Unitrack painting problem

[peteski]

Bestine didn’t do it either…. 

What the actual f**k?

No paint will stick at all. Neither will a paint pen.

Wow! I stumped!  Does the track have Teflon^TM coaiting? 

Do you have any vintage Floquil paint to test it (brush paint it)?

There are several Unitrak users here (like @arbomambo ) who are currently building T-Trak modules.  Maybe they will have some ideas.

[Chris333]

I was thinking maybe they polish the rails and they may have some sort of wax left over from that, but the Bestine should have taken care of that. Was also wondering if silicone would wash off?

[Dave V]

Wow! I stumped!  Does the track have Teflon^TM coaiting? 

Do you have any vintage Floquil paint to test it (brush paint it)?

There are several Unitrak users here (like @arbomambo ) who are currently building T-Trak modules.  Maybe they will have some ideas.

Interestingly the old pieces I had around took the paint pretty well. But they're over a decade old.

I was thinking maybe they polish the rails and they may have some sort of wax left over from that, but the Bestine should have taken care of that. Was also wondering if silicone would wash off?

I had brushed it down with Bestine since I didn't have a proper receptacle to soak it so maybe I didn't give Bestine enough of a chance. But hopefully the 91% isopropyl overnight will produce results.

[Rivet Miscounter]

I might try a degreaser like Simple Green or Purple Power.   Both are generally pretty safe on plastics, but admittedly I've never tried it on Unitrack.   It could remove the paint, but that isn't the end of the world if trying to weather Unitrack.

Other thought is to use a plastics primer, but not sure about the rail part.   I had good luck with painting Unitrack with Floquil spray paints but of course that is about impossible now.   And if it's "new and improved" Unitrack then I guess it wouldn't matter anyway.

[learmoia]

Interestingly the old pieces I had around took the paint pretty well. But they're over a decade old.

I had brushed it down with Bestine since I didn't have a proper receptacle to soak it so maybe I didn't give Bestine enough of a chance. But hopefully the 91% isopropyl overnight will produce results.

Whatever you strip off the rail is probably the magic that keeps the track clean!!!...

[OldEastRR]

Peteski is right Unitrak isn't easily removed but it's also not impossible, I use a pair of needle nose pliers to grab the web of the rail on one end to pull it straight out carefully

Yes, because I've done it. And tho it's very unlikely once reinserted the rails will slide around once each section is joined to another, you can use ACC to glue the rail in.
Was kidding about the acid bath. Interesting problem, this.

[dem34]

Thats odd. I usually just give it a couple passes with Tamiya withought much issue, do you have a pic? But I also lay it on thick, are you thinning the paint?
That said. I do notice chips on my older modules.

[Simon D.]

An etch primer? 

[kiwi_al]

If all else fails try an air eraser, that should take whatever coating is on the plastic off. They aren't very expensive.

[John]

I have some pieces I purchased last year .. Will check it to see if I get the same results

[robert3985]

I have the perfect solution.  Peco Code80 flex and Midwest Cork Products N-scale Cork Roadbed.  VOILA! Easy-peasy 

Then, spray-bomb it with Ultra-Flat Camo Black, then directly overhead with a light dusting of Ultra-Flat Camo Brown...pick out different browns & greys for a few ties here and there, apply AR&M ballast, weather the ties and ballast, and you're set.  A LOT less work, cheaper and much better looking too.

Okay, I'm ready for the backlash!  C'mon, give it to me! 

Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore

[turbowhiz]

I weathered up a bunch of freshly purchased unitrack for my show table in Bethlehem. Perfection being the enemy of done on this one, I was in a rush. No prep… Right out of the package and go.

I started with masking the rails and then airbrushing them. I then quickly gave up on masking, it was just taking way too long. Just freehand airbrush the rails. It’s a very good way to improve your airbrush skills, and any overspray is almost desirable on the ties/ballast anyhow. Immediately clean the top of the rails…. I used a “skrapr”, a hard plastic tool for well, scraping. If the paint was TOO thin, removing the top layer would also remove some from the sides…. But generally, if it wasn’t too thin, I didn’t have much trouble with that. If it happened, I just resprayed that section. Two coats a side, really, they probably needed 3-4, but I was rushing.

The next step was to slap a few coats of weathering wash on them. I wanted a darker ballast look anyhow. After the wash dried, re-scrape the rail tops. And then I cleaned the rails again after some more dry time with some IPA and paper towel.

Initially, the painted rails seemed super fragile (as in the paint was very easily removed…) But after a couple of days, it seemed to be holding OK(ish). Now, after a couple of months, I checked and the paint is stuck well.

So maybe its just a matter of patience for the paint to adhere well. That has been my experience. But I’m spraying the paint here too, I definitely don’t think brushing it would work very well.

Now here is an interesting discovery. The ballast molding on newer sections of at least my S-248 parts is radically different. And not in a good way. Seems that newer run track ballast is much coarser than earlier run molding. It’s quite distinct visually…. The weathered section in the photo is a new run, and the unweather is some older stuff I had. Seems like the molds are wearing and they had to modify the ballast, or possibly they are new molds outright. In any case, the newer track sections “ballast rocks” are about 4x the size of the older stuff. Unitrack is great stuff, but it’s a poor representation of 1:160 standard gauge track, even after weathering. The monster rocks aren’t helping.

[dem34]

The Japanese prefer coarser looking Ballast. Just an odd quirk of that section of the hobby.

[Point353]

I have the perfect solution.  Peco Code80 flex and Midwest Cork Products N-scale Cork Roadbed.  VOILA! Easy-peasy 

Have you implemented that "perfect solution" on a T-Trak module?

[John]

I have some pieces I purchased last year .. Will check it to see if I get the same results

OK .. Just a quick non-scientific test

1) The first image is a comparison between a right out of the box section.  I brush painted some raw umber craft acrylic on the left, and some railroad tie brown on the right  on both pieces. The back piece I primed with Mr. Surfacer 1000



2) A close up of the brush painted small section



3) A closeup of the primed section .. again raw umber left , rr tie brown on the right ..



shot outside in the full sun on an iphone with default settings