I have some cars that are too shiny. I need to Dullcote them. Do you leave the trucks on to keep them upright and level? I assume you remove wheels so paint does not get on the track.
Thanks in advance.
You are correct. take the wheels off before dulcoting. There is a device made to insert into the wheel bearings but just a small piece of masking tape on the backside of the truck will keep the dulcote out of the bearing housing. You don’t want the dulcote on the wheels or in the wheel housing. One other note: spray the dulcote in a well ventilated area. That stuff can send you into orbit with about 3 brain cells left over when you crash land…chuck
I take box cars completely off the frame to paint or dullcoat them… i use a wire coat hanger folded into a u shape and bend the ends at 90 degrees to hold the car…
If you are planning on weathering the car with chalks , you can start with a color chalk that is similar in color to the car , this will dull the finish
also be careful of the couplers, might want to tape them off
I use old trucks to keep the car upright. I take the ones that came with the car and put them to the side. When its time to fade those, I use “alligator” clips. Just hold in one hand spray away (of course I have on gloves).
After I’m done weathering the wheels, I will spray some dullcote on the wheels. Then take a small brush and outline the wheel that will be on the track with mineral spirits. Then I use a q-tip to get rid of the powders,dullcote, etc. Pull it (q-tip) along where the wheel will be on the track. Gives the wheel that “shine” like its been rolling on the track. Plus it cleans off the dullcote, etc…
Like many tasks, this is another where different people have different techniques. Usually, I too will remove the trucks, and the couplers, before spraying. Or, I might take small pieces of blue painters’ tape and simply cover over those parts.
More recently, I use this as an excuse to remove the trucks and weather them a bit, too. I weather with powders, so Dul-Cote is used both before and after applying the powder, first to give it a rougher surface to adhere to, and then to coat and set the powder so it stays on the car.
I do the same thing that Mr. Beasely does. Take off the trucks and couplers, give the shiny car a whack of Dullcote, let it dry, then do whatever weathering you see fit. If you’re using powders like Bragdon to weather your car, the self-adhesive in the powders will ‘dig’ into the slightly rough surface that Dullcote leaves, and after that, you can seal the weathering with another light spray.
But do it well-ventilated. In close quarters, the DullCote will ruin your lungs. [xx(]
Tom [:)]
I totally agree w/ Mr B and Tom. The satin/ semi gloss finishes on most new pieces will not hold weathering powders very well. It is also a good time to do other weathering methods as dry brushing and any air brushing before using the powders. Of coarse a final coat will seal your work.