Painting Passenger Cars

[AntonioFP45]

Hello CSSmith and Rexhea,

Guys, I'm humbled by the recommendation. I hope I can be helpful.

For VERY realistic looking stainless steel passenger cars, ALCLAD II CHROME is an incredible product. Not all hobbyshops carry it so you may have to call around. Be aware that this is lacquer based, not acrylic, so ventilation is a must.

Here's the procedure I use:

(1) Completely strip the passenger car shell. I use 91% Alcohol in a small pan. A few minutes after I see paint "floating off" I use a toothbrush and scrub the shell. Wa***he shell with warm soap and water. At this stage, your hands must be clean, no sweat! Use latex gloves if needed.

(2) Final-Clean the body and spray it with a high GLOSS dark gray. You can use Acrylic or Solvent based paints for this stage. For the dark gray mix 5 parts Gloss Black with 2 parts of a Gloss White. Make sure every square inch of the surface is covered with a smooth, glossy coat. Allow to dry.

(3) Apply Alclad II Chrome in light very thin coats. Do not try to "hide" the gray color all at once. Allow 2 to 3 minutes between each thin coat. By your 4th thin coat, you should see some amazing results! Your car will look like real stainless steel. Do not touch it, even after it's dry!

(4) Airbrush a high gloss clear. Allow to dry and then apply your decals.

(5) Airbrush semi-gloss clear to tone down the shine a little.

You're done!

I used this method on my Metroliners. I used a black undercoat originally, but the result makes it look darker, like an aircraft. With gray, the results resemble stainless steel.

[csmith9474]

I guess I should clarify that my biggest gripe was when I oversprayed with glosscote to seal the decals it dulled and blotched the paint a bit and I want to avoid this.

[csmith9474]

Oh, and thanks rexhea!! I didn't mean to forget you. I am still just a little disturbed by the whole suckin' and blowin' smoke unit post earlier.

[pcarrell]

Go to the mocel car and airplane paint section at your local hobby store and get "Testors Metalizers" paints. They come in many shades and I'm here to tell you that they make plastic look JUST like metal. They are easy to use too! [8D]

[csmith9474]

You da man AntonioFP45!!!

[rexhea]

csmith9474,
Hang in there and AntonioFP45 should see your post. He has the exact info your looking for.

[:)] REX

[csmith9474]

I am about to paint another passenger train and was looking for some suggestions for a good "stainless steel" paint formula. I have been using Floquil bright silver and would like something that looks a little better. I used glosscote to seal the decals for the last train that I did, and although it didn't look bad, I wasn't completely satisfied with the outcome. Thanks in advance for the suggestions.