Perfect paint match

Jim.

I am not a Locomotive builder or painter but some situations force you to be when you can't buy or get built what you want.

I have painted nine diesel locomotives using Tamiya paint aerosol cans mainly because every hobby shop in Perth sell them and never had a problem with the paint. I do paint only in the long summer that we have over here when it is stinking hot the paint gets baked on! Air brushes don't thrill me to much cleaning afterwards. Roo in West Australia.

Me neither.  The Paasche model H is easy to clean, but I am often too lazy, and next time out it won't spray properly.

Matching black has to be the easiest.  Have you tried matching yellow-orange or red?  You really have to be a pro to do that.

Talking about matching paint.

I need to find the matching paint for these MTH Coil cars that I modified adding a bottom sill made out of styrene, I need to paint the bottom sill only.

The car that the sill is painted is Tamiya red oxide PRIMER I need to find a Pennsylvania Railroad colour for the top coat. This is where I will have to use the Air brush as you can't ship aerosols through the mail. Any ideas will be welcome! I also need a dealer that will ship it to me in Australia. Thanks in advance.

Roo in West Australia.

Photos never tell the story on color, but I would try Tuscan first.  Modern boxcar red would be the second guess.  I have had good luck mixing.

I agree with Tuscan. Maybe a shot of dullcote over it if the color is slightly off.

Thanks Bob and RoyBoy.

I'm going to have a look in the hobby shops here in Perth and see if I can pick up a spray can first before I order from America, maybe even the hardware store might have a colour I could use. I'm hopeless at matching colours but I'll give it my best shot.   Roo. 

I also shy away from painting with an airbrush, but suppose if I had a quality one and an appropriate spraying environment, some acceptable results might be possible.  Good for certain weathering procedures though.

My favorite medium is working with lacquers from the spray can...automotive Dupli-Color specifically.  As AMCDave recommends, prime plastic with their primer/sealer to avoid irreversible wrinkling.  I tend to lay on a number of coats in quick succession until an even glossiness is produced.  If you begin to apply in thin, dry coats, as recommended for enamels or acrylics, you'll never achieve a smooth, glossy finish, ideal for decals.  There's a fine line between avoiding a pebbly finish and putting it on so thick that it runs, but lacquer really requires a careless spraying technique before it runs.  Metallics are less forgiving, requiring super even applications to avoid blotchiness.   

For a good representation of the semi-gloss black that most manufacturers use on steam locos, Dupli-Color offers a bumper black paint.  One warning here, I have recently gotten bumper black that seems thicker than usual and doesn't finely atomize....maybe it's the propellant.  Always try any paint candidate on a test subject first to get a feel for its application qualities.

Here's GM Victory Red lacquer straight from the spray bomb on a brass wagontop van.

Bruce

brwebster posted:

I also shy away from painting with an airbrush, but suppose if I had a quality one and an appropriate spraying environment, some acceptable results might be possible.  Good for certain weathering procedures though.

My favorite medium is working with lacquers from the spray can...automotive Dupli-Color specifically.  As AMCDave recommends, prime plastic with their primer/sealer to avoid irreversible wrinkling.  I tend to lay on a number of coats in quick succession until an even glossiness is produced.  If you begin to apply in thin, dry coats, as recommended for enamels or acrylics, you'll never achieve a smooth, glossy finish, ideal for decals.  There's a fine line between avoiding a pebbly finish and putting it on so thick that it runs, but lacquer really requires a careless spraying technique before it runs.  Metallics are less forgiving, requiring super even applications to avoid blotchiness.   

For a good representation of the semi-gloss black that most manufacturers use on steam locos, Dupli-Color offers a bumper black paint.  One warning here, I have recently gotten bumper black that seems thicker than usual and doesn't finely atomize....maybe it's the propellant.  Always try any paint candidate on a test subject first to get a feel for its application qualities.

Here's GM Victory Red lacquer straight from the spray bomb on a brass wagontop van.

 

Bruce

that piece looks right!....sheen and application appear spot on...fine details are not lost .....nice work!

I had to put my sun glasses on to view it, but mate, it sure looks good.  Roo.

BANJOFLYER. I have seen that brand over here in the West I'll look for it next time I get near a hardware store. At the moment I have been cleaning up my little modelling workshop getting ready for when Margaret is better then I can start doing something again. I ordered some storage items that hold paint and lots of other stuff I will post a photo when I get it all set up maybe next week. Thanks. Roo.

"Air brushes don't thrill me to much cleaning afterwards."
"I also shy away from painting with an airbrush, but suppose if I had a quality one and an appropriate spraying environment, some acceptable results might be possible. "

I have to ask why are you scared of an air brush. I have used the same entry level Paasche H model for over 45 years and love it. I only use spray cans on certain occasions such as "Dullcote" and doing large areas of flat black [Testor's being the flattest that I have ever seen]. 
Just being able to spray paint where I want it to go, and without the massive overspray, is worth it to me.
Lose your fear, along with your laziness to cleaning, and I think you will very pleased using an air brush.

I don't have any fear of an Air Brush I have a very good quality one along with an expensive compressor and I have used it many times over the years but not for a couple of years now after I discovered Tamiya Spray cans.  I admit I'm lazy when it comes to cleaning it and setting it up I can't be perfect in everything I do, I have to have some failings, cleaning air brushes is one.

OK I'll tell you what I will do. I'll use it when the time comes to weather parts of the Steel mill I'm building and let you know how I went but it won't be for a couple of months.  I won't forget.  Roo.