Masking and Painting Trains

Your best bet would be to send Lee & Dave a simple email, to start in the right direction.

Very quickly: is a Zebra black with white stripes or the other way around?  I think biologists say out it is white with black stripes: but mypoint is - sometimes it just doesn't matter that much.  It would be just as hard to paint either way.

 

Most important point:  I am happy to share my experience.  I do know what I am doing, but that does not mean what I am doing things in the best possible way.  Maybe there is a better way -probably.  It's just the way I do it, a way so far has not bitten me badly enough that I give it up!

 

Another point: I paint the entire loco the "base" color.  In the case of the ATSF loco that picture you used, that was silver:  In the case of the N&W J I painted in UP greyhound (photo below), I covered everything I painted in gray (except for the black on top, which is the original color as Lionel made it, which I masked from everything including primer because I was going to keep that black).  Anyway, when the gray was dry and hard, I then masked what I wanted to stay gray and sprayed the yellow on top of gray, etc.

 

Of course there is another way to do it: a person could mask off and paint only those portions that will remain gray all the way to the end, covering and leaving the primer in the places where the yellow will eventually be on.  Then after the gray dries, mask it and apply the yellow over primer.   Might be better, except I do not do that, reason being I have found it impossible to exactly match the masking lines a second time well enough, so there is always a tiny sliver of the wrong color that shows, etc).  Or think of it this way: it's just how I do things.  

 

 

 

I tend normally to do colors in lightest to darkest: On the UP J, that was gray,thenn yellow.  On the ATSF loco that would be silver, yellow, red, black. I do this because my experience is that light paints often change color a bit when applied over dark, but not as much the other way around.  However, there is so little yellow that I did it last (the black will be pinstriping tape, it is too narrow in my judgement for me to get the scale stripe perfectly even thickness). I also did the yellow last because I felt it was the key to the entire loco's look (I'm pretty sure I am right about that, and I wanted the red in place before I decided exactly how to curve its lines.  

 

I use the blue 3M painters tape for most of the work, except I use 1/4 inch green tape for all edges: I put it on first and carefully, tracing exactly where I want the transition from one to the other color to be, then come back with the blue over that tape to cover the bulk of the loco.  Here is today's painting project which was done that way, a White Rose (i.e., cheap) '69 police cruiser that i bought to be Adam 12 on my layout.  It looked black and white on the site where I bought it but it was blue and white when it arrived today.  Now it is black and white.  This afternoon I used the green 1/4 tape to follow the edges of the white doors and such and the sprayed it about two hours ago (I painted it in exactly the same color scheme it was: all the white you see is the original white from White Rose, and where it is black, it was blue).  The green tape followed door seams and all very well - as you can see - it is great stuff and leaves a slightly finer paint line than the blue masking does.  Once it was on, I stuck blue over it's back edge and to cover everything else.  Tomorrow when the paint is harder I will reassemble the car, paint 012 on the roof, and remove the Wisconsin State patrol logos and try to put something that looks like the LA police protect and serve logo on the doors.  By 10AM it will be on the layout with Malloy and Reed!

Thanks for the comments......most of us here try and be a positive force in our hobby.

 

Each paint job is different. The WbB CSX loco went like this.

Entire loco gray primer

Entire loco gray color coat

Mask off yellow nose area and spray color

Mask off blue area and spray color

Mask off window frames spray silver.

 

Normal is light to dark colors.....but masking issues can cause you to do otherwise.

I mask my paint edges with Tamiya 1/4" wide tape and fill in with Shurtape light tack masking tape.

 

If you have a specific paint job maybe post a photo of the prototype and we can explain our way...

Thanks

 

 

Just a note to thank the OP for asking, and Lee and Dave for answering. I am just getting my feet wet with custom building and painting some TOFC equipment. (Trailers are less intimidating, i.e., cheaper, than trains  ) They look ok but I want the next batch to look better. I'll be following along - inspired by Lee's credo:

 

"If no one has ever done it that way, it might be fun to try."

an old timer gave me a trick years ago. Paint your base color, mask and then lightly repaint your base color. if there is any bleed through or around the mask it will be the same color as your base. after that has dryed then paint your second color. 

As simple as that is I had never thought of it. Thanks for the tip. I'll try that on my next repaint project.

Happy Pappy, I could have emailed Lee and Dave, but they both have been posting what amounts to an informal tutorial on custom painting, so I thought this info might be of interest to other beginning painters besides myself.

 

Lee and Dave, thank you both for the great info. You both use similar methods and I think I now have an understanding of the process going forward when I attempt custom painting. Your methods seem straight forward and you get good results.

 

Thanks also to Popi for the tip.

 

I do have one question about the "1/4 inch green tape". Is there a brand name, or is this a type of painters tape? In what types of stores would you find it for sale?

 

I was just asking in general terms as far as learning the masking and painting process and techniques. But, here is a rendering of the paint scheme I've developed for my private toy train railroad (colors added to an original drawing of the GP38 by Michael Eby). It would be a repaint of a Williams GP38. It is probably going to be a while before I have a chance to attempt the painting. Based on your info, I think I'd prime it with a gray primer, paint the red as the base color, then the green, and then the silver. The trucks are already black, but I'd need to paint the bottom of the loco black since it is now yellow.

 

 

Let me add, too, that whenever you mask across lines, such as those side doors, you will need to use a flat edge tool, to push the tape down securely into those cracks and lines, etc. Otherwise you will get major bleeding of paint--

Nice as always Lee. Are you going to put the correct red lights on the top or just leave those, (just busting your chops).  I bought a Lionel Security Patrol car that was supposed to be 1:43, turned out to be 1:34. And I've been looking for a 56 ford to make one. You have inspired me to look again.........

I'm going to leave this alone until I can find a really good model of a 68 or 69 Plymouth police cruiser black and white.  I will find one eventually.  I just really wanted it on the layout.  I love Adam 12.  My wife gets disgusted with me when I watch that or Have Gun - Will Travel, but there are some shows I grew up with that I just really love. 

I could watch the Adam-12 Dragnet channel and nothing else!!!

Problem is I get neither on DISH.......

Lee, I am still curious about the "1/4 inch green tape" you use for masking. Is there a brand name, or is this a type of painters tape? In what types of stores would you find it for sale?

 

Also, someone mentioned on another topic about sanding the base coat in areas where it is going to be over painted with another color. Do people generally do this sanding? If yes, what type of sandpaper?

 

Jeff78rr, thanks for the tip. Just any thin flat tool like a small screwdriver?

 

3m is the most likely maker of any quality tape. I get mine from an automotive/ household/industrial painters supply store. Ive also used pin-striping tape as masking tape. Its great for masking even smaller lines. 

The smooth service of fresh paint, promotes beading and puddling of new, wet, paint. Sanding also adds tiny grooves for your new paint to hang on to. It will help prevent flaking. Washing dust from sanding off is important too, causes flaking. Sand very lightly, just enough to remove the gloss, or create a "haze". Even when clear coating, sand the clear to a haze. It will turn clear again on the next coat. 

With thicker paints or thicker coats you can use a coarser paper. Light coats get finer paper. I go with 600 or finer. Really depends on the coat #, paint type, paint viscosity, and finish quality I want.

Adriatic, thanks for the info.

The Woodland Scenics Burnishing Tool is excellent for pushing that edge down. Its got a pointed and flat tip. Plastic so its easy to cut if you want to make your own edge.

Laidoffsick, thanks for the info. I looked it up on the WS site, and it looks like the flat tip makes sure the edge of the masking tape is down and the pointed tip to push the tape into any cracks as Jeff78rr mentioned.

 

Thanks again to everyone for the tips and info. Hopefully I'll be able to avoid some mistakes and some of the tools and techniques should really help.

Comments/answers to questions:

 

Some people sand, some do not.  If the paint is fresh, I do not. If old, I do, using #400 wet/dry.  

 

The tape is called painters mate 1/4"

 

I use the rounded side of the clip end of a cap for a BIC pen as the burnishing tool

Lee, thanks again for all the help.