You Said:
I was kind of aiming for this effect:
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Walter
painting LEDs can be easier than using a brush. I find this way really easy and gives a super result compared to brushing. One can of the spray will do a lot of different hobby jobs, so its woth having it around anyway
LED plastics are smooth and don't take paint all that well... So, I find the eaiest way to treat an LED used as you did is to spray the whole thing with gray automotive undercoat, which will stick much better than brushed on enamlel or acrylic to the LEDs.
Spray the whole thing including the lens. Use a couple of coats if needed, but keep them thin if you can.
When dry then almost dry-brush the lamp colour (the undercoat is prefect for dry-brushing onto) ... I'm blessed with black for this / without the need for the white used on other railways - but if its white, not hard white - slightly off white and grubby (creamy very pale gray) as they weren't often thoroughly cleaned or repainted and generally looked a bit worn!
Then, when its all totally dry, with a couple of strokes of a fine file, remove the front of the lens and its paint. This will leave a perfectly round lens shape.
To restore the radius and give the look of a proper lens, take a little thick-ish gloss varnish OR clear epoxy and mix in a tiny amount of orange/amber and black. Place a tiny drop of this on the lens face - it will naturally settle to the limits of the filed face and harden with a slight rounded look. Epoxy is better than gloss varnish for this (for me anyway).
Regards
Richard
DCCconcepts