Best Of New Brass EP-2 assembly & Mod clinic

[peteski]

As it is now, it looks like I'll be able to just use the windows as a guide for masking for gray. (red will be a little trickier).

Why will red be trickier?  If I was painting I would simply cut a strip of Tamiya  masking tape in the width of the orange area (which can easily be determined from the end sections.  I would place that strip even with the bottom of the windows (for the gray separation.  Then I would use another layer of masking tape to cover the bottom part (overlapping the orange mask).  Paint the gray, then peel the bottom part of masking (leaving the orange mask still on).  Next cover up the gray painted areas (again overlapping the orange mask).  Then paint red.  Peel all the masking now and you're done.  I do something similar (but slightly more complex) when I paint the Phase III Amtrak stripes.

[u18b]

Why will red be trickier?  .....

Appreciate the advice.

But the answer is because error is introduced in many ways- including by me.   

More, in the next post.

[u18b]

OK.  Some will not find this post very interesting.

IN fact, it may be a bit a$$hat-ish.   

And it most certainly violates the 3 foot rule.

So let's just call this--  Further Adventures Toward Perfection.

The first step was to mask the boiler room for the gray paint.
This mask was a bit easier because I had the bottom edge of the window sill to go by.
I made the tape as straight as I could get it.

Hey- you will also notice I obtained some Tamiya tape (ok, ok, y'all were right.    )

You should also note that I cut the tape at the handrail so that it would lie flat- otherwise, it would want to kink and turn.  (I will easily add more mask to cover it over.)

First- the Left side.

Actually looks fairly decent.



Then the Right Side.
Hmmmm.  This side has problems.  Both sides are masked right at the bottom of the windows, but you can clearly see that the lines don't match up on the left side.  That would be the B cab with the raised pantograph.




Something in my brain said to check the side plane of the boiler room.

And sure enough, it was tilted.
That tilt would change the position of the lines.

Here, we are facing the B cab (rear) so this is the left side.
You can see the sill is in a bit, and the roof is out.



And now the other side.  We are facing the A cab (front) so this is the right side.
Now you can see the opposite (so our brain is not playing a trick on us).
The sill is out a bit and the roof is in.



So I did a little test.  This is the right side and I am tilting the top of the cab toward me.
Looks better.  Remember, this was the side that looked bad when we started.



Now I am pulling the top away from me.    This is the left side.



And end view of the B unit.  It does appear to me that the drawbar support is low on the left side and needs to be turned slightly clockwise.



This Cab's error is not as noticeable.  But it needs to go ever-so-slightly counterclockwise.



By the way- the fact that the two were not in error to the same amount means that excess wobble could be present if unfixed.


Drawbar supports bent slightly.
Let's check it out.

Left side looks great.



Right side- the end with the B cab looks high (left side).
I'm going to try lowering the B drawbar slightly.



Left side looks really good.



The right side- the one that was off so much, is not perfect, but I think it looks MUCH better.
I think to approach perfection, I will redo the mask on this side and fudge it down.
I think I could get away with a few mil (say 2-5   1,000ths of an inch).
A TINY bit more gray will show under the window ledges when compared to the other side, but I don't think it will matter at all.

Especially since I will now almost certainly keep my orientation of Front has the walkway in the front.

[peteski]

Ron, maybe I'm no patient enough but I still don't see why the simpler method I described would not be good enough here.    The strip covering the orange paint would give a perfect parallel edge to both gray and red colors.  You seem to want to complicate your modeling. 

PS I'm glad that you found Tamiya masking tape. 

[u18b]

Yay.  Got some masking and painting in.

I re-did the initial mask for the right side.  I lowered it by only about 2 mil.
I think it made a positive difference.



Then it was time to paint the gray.




Then I masked for painting the red.
I got one side correct on the first try.  The other side needed a slight adjustment in the mask.
Turned out pretty well.



This is the right side.  So this is the one where the lines did not line up.
Turned out well.



And here is the left side.



I also installed the two horns-- one orange and one gray.  And they sit in different positions.






Next steps will be to gloss coat the boiler room.
And sand blast and prime the floor/skirting.

[central.vermont]

Wow!!
Gotta say this is looking really nice Ron!!

Jon

[wazzou]

On topic, but not really relevant. 

http://www.shorpy.com/node/18294?size=_original

[u18b]

On topic, but not really relevant. 

http://www.shorpy.com/node/18294?size=_original

Brian,
Thanks.  I love that photo.

The date said 1924.

[u18b]

Why will red be trickier?  If I was painting I would simply cut a strip of Tamiya  masking tape in the width of the orange area (which can easily be determined from the end sections.  I would place that strip even with the bottom of the windows (for the gray separation.  Then I would use another layer of masking tape to cover the bottom part (overlapping the orange mask).  Paint the gray, then peel the bottom part of masking (leaving the orange mask still on).  Next cover up the gray painted areas (again overlapping the orange mask).  Then paint red.  Peel all the masking now and you're done.  I do something similar (but slightly more complex) when I paint the Phase III Amtrak stripes.

Hi Pete.

It's just a matter of perspective and personal choice.

The key step you outline is: "If I was painting I would simply cut a strip of Tamiya  masking tape in the width of the orange area (which can easily be determined from the end sections."

The red terminates on the cabs in ever so slightly (1 or 2 mil) places.
So cutting the tape and getting it right is no different to me than just masking one line at a time.

Like I said, just a different way of looking at it.

[u18b]

With the boiler room painted,  time to finish the sill.

It was a little taller than I wanted, so I sanded the bottom edge a bit.

This sharpened the corners and thinned the height just a little.



You can see here that the angle edges are a bit sharper.

I also filed my messy joints a bit prettier.
And lastly since direction matters, I used my motor too to make a strong F for front.



Here is a cross-section view.  You can see I could not remove much more.



The outside for sand blasting.



Cleaning.
Washing in acetone.
zinc chromate primer.
baked in over at about 250 for an hour or two to accelerate curing (did not want to wait a week this time).



Painted black.  Hair dryer heat.
Gloss coat of floor AND the boiler room.
Hair dryer heat.
orange stripe on sill.
Another clear coat.
Assemble.




Wow.  That sill stripe makes a big difference.

[mmagliaro]

Say Ron,
Have you considered painting the wheels, or blackening them a little to tone down the shiney silver?

This thing is looking so good that you could stage it with the correct scenery around it and it could pass for an
O Scale model easily.  It's that good.

[wazzou]

Say Ron,
Have you considered painting the wheels, or blackening them a little to tone down the shiney silver?

This thing is looking so good that you could stage it with the correct scenery around it and it could pass for an
O Scale model easily.  It's that good.

Agreed.  Good suggestion Max.

[u18b]

The theme of this post is: 

Is Ron feeling well?
Has he lost his mind?

I did something really dangerous.

When I look at photos like this, there is a HUGE glaring detail-sort of thing that leaps out at me that is not on my model.



The bell is BRIGHT shiny brass-- not orange.

So, knowing I could damage something.
Knowing I could potentially need to start over with painting.....   

I decided to do what I've been thinking about for a long time.

So I removed the shells, washed my hands, got out a #11 Xacto knife, and started scraping.



Space was tight but I kept working.






I decided to try out something that had been sitting in my drawer or a long time.
I got them from Hobby Lobby, and they are called sanding needles.
They look like FUD.   


But the little tips could get in there.



Here is a size comparison.



Better.
Not perfect under the scrutiny of mega-macro photography....



Now for some clear coat to seal it.



This is a situation where the 3-foot rule applies.

[spookshow]

I think I'm gonna need stitches on my chin. Y'know, what with the way my jaw keeps hitting the floor every time I open up this thread 

Cheers,
-Mark

[sd45elect2000]

I second Marks comment.