How to paint a LIONEL vista dome--Need Help

Carl,

The liquid masker sold by Micro Mark is one of the best. Much easier to remove than some name brands. To be honest, any of the stuff is a bugger bear one way or the other. I wish you the best of luck. Please contact off forum.

"Pappy"

I originally titled this thread asking about liquid film masking.  Happy Pappy replied and we've communicated via email--he was very helpful.

I also did a more than perfunctory advanced search for information and found a locked thread with what would be useful information but for the fact that the photos were deleted.  I've emailed the poster and am awaiting a reply.

If you painted a vista dome or similar item, let me know how you did it.  Thanks.

Yep, I gave a fresh coat of silver to the plastic components...end/vestibule moldings, dome, observation end roof/door...of a set of 2500 (aluminum) passenger cars for a friend.  On the dome I used the liquid mask...Micro Mask, by Microscale, the decal folks...which is generically the same as the brand(s) mentioned earlier.

I used Tamiya Silver Leaf (rattlecan) for the paint....EXCELLENT coverage/spray pattern/color match....IMHO, of course.  The thing to remember about the liquid maskers is that you CANNOT use acrylic (water-based) paints with them...they will lose their 'maskiness', if you will.  i.e., water will dissolve the mask...even after it dries.

Yeah, it was a bit tedious carefully painting each pane of the dome with the masking fluid.  But it was totally worth it!  It came out B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L!!  And, BTW, you probably know this anyway, but you don't paint the inside of the dome!!...in fact you might want to mask this with several pieces of tape just to ensure that overspray doesn't reach the inside surface.  I did.

So, FWIW.....

KD

THANKS, KD.

I just bought new domes instead of trying to paint around all the windows. That piece is only a few dollars.

LOS, I'm painting the domes NP NCL dark green; the OEM silver doesn't work for me.

OTOH, where did you buy the domes?  I'll need new domes to have clear windows; the domes I have are yellowed with age(?).

I have done several. I used masking tape on some, and liquid masking on the others. I can't really decide which was easiest or did the best job. I need to do another one, and have been flip-flopping on which method to use. Both methods, carefully used will produce great results. 

Fortunately, I have several donor domes to practice on--new ones are too expensive for practice--so I'll try masking tape and a liquid mask and decide.  Looking forward to more replies.  Thanks for your reply Ross.

Carl I think I got them on EBay awhile back. You can find NOS on there some times, or try The Train Tender... I think Jeff used to have them.

LOS, thanks for getting back to me on the LIONEL vista domes.  I'll check with the TT and see what he has.  Tape or liquid mask, it's going to be tedious--and I don't do tedious well.

For this sort of T-task, my current ambiance is a glass of wine, Sinatra on Sirius Radio ('Siriusly Sinatra', channel 71), and de-activated phone.  Cooking aromas from the kitchen can be conducive, too,.....but sometimes rather distracting!!

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

KD

As long as we're talking domes, does anyone sell a seat insert for them?

That is the problem with images not on the forum server. I also get images from certain posters which always come up as a small "x" and never see them.

maybe a silly question, but doesn't the clear plastic window come out?

When I was doing model airplanes, I discovered by using Elmers White Glue, and brushing with a small brush, the canopy, and windows with a layer, just check to make sure it gets to all corners, sometimes I added another coat. Then painting or spraying, after the paint dried, pulling the glue off with a needle. Never had a bleed through, etc. Have used this procedure on my raildoad buildings, and some cars to change color, or add.

Tamiya masking tape (hobby shop or Hobby Lobby) for paint break and Shurtape to fill in. Clean crisp line every time.....

Bob, LIONEL does sell seats for the standard size vista domes.  The problem may be that the "interior" that the seats go into is not sold separately.

Originally Posted by JohnS:

JohnS, the standard size vista dome is clear plastic with paint applied, be it silver, green, etc.  The "windows" are unpainted.

The full car length domes are made from two parts: a painted frame, and a clear plastic insert of windows.

Thanks for the replies.