Am ready (?I hope) to build a Jordan HO scale 1940 Ford automobile.
The tires/wheels/hubcaps are molded of black plastic.
I am hoping to paint the wheels the same color as the car body (color not yet decided), the hubcaps a simulated chrome and maybe the tires whitewall.
Need all the advice/suggestions I can get as to how to paint these VERY SMALL parts without getting (smearing, if you will) wheel color on the tires, hubcap color on the wheels, etc.
One of my “handicaps” is that I do not have a still steady hand, so free-hand painting is not a good option for me.
Will GREATLY appreciate any/all suggestions/recommendations as to how to paint these parts.
rgh
Free hand painting is not a good idea for me either. I have uncontrollable diabetes and severe nerve damage, so I may be able to help you. When I have to do some fine detail painting, I hold the part between the thumb and forefinger of my left hand and clamp my hand between my knees. I then push my other hand down on my right knee. I can then do a passable paint job. I don’t think I could tackle the whitewalls though. Hope this helps.
This thread is an excellent tutorial on building Jordan vehicles:
http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=65747
Thanks again, Bob.
My only addition is try painting with a tooth pic or a pin. It takes forever, but it makes the errors smaller. You can also brace your hand better if you are not tempted to stroke the paint on, only dab it using the paints flowing qualities to get into the corners and up to the edges. Bob’s order is useful, I tried my wheels the other way and they are not as neat.
You could try a plastic circle template available at office supply stores - it would be where they have the drafting items. You can paint the entire wheel/tire the tire colour and then use the circle template as a mask so that only the wheel portion is exposed and then airbrush. The only problems may be finding a circle small enough and holding the wheel/tire securely behind the template so that you don’t get alot of overspray.
If you have a Dremel or something similar, you could try securing the axle stub into the Dremel, running it at slow speed and touching the loaded paint bru***he to the wheel area. The rotation of the wheel gives you a relatively clean curved line separating the wheel and the tire.
Maybe you could do an imprint for the whitewalls. That is, take somehting like a pencil eraser and carve it so when you dip it (lightly!) into a bit of paint, it will leave an impression of a ring. You would only have to make one then you could use it to imprint all your wheels. If it turns out to be the wrong size ring, get another pencil and try it again.
Rick
I really liked the tutorial. I would add that painting the tires black with a marker is often easier to control (for me) than and brush. No I don’t mean a “Magic Marker” but the better quality markers found in art supply stores.
chuck
Has anyone tried using dry-transfer lettering for whitewalls? One idea I haven’t tried yet, is to use lower-case letter O’s on the tires. Something else to think about: Why not paint the wheel center first, put the tire in a Dremel, then do the tire?
The Dremel method works very well. Paint the wheel first, then the whitewall, then the outer section. Don’t forget that whitewalls were very wide in that era, extending from the edge of the wheel most of the way to the tread (remember, these were bias-ply tires).
For a more realistic appearance, don’t use Steam Engine Black or flat black for the tires. Even brand-new tires aren’t flat black, which is a very strong shade. Tires are actually more of a warm gray in color. Try mixing a bit of Grimy Black or Railroad Tie Brown with the Steam Engine Black.
bcwthon:
Try gunmetal, Gloss Black (just a touch) and bit of dull coat (again just a touch) for tires.
Worked out real nice for my 1930’s coupe