I have painted some of my brass in the past and have never liked the results. I think part of my problem is my technique. Can some of you guys tell me what method you have used to sucessfully paint your brass?
Thanks.
CrazyShay,
Can you tell us what do your results look like? We may be better able to help you with some details. Does the paint look too dry, rough, transparent, loses adhesion, etc.? What type of primer do you apply on brass? Is it Zinc based? If it goes on rough, do you wet sand primer before applying your topcoats?
With painting there’s often “tiny” little factors that can easily be corrected to turn a mediocre job into a “Wow!” job.
My painting technique for plastic and metals is very similar and I get good results.
When I was training as an automotive painter wayyyy back, my mentor used to pound into my head: Painting is 95% surface preparation!
Also if you used acrylic paints, will explain why you achieved poor results. Brass is too “Smooth” for acrylic paints to stick well, and acrylic paints don’t etch the surface like solvent based paints do. So you have to paint brass with solvent based paints.
The BEST Paint for Brass is Scalecoat I, no primer necessary, dries to a gloss finish, but the paint really stays on well if it is baked on at about 140 degrees. But the brass needs to be cleaned well in a ultrasonic cleaner and then etched with vinegar to get a little tooth for the paint to stick to.
Rick
I use a 9" deep-pile sponge roller for my N scale brass.
I wonder why it doesn’t look good…? [:o)]
Well, your using the wrong nap of the roller, Try the 1/4"…
How is it for holding decals? I usually use Floquil, but I haven’t been satisfied with the Glosscoat treatment I have to give their flat enamels. And how is it for non-metal surfaces, like wood and plastic?
Dave: Switch to a 6", that way you won’t miss all of the injector details.
Okay, for real, then: And you guys will probably wonder "What the #%$# is he DOING? I’ve never been good with a spray-brush, sold my Paasche a couple of years ago, after having my brass turn out as if a five-year old took after it with a house-painting brush and a gallon of Gloss-Black Enamel from the hardware store.
I use a spray can. Yup, a spray-CAN! Floquil grimy black for the initial coat after I’ve dunked the parts in a mixture of vinegar and water (70-30). Then I bake everything for about fifteen minutes at 120 degrees. Seems to keep the paint on very well. Then I brush paint on the graphite for the firebox and smoke-box. I mix the graphite by hand–one part Old Silver to two parts Graphite. I do a lot of masking while I’m painting, and the results are okay for me. I’d probably never enter my brass in a photo contest, but I’ve never had anyone look at any of my locos and go “What the heck is THAT?”
When I ‘weather’ them, I use the Bragdon chalks, which are self-adhesive. My locos look ‘used’, but also like locos that the shops take some pride in. and they look okay to me.
Tom
Tom
That doesn’t sound crazy at all to me. I do it, too - and I got the suggestion from a guy who’s written the book on brass, in more than a manner of speaking. So I didn’t feel at all bad about taking it. I use Bragdon chalks, too, and they’ve worked out for me - my only complaint about the Floquil grimy black is the matte finish, which doesn’t look quite right with decals, even after I apply a gloss coat. And you have to really layer the powder on thickly, because the Dullcoat will wash some of it out.
No wonder you’re having problems. You need to hang the loco from a length of wire and dunk it in the paint.
But seriously folks, Dan of Yardbird Trains uses ColorPlace flat black spray paint from Wally-Mart for engine black, believe it or not. He said it’s really good quality, and less than a dollar a can. I bought myself a can, but haven’t tried it yet. If it works well on plastic & zamac, it should be ok on brass.
I did a Bowser engine with Rust-Oleum when I was starting out - just a thin coat of gloss black spraypaint, since I had some in my shop. It looked like a builder’s photo when I got the decals on, but after I Dullcoated it, put on some powder, and a second layer of dullcoat, it looked pretty gritty.
Their instructions says 175 degrees for 2 hours…and I do that all the time (Pro painter)
David
As per my technique…here goes…
- Every unfinished brass model (in naked glowing brass) has a clear coating to keep the brass from tarnishing…this must be removed. I use either acetone (nasty-use-out-doors-kind of stuff) or Xylene (The thinner used in Scalecoat). A good stiff denture brush is great for scrubbing down the model). Before painting give it a nice soapy bath and scrub it again with the denture brush.
1b. Paint thining for scale coat. Lighter colors:Thin close to 50/50 paint/thinner. Darker colors are more 60/40 paint/thinner. Test you thinned paint on clear plastic (like packaging) and look for paint ‘particals’. If you have particals, then you need to add more thinner.
1c. I use between 18-25 psi for painting.
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Primer. Even though scalecoat does not need a primer, you should use one if you are using a lighter color (Yellow, Red, orange and so on ) because the brass will vary in color throughout the model…the darker colors dont really need one.
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Plan your paint. Darker colors cover lighter colors. For example, for Canadian pacific’s maroon grey scheme you spray in this order…
a) CP grey (Doubles as primer)…mask what will remain grey----Bake 175f for 2 hours
b) CP tuscan red…mask what will remain tuscan----Bake 175f for 2 hours
c) Black (I use scalecoat ‘warm black’)-----Bake 175f for 2 hours
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Decal. If you use scale coat, you wont need a gloss coat to apply decals. If you use a flatter paint (Like acrilics) then you will need to apply a gloss coat to aid decal adhesion.
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Gloss, Satin or Flat finish. This is a final coat of paint to protect your decals and under coats.-----Bake 175f for 2 hours
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Apply clear plastic or equivilant for