Painting Locos

QUOTE (DiesAL @ 11 Sep 2008, 22:24) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>I know this will be second nature to a lot of forum users but I'm thinking of taking the plunge and repainting an rtr OO diesel.

I have several questions which I'd be grateful for responses;

1/ Do I HAVE to remove the factory paint and if so how do I do it without damaging the loco?

2/ I am planning on using spray paint for the body sides/roof - should I use a primer first?

3/ Should I use enamel or acrylic spray paint?

4/ For a pristine finish do I use Satin or Gloss?

5/ How many coats should I use?

5/ What varnish should I use after - Satin or Gloss (I assume not Matt)?

l6/ Is it easier to hand paint the fronts rather than spray?

Please bare in mind that my painting experience in modelling is restricted to plastic kits and weathering rolling stock.

I will probably practice on an old loco first but would appreciate advice in response to above questions.

Thanks in anticipation!

Hi DiesAL,
Best and least messy way to remove loco paint is to get yourself some 'fairy' powerspray from your local supermarket ... get the body in a poly bag and spray it well tie the bag up and leave overnight for it to get working, n the morning get an old toothbrush and use it all over the body espcially in the detailed areas, rinse of the body under running cold water brushing the paint off as you go, it may need more than one application.
Let the body air dry and give it a coat of white car spray can as a primer Halfords matt white is good, make sure it is an acrylic paint and NOT cellulose as cellulose melt plastic loco bodies.
Paints from Railmatch etc come in satin finishes at times ready for decalling, as to how many coats of paint it will takes for the finish your looking for depends on colour and how you are applying it, if i'm spraying two coats on top of a good undercoat is usually suffice.
At least a satin finish gives a good surface for the decals to sit on a matt microscopically has grooves in its surface and holds air not letting the decal sit correctly trapping air ( the silvering effect) after applying decals.
Once your happy all markings are done and left to dry Satin varnish sprayed on seals the surface.

Careful masking with Tamiya tape is the best way to do two or more colours on a body, start with your lightest colour working darker as you go

Ok lots of questions there Al.

lets go through them one at a time.

1/you dont HAVE to remove the factory paint, but its a good idea. if you dont you will loose some of the crispnes of the detail. also sometimes the factory paint can have a thickness that will show through your new paint. for example i had a repainted NSE47 land on my bench and you could still see all the lines through the new paint becauset they stood out.

2/ yes! try to use a primer that is apropriate for the colour you are doing. for example if you are doing a light grey loco then use white primer.

3/if i was using an airbrush then i would undoubtably say enamel. you have far more control over the paint and how it reacts and what you can do with it. for spray cans i dont really know as i never use them.

4/matt. simply because the paint dries in a thinner layer on your loco. you sort out the final finishes with the varnishes.

5/ depends on your primer and how wellt he paint goes on. you should only need one. but perhaps 2. if you scratch the second then you are goingto need 3!!

5/both but goss first then satin. gloss finishes dont scale well. also go outside, you will see that there are actually almost no gloss finishes in the real world. even the newest of loco's are rarely a propper hi-gloss.you will need to use gloss varnish first though. give it a thin coat of gloss then put the transfers on then spray it with satin.

6/easier? yes. but sprayed fronts look much better.

hope this is of use.

peter