Having never painted a model before, can anyone please tell me what type of paint is used (oil, acrylic, latex etc.) to repaint locos and rolling stock? Also what type of sprayer ? Thank you.
Joe B.
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Specialty model railroad paint generally comes in two types - acrylic (water based), generally used for plastic, and enamel (solvent based), more often used for metal or wood surfaces. You can get common colors in spray cans, or buy an airbrush to apply the paint. There is also a spray gadget called a Preval Sprayer you can get at hobby shops that works like a spray can - you thin the paint and put it in a glass jar attached to a propellant can and nozzle assembly. I've heard it works well but I haven't tried it personally.
If you go with an airbrush, it pays to get a good one and a small compressor to start with - you can power an airbrush with cans of propellant, but it's a hassle and gets expensive pretty quickly. The two best known airbrush brands are Paasche and Badger, both of which have inexpensive starter sets with single action, external mix brushes that are easy to use and clean. I would avoid Testors/Aztek brand airbrushes. I have one, and I just bought a Paasche to replace it.
Always use the same brand thinner with any hobby type paint. Trying to thin, say, Badger acrylic paint with Polly S thinner can ruin the mixture with clumps, etc. Acrylics can be thinned with water, but same-brand thinner works best.
Try Weaver Scalecoat paints. http://www.weavermodels.com/page7.html
This is a good starter air brush system. $99 on Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/Master-A...ywords=airbrush+kits
I wouldn't buy an expensive airbrush tell you see if you like working with them. Once you get the hang of it, they are great.
Good luck and ask any question about painting here. Don
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Oil based only: acrylic or enamel both work fine.
I've repainted at least two dozen locos including the Legacy N&W J (photo below, now in UP gray/black/yellow color scheme), and always used just rattle cans. The J was done with rattle cars -- so was my repainted Southern Crescent, and so was a Legacy Berkshire that I replaced the cab on and then had to repaint/blend the cab paint into the rest of the loco. Good results come from taking your time with the prep work and careful masking, etc. Once the paint is in the air, it does really care whether it left a plastic rattle can nozzle or the nozzle of a $1000 airbrush. The airbrush offers more control over flow, etc., but you can get enough of what you need from a simple rattle can.
You will have people who disagree with this. Listen to everyone and make up your own mind. No one has all the answers: but this worked/works for me.
Lionel Legacy N&W J, repainted Union Pacific.
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Lee makes a good point; you can do a good paint job with a bomb can. I've done several myself; I'm not going to drag out the airbrush for a job that a can of Floquil will handle just as well. I painted a plastic accessory a couple of weeks ago with a can of Floquil Boxcar Red and it came out just fine.
On the other hand:
-- Your palette is restricted to whatever you can buy in a spray can. If what you need is Engine Black, no problem. If you need to match a color, or if you're feeling creative, that's a problem. I'm working on a paint scheme for the Gadsden Pacific Lines (the house railroad for our museum) that will require deep cinnabar. I'm not holding my breath to find that one in a can at the LHS! With the airbrush, no problem.
-- A can throws quite a bit of paint. Sometimes you want a lighter or narrower spray - the airbrush gives you the option. You can vary the output some on a can, but it's kind of iffy.
-- "Once the paint is in the air, it does really care whether it left a plastic rattle can nozzle or the nozzle of a $1000 airbrush." Actually, it does. A decent airbrush produces a much finer droplet than a plastic nozzle. This gives you a smoother finish, which may or may not matter according to what you are trying to accomplish. And my very nice Paasche airbrush set cost a lot closer to $100 than to $1000.
-- If you are painting tinplate, you want a glossy finish. A lot of canned paint dries too fast to get a good, uniform gloss. With an airbrush, just throw in a little retarder and bingo.
Lee is dead right about the prep and the masking being the most important part of the job. Your outcome is largely predetermined before you start spraying the color coat.
What I would recommend is to do a couple of easy jobs with a spray can to get the hang of it and decide how deeply you want to go into painting. At that point you can go up one step with a Preval Sprayer, which lets you mix your own colors but doesn't give you the control of an airbrush, or get an inexpensive airbrush starter set like the one Scale Rail mentioned in his post.
-- If you are painting tinplate, you want a glossy finish. A lot of canned paint dries too fast to get a good, uniform gloss. With an airbrush, just throw in a little retarder and bingo.
Agreed. If you are painting anything that will get decals, go glossy. The glossier, the better. Then decal, and if you want hit it with Dullcote. My giant 2- rail cab forwards get high gloss at first.
Thanks to all who responded to my question. If I were to try and match a specific color could anyone recommend a good source. Thank you.
Joe check out Weaver. They have a line of paint in railroad colors available in bottle and spray can
Steve
