Even greater deal as that caboose is worth about $90, assuming the box came with it.
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No box, but I give all my brass freight car boxes away anyway.
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The model has soaked for almost a week, and the thick hard paint is putting up a good fight.
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The model is back in the bath. I will try again in another week.
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-Kevin
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Congratulations on your find Kevin.
I bet brake fluid works good for stripping paint. One of the main reasons I put Fender covers on the Mustang if I’m working on anything that has to do with brake fluid. One little drop of that stuff sure makes a nasty blemish on the fender.
I can’t wait to see your Caboose finished. I have seen your work[Y] I’m sure you’re excited to add that to your Fleet of Cabeese.
TF
Brasstrains.com has a youtube video on stripping and painting brass. I’ve only watched part of it, Samhongsa behaved differently in paint stripper than the other model they stripped. One was lacquer thinner, the other aircraft stripper. Sorry I don’t remember which was which.
I’ve had good results using lacquer thinner for stripping brass - that caboose would likely have been clean in less than half an hour.
While I’ve used brake fluid to strip paint, some plastics don’t respond well to it, and it completely destroyed an Atlas diesel shell, deforming it severely. I don’t really like using it, as it seems messier than lacquer thinner or methyl hydrate.
Another choice would be Super Clean - I’ve had good success using it with both plastic and metal items.
Wayne
[Y] Ditto! [Y]
Good Luck, Ed
Well… I seem to be on a run at train shows lately.
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Today was the annual Scale Rails of Southwest Florida train show in Fort Myers. I had a table and sold this B&O boxcar for $40.00, and it went to a good fellow, so I am happy. I was very proud of this car, and I did good work. The person who bought it appreciated it. It was built from a Funaro and Camerlengo kit.
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I also bought this brass FP-9 by Overland, It was mint in the box, probably never removed. It runs better than Athearn, not quite as good as Kato, but sure good enough, and it is beautiful.
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It was only $100.00 for the locomotive. I am quite happy.
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It will be a while before this beauty sees paint.
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-Kevin
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Sometimes you can’t even buy an empty Overland box for less than $100!
I’m glad to say that most of my model RR purchases have been what I would consider “below wholesale”.
Thanks for sharing [bow]
Ed
Kevin,
That box car looks terrific! I’m very reluctant to spend that sort of money on a box car, but I would be sorely tempted by that one.
The FP 9 looks really nice! You should be ashamed of yourself for the price you paid![swg][(-D][(-D][tup]
Cheers!!
Dave
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Thank you for the compliment.
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I was very proud of that one. I painted the body black and white before the red went on. That is a technique used by military modelers to highlight flat surfaces. It turned out well on that one. I mixed the red paint using information from a historical society to get it right.
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The $40.00 does not cover the cost of the kit, paint, trucks, and couplers. However, it was enough to be sure the person who bought it knew it was just not another boxcar.
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I never sell much.
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I get a table at the Scale Rails of Southwest Florida’s train sho every year so I can be there before the doors open to get the real deals.
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I am a little ashamed of the deal I got on the FP-7, but it was the asking price.
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The same seller had a dynomometer car for $100.00 that I am having mixed feelings about not buying.
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I guess that is post-non-purchase regret.
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-Kevin
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Great “scores”, Kevin! some time ago, I was at the tnen Caboose Hobbys and I saw a brass Erie class N3A caboose. They wanted $180.00 for that little gem. That’s when i decided that I’d have to build my own cabooses of that class. I too would have been tempted by the B & O boxcar.
As for your caboose, I believe with a little work, you can make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear there. looks like there are plenty of details that you’ve uncovered after stripping. What I’ve found is that the original paint on some models (especially the lower end ones), the paint is so thick that it covers up much of the finer molded-on details.
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That is what I am hoping to do. I will keep updating this thread as progress is made.
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I will take the caboose out of the stripper bath on Sunday and give it another go.
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-Kevin
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Well, this caboose has been soaking ib DOT-3 brake fluid for three weeks, and the paint is not coming off any since the last photo.
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I have scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed, and just managed to knock off a couple of details.
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The paint seems to be a serious issue with these models. This one is for sale on eBay right now in similar condition.
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I guess I will need to scrape the paint off with an eXacto knife blade.
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-Kevin
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Have you given any thought to the traditional paste-type paint stripper?
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Klean-Strip-1-qt-Premium-Stripper-QKPS301SC/307995062
I don’t think it would harm the brass. I’ve used this before on tough paint finishes. Remember to wear gloves. It begins to work almost immediately. I use an old toothbrush for scrubbing paint out of the details.
Good Luck, Ed
Kevin,
I second Eds suggestion on the regular stripper. We regularly need to work on aluminum bodies that can’t be media blasted and either commercial stripper or aircraft paint stripper does the trick. All the other follow on treatments you do should still work but keep in mind most of the paint strippers are lye based not ethlyene glycol like brake fluid. J.R.
The mention of a stripper used on aircraft brought back memories of the “yellow peril” we used when I was in the USAF. This stuff contained an acid and would definitely reach out and get your attention. It didn’t like plastics either. I know because, I tried it. I also used to strip plastics with a lye solution, but used junk models from the different manufacturers to be sure they wouldn’t be destroyed by the lye.
As far as the OP’s caboose. It could be made into a decent model once that fingerprint is removed.
If I use “traditional” paint stripper, what are the chances it would attack the solder, and what is the best way to clean it off of the model?
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-Kevin
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Slim-to-none.
Mineral spirits, acetone or this:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Klean-Strip-32-oz-Paint-Stripper-After-Wash-QKSW94341/100234312
Have a disposable can or pail nearby to dump the old paint/paste into for disposal.
I’ve used cut-up pieces of old credit card/gift card type plastic to use as a scraper. Once most of the paint is off I use Scotchbrite pads dipped in the mineral spirits to clean away the rest of the gunk, then get into tiny cracks with tooth picks or skewers.
There’s a “friendlier” citrus-based product available, too. I don’t have any experience with that product, though.
Hope that helps, Ed
error
Well, hard to believe it has been a year. This one literally got pushed to back of the shelf. I found it again when I was cleaning out the workshop.
Sitting for a year did not get any of the paint to come off.
I also found the abrasive gun that I bought to try to blast the paint away. It came from China about ayear ao, but it still included a Coronavirus Mask.
I have this #13 glass shot to use to try to get the paint to come off.
I set the air pressure to 45 PSI and went at it. After an hour of effort, this is the best I was able to do.
It is a lot better than it was, and the remaining paint will just be scraped off with a #11 Xacto knife blade. Then I will be done with it and I can move onto detailing and paint.
-Kevin