again for all the help. You guys are great[8D]

[nfmisso]

Get one of the Kalmbach books on painting, there is too much to go into on a forum like this. After you have read it, you should be able to ask more specific questions.

See also the late S.A. McCall's site: http://www.hosam.com/

[Anonymous]

Well being a purly freelance modeler myself...here is what i do.

I do airbrush...but i have found that the el-cheapo $15 badger airbrush and can of propel work just as well if not better than one of the expensive model airbrushes...and hey if it gets all gummed up...just toss it and get a new one.

As for masking...i just use regular masking tape...but i end up cutting it to fit in certian areas of the loco.

Decal wise...well i decided to do something different along those lines a while back...i use Canadian National decals for my road numbers and whatnot...but as for my RRs logo...I mount that on a piece of styrene and mount the logo on the handrails like GN did on their Big Sky Blue locos...hey i figured since GN was the only RR that did that...i should do something different and thats what i decided to do.

You can do tons of different things if your going Freelance...nothing relly has to fit anyone elses standards. The standards of my RR are a mix of BC Rails, CNs, and GNs standards.

Good luck!!

[Hawks05]

i plan on doing the same down the road. i'll probably spray paint the shells and parts of the cars then put either decals on it or paint them myself. but for right now i'm sticking with buying stuff thats already painted and ready to go. i know my friend hand paints stuff then puts decals on. i'll probably get a book on it in a couple of weeks. right now i need to get some on basic wiring and well maybe even painting and scenery.

[Anonymous]

I recently bought a badger airbrush and now wonder how I ever got along without it. Prior to the airbrush I hand painted the basic color and used a cheap sprayer with propel air cans for detaining. Watch out for the birdie (cheap, cheap) you get what you pay for !! If you go for an airbrush buy a good one.

I use painters masking tape, a 5x magnifier and a hobby knife to tape off sections for mutiple colors.

For lettering I use transfers (rub-ons) rather than decals. I can get the lettering to "flow" into cracks and un-level surfaces better. After a coat of matt finish it looks painted on.

Other hints/tips: Have a large stock of patience (no pun intended Doc) on-hand. Don't hurry the work, you'll be happier with the end result if you work slow and diligently. Wait the recommended time between paint colors/layers.

Good tools, good maginfier and patience will reap a better product.

[Anonymous]

I’ve done quite a bit of painting now and have found that many different techniques can be the right choice depending on what you are doing. There really isn’t a right or wrong answer, just what works best for you and the situation.

I prefer to use a spray method for doing the primary colors of the model. Spray cans will do the job, but an airbrush gives you more control of the spray and the paint consistency. They are especially nice when doing a wash for weathering too. The basic airbrushes generally work very well making the more expensive ones not necessary. I use regular masking tape, but apply it very carefully, taking my time. For the first coat of paint, go very light, and allow the paint to make a seal of it’s own on the tape. Be sure to allow proper dry times, especially before removing tape.

For all the detail work I use a brush. A steady hand and taking your time pays off big here. Brush strokes can be virtually eliminated by not going over an area to much, especially as the paint gets tacky. Nothing but practice will help here, but even your first tries can come out pretty well. Try not to be too much of a perfectionist…it will never be perfect…and I’ve yet to see a prototype with a perfect paint job either….so keep that in mind. Paint consistency is a big issue when using a bru***oo. You will find times where you want it as thin as ink (especially when weathering), or fairly thick (single coat coverage). It all depends on what the application is. Trial and error.

As for lettering, numbering, and logos, it’s all decals for me. The only down side of decals is that they tend to trap small air bubbles and “shine” in the right lighting. To get rid of this, use a lot of Micro Sol by Microscale Industries. This stuff is cheap and liquid gold. It basically breaks down the decal and allows it to conform to all the imperfections in the plastic and mold over things like rivets and ribs. The breakdown process takes several seconds so you still have time to make small adjustments to the decal without destroying it as well. Use toothpicks to make small adjustments and use a bru***o apply the Micro Sol. I’ve even used it to get air out of decals applied years ago on a sealed paint job. You just have to use a knife to make minute holes to allow the fluid in and it will take the air out. Again, this requires some practice. And think small on the holes too…just pin pricks.

I like to use a good lacquer to seal the model when I’m totally done. I generally use a flat or matte finish. Use gloss only if you want the “just out of the paint shop” look. I find gloss to look very out of place.

Some advice I would give to you is to go to a swap meet and buy half a dozen of the classic Tyco cars of years past that cost 50 cents each or so. These make great practice paint cars. Get a couple pints of standard brake fluid from your auto parts store. This will work very well to strip them of their thick nasty paint. It’s also reusable over and over again and it doesn’t make nasty fumes so ventilation isn’t a big deal. Just let them soak for a couple days and use a toothbru***o rub the paint off. Once you get that off, you’ll see the molded plastic is actually quite detailed. Use these stripped 50 cent cars to practice on before you tackle your really nice kits and engines. I actually ended up making my father some very nice 3 bay 100 ton Northern Pacific hoppers out of those cheap Tyco cars. Only cost a few bucks in decals, some metal wheels and trucks, and I shimmed some proper Kadee coupler boxes on them. They ride great on the rails and no one I’ve asked could even tell what they were originally. :) This can also give you some practice cars for trying out different paint schemes before you decide on a more unified look for your railroad.

By the way, brake fluid works well for most plastics, but not all. Kato is especially not happy with brake fluid, so be aware. Castrol Super Clean also works very well for stripping and will normally do the job where brake fluid won’t.

Warren

[Anonymous]

Hey thanks all for the help, but i got a question for you warren, what exactly were you doing when you discovered that brake fluid is good for taking off paint, and castrol super clean is better.

[Anonymous]

Good question. Actually, I didn't discover it. I got the tip from another modeler and he doesn't even do trains but plastic and metal figures for strategy games. He’s a good friend of mine.

I've used the brake fluid on many things, and it really does work very well, and on both acrylics and enamels. Some paints are really stubborn, and you want to leave them in the solution for at least a couple days. The Castrol Super Clean works as well but often takes a little longer. I haven't found any plastic that it actually hurts. These products are cheap, can be used over and over again, and don’t give off really nasty fumes so I stick with them. Just get a nice large plastic container that has a lid. I use a Tupperware clear container that is rectangular. This makes it easy to store and you can actually see what’s going on inside without messing with it.

You’ll know when it is getting close because the paint will begin to bubble and peal away on its own. When you scrub with the toothbrush, dip it in the brake fluid first and scrub away, but don’t use water until you are done as it tends to make it harder to get the paint off. When you are satisfied that they paint is sufficiently gone, then scrub with a nice soapy water solution to get all the brake fluid off. It comes off pretty easy. If you want to paint quickly, use a hair dryer on low to dry it. If not, just let it sit a day and it will be totally dry.

If a model you are stripping has multiple layers of paint, it will strip off in layers as well. If you come across this let it soak, then scrub that layer off, then re-soak for the next layer. Some people don’t take the time to strip before painting. You lose a great deal of detail if you do this however, so always strip to the bare plastic before starting to paint.

Another thing you should know about brake fluid is it breaks down most glues as well. This can come in very handy if you buy a kit that is poorly assembled. Let it sit for three or four days and even superglue will break down and the pieces will come apart cleanly. Then you just peal off the old glue residue. I like to work with used goods and they tend to be cheap and I enjoy the challenge, so I’ve come across many interesting things. I normally modify everything anyway.

Happy painting!

Warren

[Anonymous]

Do it right the first time!!!!!! Go out and buy an airbrush and a compressor with a tank . Stores like Harbor Freight and even Home Depot have reasonable "Pancake " compressors . You need the tank for a smoother flow of air. Propel cans tend to freeze up if you do a lot of painting in one sitting, and if you add up the cans it becomes more practical with a compressor.

Internal mix gun..... I feel has better results BUT you have to take it apart to clean it.

External mix gun.....easier to take care of.

Badger seems to be the most reasonable priced gun

PRACTICE< PRACTICE< PRACTICE> it can get frustrating....... I had a heck of a time painting white, I allways put it on too heavy...... as your work gets better you just can't beat the satisfaction you will get. Not to mention the fact that you can have more than one of anything with different numbers.

[Anonymous]

Practice whatever technique(s) you may choose on an older car or shell, even on the discarded remains of items you've used for kitbashing. If you're like me, you have a bunch of "budget" rolling stock that just doesn't measure up; I have used these to refine my fictional paint scheme as well as teach myself how to paint it.

Now, everyone says get a good quality airbrush, and I can't really disagree with that, but for me, I grew tired of the constant cleaning I had to do to keep my airbush working. I also hated mixing up the paint to the right consistency (generally speaking it must be thinned a certain degree), since I like to work with acrylics (due to lack of ventilation). These days, I am experimenting with a "water-color" method of painting locomotives, with a high degree of success.

Essentially, it boils down to this: I mix acrylic colors to inky thinness, diluting with water, then apply it with a supple brush. It takes several coats to get full coverage, but I consider this an opportunity. How, you ask? Well, I start it all off with a base coat of a compatible primer spray paint coat, usually black but I also stock gray and rust red versions of primer. As you paint the multiple layers of extremely thin pain, it covers unevenly and lets a bit of the base color through, which gives it a built-in weathering effect. Because the paint is so thin, I never get any brush strokes. I mix up my colors on-the-fly for each project, so that each engine and car can have some slight tonal variations, such as making my black be actually a dark grey to represent a high degree of UV fading.

Purists must be cringing right now, but I'm more convinced by my water-colored paint jobs than I ever was by my airbrushed ones; they always seemed so flat and devoid of character. The water-color results are rich in character, and I have to believe this is partially because the method requires you to get in there and touch a paint bru***o every nook and cranny; you sense all the details, and consequently you appreciate your model just a little more.

This method, however, does not work for a masked paint scheme, so I am only doing base colors plus decals.