N Scale Rocky Mountaineer - original consist

[peteski]

Yes, shellac is alcohol based and can be thinned with alcohol.  I would think denatured alcohol is probably the best for it. Again, try thinning it and spraying some test surface (like a plastic spoon).  The old Floquil Barrier was a similar type of coating.  I still have some in my stash and that is what I use when needed.

[craigolio1]

@peteski Thanks Pete.  This is worth trying for sure.  I need a something i could put on a spoon that's guaranteed to bleed through regular paint.  Any thoughts?

[Dwight in Toronto]

Looking good Craig … love the beacon. 

As you know, I’ve recently airbrushed several different Mr.Color paints with my Ontario Northland passenger coach project, and the results were consistent and pretty darn good.  More recently, I tried the Mr.Surfacer primer for the first time and had some trouble.  I think I diluted it 1:1 with their thinner, but it seemed to be drying right in the nozzle and plugging things up.  It kinda scared me off, and I haven’t tried it again since.  Just curious - do you remember what dilution ratio you might have used?

Just an aside - I seem to recall that the making of shellac involves the crushing of some kind of beatle or some such thing!

[peteski]

@peteski Thanks Pete.  This is worth trying for sure.  I need a something i could put on a spoon that's guaranteed to bleed through regular paint.  Any thoughts?

You do have a point.  Plastic spoons are usually white.  And not all red color plastics bleed equally either.  I guess it is one of those things you would have to test on the actual red bare plastic.  But what you can test on a spoon is whether the shellac layer goes on thin enough and whether it is compatible with other paints you are using.

[peteski]

Just an aside - I seem to recall that the making of shellac involves the crushing of some kind of beatle or some such thing!

While I believe that was true, I think that modern shellac is synthetic.  No need to kill those innocent musicians.  You gave me a chuckle, even if you spelled it with one "t".

[craigolio1]

Looking good Craig … love the beacon. 

As you know, I’ve recently airbrushed several different Mr.Color paints with my Ontario Northland passenger coach project, and the results were consistent and pretty darn good.  More recently, I tried the Mr.Surfacer primer for the first time and had some trouble.  I think I diluted it 1:1 with their thinner, but it seemed to be drying right in the nozzle and plugging things up.  It kinda scared me off, and I haven’t tried it again since.  Just curious - do you remember what dilution ratio you might have used?

Just an aside - I seem to recall that the making of shellac involves the crushing of some kind of beatle or some such thing!

Thanks!

I bought the MR Surfacer 500 in the rattle can and decanted in to my airbrush. So no thinning. It went in beautifully.  In the the past when I’ve had paints drying in the tip, the answer was less air pressure or a flow enhancer. But that being said I’ve never completely solved the issue. I miss smelly paints.

[peteski]

Stinky paints are still around.  Tru-Color paints are of the stinky variety, but they are slightly different than Floquil or Scalecoat.  Then there are non-railroad-specific paints from Humbrol. Thosw are similar to the old Testors or Model Master enamels.  I believe Tamiya also has range of enamel paints.
Of course Tamiya spray paints are also of the stinky variety.

[nickelplate759]

Thanks!

I bought the MR Surfacer 500 in the rattle can and decanted in to my airbrush. So no thinning. It went in beautifully.  In the the past when I’ve had paints drying in the tip, the answer was less air pressure or a flow enhancer. But that being said I’ve never completely solved the issue. I miss smelly paints.

You know, I never considered trying less air pressure for this problem.  I've always tried more - and it didn't help 

[craigolio1]

Stinky paints are still around.  Tru-Color paints are of the stinky variety, but they are slightly different than Floquil or Scalecoat.  Then there are non-railroad-specific paints from Humbrol. Thosw are similar to the old Testors or Model Master enamels.  I believe Tamiya also has range of enamel paints.
Of course Tamiya spray paints are also of the stinky variety.

When I say stinky what I really mean is miss Floquil.

[Dwight in Toronto]

No need to kill those innocent musicians.  You gave me a chuckle

Sheesh - I’m a dufous (dufus?  doophus?) … make that BEETLE !

[peteski]

When I say stinky what I really mean is miss Floquil.

Yes, I also miss Floquil paints (still have couple dozen bottles, but not sure if the paint still usable).  While I do like to use them on structures, scenery, and weathering, I never liked them for painting rolling stock. Floquil paints dry dead flat and that is not a good surface for decaling.  You need to add a glossy clear coat, decal, then flat clear.  Plus they did take some time to dry.

Once I discovered AccuPaint, I never looked back at Floquil for painting rollign stock. AccuPaint went on very thin, and dried fast to a sheen perfect for decaling. Then a quick spray of satin or flat, and the paint job was finished.  When AccuPaints were discontinued, I was bummed out (but still had a sizable stash).  Then Tru-Color came out and once I realized that it was pretty much the same as AccuPaint, I was a happy camper again!

[peteski]

Sheesh - I’m a dufous (dufus?  doophus?) … make that BEETLE !

 

[craigolio1]

Yes, I also miss Floquil paints (still have couple dozen bottles, but not sure if the paint still usable).  While I do like to use them on structures, scenery, and weathering, I never liked them for painting rolling stock. Floquil paints dry dead flat and that is not a good surface for decaling.  You need to add a glossy clear coat, decal, then flat clear.  Plus they did take some time to dry.

Once I discovered AccuPaint, I never looked back at Floquil for painting rollign stock. AccuPaint went on very thin, and dried fast to a sheen perfect for decaling. Then a quick spray of satin or flat, and the paint job was finished.  When AccuPaints were discontinued, I was bummed out (but still had a sizable stash).  Then Tru-Color came out and once I realized that it was pretty much the same as AccuPaint, I was a happy camper again!

Indeed I’ve used Trucolour on a dozen or so models and I am impressed for sure. And you are correct. Nice glossy finish and goes on fairly thin. What are you thinning with? And roughly what ratio?

Craig

[Sokramiketes]

Indeed I’ve used Trucolour on a dozen or so models and I am impressed for sure. And you are correct. Nice glossy finish and goes on fairly thin. What are you thinking with? And roughly what ratio?

Craig

I bite the bullet and pay for their thinner.  Then I fill the little bottle back up, near the top, since they do loose solvent on the shelf. 

Some recommend lacquer thinner, as a cheaper alternative.  Some acetone, but my experience with acetone is that it dries too fast and doesn't let that flat level film develop on the model.  It needs a wet coat in my experience, to achieve that perfect finish, rather than "several light coats and misting it on" as is usually prescribed for airbrushing.

I'm also on the lower pressure end, probably 20-22 psi right now. 

[peteski]

Indeed I’ve used Trucolour on a dozen or so models and I am impressed for sure. And you are correct. Nice glossy finish and goes on fairly thin. What are you thinking with? And roughly what ratio?

Craig

I only use the Tru-Color thinner. Ron Bearden tried just using acetone, but that did not work (the paint was drying too fast creating a rough surface.  It is usually the best to use the same brand of thinner as the paint itself.  As for the ratio, I don't really have a fixed formula. I just put some paint in the airbrush jar (I use an eyedropper) and add thinner until it looks thin enough to me.  I haven't painted anything for some time now, but I think I use around 2 parts paint to 1 parts thinner, or 3 parts paint to 2 parts thinner.  Tru-Color paints are fairly thin to begin with, but some evaporation takes place just sitting in the bottle, so if the paint itself seems a bit more viscous, I use more thinner.

For airbrush I use Badger 200 with a medium nozzle, and when I paint small items (like N scale loco shells) I usually spray with air at 15-20 psi.  The smaller the painted item is, the less pressure I use, and I get the airbrush closer to the part being sprayed.  for larger items (like a shell of a 1:24 automobile, I need wider spray pattern with more paint volume, so I can get as high as 30 psi and I pen up the nozzle to  increase the paint volume. Of course then I hold the airbrush farther from the item being painted.

I don't follow any formula - every spray job is a new adventure.