I’m looking for the light blue. Thanks.
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Hennings?
Henninges has it in cans but i’m Trying to avoid mixing and buying an air brush For the small roof I have to do.
Chris, did you ever try the company that bought Train Enamels from Charles Wood?
They have the color you're after in the "Lionel special colors" section.
John
Colors on the cars from batch to batch seem to have slight variations. It's a bit more expensive, but I have used the local auto paint store 3 times. If you go through the existing color chips they carry, you'd be amazed at all the subtle variations. Twice I got perfect matches, one other time I had to pay a bit extra for the color matching. Probably going to have to do it again with the S-2 prewar inspired loco. It doesn't match Lionel Apple or Stephen Gerrard greens.
Steve
Hi John. I’ll have to check them out again. Steve; What auto store did you use? I may have to get it mixed especially since it’s the roof.
Chris, The suggestion Steve posted, would be your best bet. Although I haven't had to rely on that method. I think that they can match the paint, and put it into spray cans, at a price. Just take the sample that you want matched, and they can scan the color, and mix it to that exact color. Search different body shops in your area.
If you can buy it in a can, you can take it to a local auto paint store and they will put it
into a spray can for a reasonable price
Chris Lonero posted:Hi John. I’ll have to check them out again. Steve; What auto store did you use? I may have to get it mixed especially since it’s the roof.
Chris, it’s a one off local auto paint store. I sent a few cans I had made to CMT for my custom caboose.
Steve
Chris,
IF you can supply a sample of the exact color you need, NAPA auto will custom make what you need in a spray can. It will cost you about $49.00 for the medium size spray can of the paint. The catch is you must supply the exact color you need for them to mix and match it.
I had this done by NAPA last year, for a repair job I was doing, when nobody could match our old aluminum siding color.
PCRR/Dave
Steve "Papa" Eastman posted:Colors on the cars from batch to batch seem to have slight variations. It's a bit more expensive, but I have used the local auto paint store 3 times. If you go through the existing color chips they carry, you'd be amazed at all the subtle variations. Twice I got perfect matches, one other time I had to pay a bit extra for the color matching. Probably going to have to do it again with the S-2 prewar inspired loco. It doesn't match Lionel Apple or Stephen Gerrard greens.
Steve
Hi Chris, like Steve I use nothing but color matches from my local automotive supply store. If You have a painted sample you want to match and it’s a flat surface probably at least 1” x 1” in size they can do an excellent job of matching it. Fortunately, I have a friend who restores classic cars and he has hundreds of paint samples and I will go in and sit down and use those samples to determine the color I want.
The cans of spray paint that they mix are more expensive than the shake rattle and roll cans you get from the hardware store however their’s has considerably more paint in them and the paint is much higher quality. It is difficult to get it to run and also you never get fish eyes. Also, the shelf life is exceptional. I have several cans that are at least eight years old and I am still using them.
I think you purchased from me, a couple of years ago, some prewar repainted tin plate freight cars that I had repainted. At the time you commented on the quality of the paint jobs. On those I used the auto supply store spray paint.
Jim Lawson
This airbrush can be had for 8 bucks with the ubitquitous 20% off coupon.
Harbor Freight
It will work with Hennings paint, about another 10 bucks and give a better finish. For less than 20 bucks you will have a perfect match. It will cost that much to have paint custom mixed and put in a spray can then it still may not be a match.
Pete
Norton posted:This airbrush can be had for 8 bucks with the ubitquitous 20% off coupon.
Harbor Freight
It will work with Hennings paint, about another 10 bucks and give a better finish. For less than 20 bucks you will have a perfect match. It will cost that much to have paint custom mixed and put in a spray can then it still may not be a match.
Pete
Harbor Freight is my go to! Can you use Henning’s straight out of the jar or do you have to thin it out?
Hennings recommends using naptha as a thinner. Available at just about any place that sells paint, also the main ingredient in lighter fluid. For airbrushing I would use about 50-50 paint to thinner. I was in fact using lighter fluid before it ran out and then bought a can of naptha.
Pete
Do you need to buy a special compressor or can I use my 6 gallon shop compressor? I have a few things I need to paint and would rather have the correct color instead of a will do color out of a can at the local big store.
You don't need a special compressor but you do need a regulator that will adjust down to 15-30 PSI and an oil/water trap. I use quick disconnects on my air hoses. There are two styles. You will need an adapter to connect the air line provided with a quick disconnect that fits your system.
Pete
Airbrush can be hooked directly to any air source. I use this $5 part at the connection point of air compressor and airbrush hose.
Gentlemen,
This entire thread is another Great example of the knowledgable OGR membership and how they help each other.
Ya got to love it!
PCRR/Dave
Chris Lonero posted:Henninges has it in cans but i’m Trying to avoid mixing and buying an air brush For the small roof I have to do.
Chris,
I've had good luck using a preval sprayer with trains. You can buy them at Home Depot.
Dilute the paint with your thinner of choice (I use automotive lacquer thinner from auto parts store). Dilute until the paint runs reasonably quickly off a popsicle stirring stick.
Put the top in and spray. If you want to do two coats, removed the spray head from the jar and dip the straw into pure thinner and spray pure thinner for a bit to clean the nozzle.
Cap your jar of paint (with the enclosed cap and you'll be ready to go the next day or so for the next coat.
*** Like any painting task, proper prep. of the surface is THE most important part.
Check out this forum thread. Hobby Horse Products has paint in spray cans.
Buy an air drying filter and put it as close to the sprayer as you can. Compressed air lines can have condensation issues that will drive you nuts.
An auto bump shop supply house is what you want. If they are worth a darn, they can do a spectral analysis of the tender if you bring it. (a hand held "gun")
I use a "trap" at the compressor & a paper filter at the gun as well.
If I had to choose one only, I'd replace the paper one each spray.
Learning to Airbrush is well worth the weekend that it will take to build a skill set. Once you can Airbrush, then you have a lot more options. I recommend the Paashe H model. The brush is cheap and durable and most importantly easy to clean. I also recommend Hennings paints, but you can have an auto paint store mix any color for you. Keep in mind that you can practice with Acrylics which are for the most part non toxic and thin with water. Once you learn to brush your models, you can change to the oil based enamels like Hennings which are toxic and more difficult to clean up and thin with Naphtha or Lacquer thinner. You should also build a spray booth if you are going to spray enamels in the house. Best of luck, Tlh
I contacted Hobby Horse products and they are going to send me some paint chips to compare what I have. They have their paint in spray cans so I’ll see what happens. Thanks for all the suggestions guys.
If you can use an aerosol can you can use a single action airbrush like the Paasche H or Harbor Freight. Learning curve is about two minutes as you try adjusting the nozzle and air pressure. Two stage airbrushes do have a longer learning curve.
Once you start using an airbrush you will wonder why it took you so long to get one.
Pete
Norton posted:Once you start using an airbrush you will wonder why it took you so long to get one.
Pete
I couldn't agree more strongly. I have found it is the only way to get perfect color matching and finish texture results. And if you can stick to acrylics, cleanup and maintenance are easy.
Norton posted:If you can use an aerosol can you can use a single action airbrush like the Paasche H or Harbor Freight. Learning curve is about two minutes as you try adjusting the nozzle and air pressure. Two stage airbrushes do have a longer learning curve.
Once you start using an airbrush you will wonder why it took you so long to get one.
Pete
I have used an air brush before but the cleanup and keeping the nozzle clog free was kind of a pain in the but.
I found an auto body supply house not far from where I work that does custom paint matching and will put it in a spray can! Here is the result from the new roof I did for the project. 
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Now that I look at the light blue, in some lighting it looks almost Petty Blue!
(Some folks out there will get that reference, and it looks pretty close!)
Chris,
Nice going, she looks very good!
PCRR/Dave
Pine Creek Railroad posted:Chris,
Nice going, she looks very good!
PCRR/Dave
Thanks Dave. Not easy when your trying to match one piece instead of painting the whole engine. I’m pretty happy with the result.
That looks like a great match, Chris! Glad you found something that worked. What I like best about it: the day we were at Marty's house and you asked him for the roof, he went to get it out of one of his kitchen cabinets. I guess his basement is full 🚂
John
BlueComet400 posted:That looks like a great match, Chris! Glad you found something that worked. What I like best about it: the day we were at Marty's house and you asked him for the roof, he went to get it out of one of his kitchen cabinets. I guess his basement is full 🚂
John
That’s funny John. I didn’t realize that’s where he went to get it! 
Chris Lonero posted:BlueComet400 posted:That looks like a great match, Chris! Glad you found something that worked. What I like best about it: the day we were at Marty's house and you asked him for the roof, he went to get it out of one of his kitchen cabinets. I guess his basement is full 🚂
John
That’s funny John. I didn’t realize that’s where he went to get it!
Yeah, I thought it was great. It brought back a childhood memory of going to see one of my Dad's train buddies, John Gilander in CT. A single guy, he had trains everywhere in his house--yes, even the kitchen cabinets. And, there was always a circle of O72 track on his living-room floor.
Chris, what's the story behind the rest of the 263E? Original prewar? What happened to the first roof?
