Suggestion Wanted on a Paint

Oh my goodness!  I think I know the green you mean, but probably haven’t seen it since I was laid off from the power company in ‘95.  I have no idea what paint to use, but it brought back memories of working in the power station!

I would call it reliance electric green.

That’s what I was thinking of, Paul.  Is that it, George?

Do you mean "government green" which is commonly called deep forest green? Yeah, I looked it up. It's darker than the above example hokie71 has.

Here are some green columbia gas meters.  And another Here.

Green Industrial motor here.

Any of these the color you are looking for?

Vallejo has a nice variety of green paints.  See Color chart.  Their Light Green may be what you want.

And Here is a Tamiya color chart.

Bob

I've seen both shades.  I recall the darker one, in particular.  Anybody know of a brand I could use?  I guess I'll check Hobby Express out tomorrow.

The bigger issue, it seems, is getting paint to stick to the motors.   I wiped the paint off the motor to the left as it looked awful, not that it looks good right now. 

George

@RRDOC posted:

Here are some green columbia gas meters.  And another Here.

Green Industrial motor here.

Any of these the color you are looking for?

Vallejo has a nice variety of green paints.  See Color chart.  Their Light Green may be what you want.

And Here is a Tamiya color chart.

Bob

Bob,

Thank you very much for all the pertinent and useful information!

Those gas meters look a bit faded to me, but it's a childhood memory, so distortion is a real possibility.  I very much appreciate the different samples you showed me.  I will check out Vallejo at Hobby Express (my local hobby shop) tomorrow.

George

ACE Hardware sells Krylon Fusion paint for plastic in spray cans that sticks pretty well to hard surfaces such as the plastic you mention. Not sure the line has an appropriate green, however. A primer might help, too; something designed specifically for hard plastic.

They look like resin castings.  Washing them with dish detergent and water before painting will remove any mold release and paint will stick much easier.  Most paints (other than craft paint) should stick well, but a coat of primer will remove any doubt.  I use a light coat of Rustoleum grey Auto primer.

Bob

George,

Home Depot usually has a good selection of Rustoleum Painters Touch. There are a number of shades of green. That will be your easiest for finding a color. Second would be Hobby Lobby with a vast Krylon  display.

You can go to Home Depot or Lowe's with a sample of the color green you want.  They will use color matching reading machine to read the proper colors to mix to get your match.  Then they will make you a 1/2 pint that color.  You will have to pick out the brand, sheen, and type of paint you want that they can mix.  For modeling interior latex should be fine.  There is a $2 to $3 charge to buy the sample of paint.

Charlie

Maybe Rust-Oleum Painters Touch Satin Deep Forest Green.  I use the Moss Green as a close match for AC units on the tops of buildings.  Painter's touch is great for adherence to pretty much any plastic.  I'd recommend a couple light coats rather than one heavy.

Krylon flat paints. Camouflage.  Quick search color:  Brown, Khaki, Olive, Light Green.   Worked well for building colors. siding, asphalt shingles, etc.   Available most hardware stores.  IMO, Mike CT.

Other problem:  Paint not sticking.

(1.) Try paint thinner to clean the plastic before paint application.

(2.) More aggressive, lacquer thinner.

(3.) Both, paint thinner, and lacquer thinner, are volatile, require adequate ventilation.

(4.) There is a fire hazard, both, paint, and lacquer thinner(s).

(5.) There are MSDS, (Material Safety Data Sheets), sheets available for all products listed.

Try Krylon Fusion Matte Spanish Moss

This photo looks a little off from actual color.

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This one looks accurate

I have found that Krylon Fusion sticks the best to plastic.  Five years ago I used it to restore the plastic clamshell cover of my old Coleman Versa Trailer.  It has stood up ever since.

John

My thanks to all who responded.  I will file away this information for another time.

I ended up using a gray primer and then applying (with a micro-brush) some Vallejo 70.969 Park Green Flat.  I think it ended up okay - have a look.

By the way, I can highly recommend the electric drives and motors made by Charles Pravlik.  You can see his products at  cmpshopsmodels.  He mostly makes HO steel mill related items, but some of them are suitable for O scale.  Here are some photos:

Again, my thanks for all the paint advice.

George

I think you nailed it George.

George:

Sometimes when creating art -- and that's very much what you're doing -- you don't so much have to replicate something exactly but rather place a suggestion in the viewer's mind so that viewer's own memory and perspective can help "fill in the blanks".  As you say, you're working from "a childhood memory, so distortion is a real possibility".  In other words, it's ok to be a little off, as long as the final impression hits the mark.

And, as NJCJOE said, you nailed it.

I and I'm sure many of us would know exactly the effect you're trying to create from 10 paces.  Nicely done.

Steven J. Serenska

Looks like the old green to me!

Joe, Steve, Bill

You all are way too kind.  Thanks!

George

@Serenska posted:

George:

Sometimes when creating art -- and that's very much what you're doing -- you don't so much have to replicate something exactly but rather place a suggestion in the viewer's mind so that viewer's own memory and perspective can help "fill in the blanks".  As you say, you're working from "a childhood memory, so distortion is a real possibility".  In other words, it's ok to be a little off, as long as the final impression hits the mark.

And, as NJCJOE said, you nailed it.

I and I'm sure many of us would know exactly the effect you're trying to create from 10 paces.  Nicely done.

Steven J. Serenska

"Art is not what you see, but what you make others see." - Edgar Degas