I had used the search tool here and couldn’t find the answer to my question. maybe I saw this somewhere else but…
When painting the plastic handrails ect. that come with kato or atlas diesels there is a soultion(s) that you can use to prepare the plastic so the paint doesn’t crack and peel/chip off. Does anyone know of such a mixture I can make or is there something I can just buy. I don’t want to apply the uncoupler bars and MU hoses ect. to the engine before I paint them.
Try your local body shop. They have special primers for painting plastic bumper covers and other plastic car parts.
A trick from MR editor Jim Kelly I saw in a Paint Shop article he did 20 years ago (painting up an N-scale SD40 in Southern Pacific’s 1984 Olympics paint scheme): He scuffed up the plastic handrails using sandpaper before painting them. The roughened surface tends to retain paint better, especially those that goes on with a thin coat like Floquil.
hope this helps!
DO NOT SCUFF OR SAND the handrails as it will leave them fuzzy.
As passed on by the people at Weaver (O scale trains) and successfully used by me and others for 10 years or so:
Go to your local Napa auto parts store and get a can of #7223 Polpropylene Clear Primer. Spray them in a well ventilated area (outdoors or paint booth), make sure all sides of the handrails are covered (encased). When dry, (5-10 minutes) you can paint on whatever kind of paint you choose.
You can spray some of the contents into a small container and brush it on if the handrails are already attached. Try to not get it on any already painted surfaces or bare styrene plastic as it is a laquer based paint and can disolve paint and etch styrene.
I have locos that were painted 8-10 years ago now and the paint’s still on the handrails. I’ve seen the Weaver guys tie a handrail in a knot without the paint coming off!
Another option is to use “Pactra Racing Finish” model paint or Tamiya paint.
Both will bond to acetal plastic.
To paint the “Yellow” seen on some diesel handrails such as SCL, Pactra RC85 is the recommended color.
Fuzzy wuzzy was a bear, but he didnt wear any underwear!
Thanks Modelmaker51,
That was the trick I read about. I will get that soon. Also thanks AntonioFP45, I will also see what that does, maybe one is better than the other for one task…
Dan
I have also used both of these paints and they work well.
Jim
Both of these if used without the poly primer will start to flake in a couple of years as they were developed for Lexan R/C carbodies that have a lot of flex, but are not “slippery” the way that Delrin and other acetal plastics are. The ideal method would be to use both the flexible paints and the poly primer.
Thanks for that tip, Modelmaker!
Now that’s what this forum is all about![:D][8D][:)][4:-)][C=:-)][C):-)][tup]
MR article from a couple months ago said to use Plastic Adhesion Inducer, that you can get at a body shop/auto paint supply store.
Yes, however depending on the brand name, that can be an expensive option. When I was out in the field, my crew used Dupont 222 Adhesion Promotor. Another popular brand is “Bulldog”. Both are excellent and expensive. Quart cans run about $20 (if still available–dealers make more money selling by the gallon).
It is very good stuff. No need to thin…you just pour in your paint gun or airbrush and shoot ONE COAT. For an airbrush 15 to 20 p.s.i will work.
However, if you know someone in the field you can ask them to get their bosses’ permission to save you a can when it’s down to about 2 ounces. That’s enough to do many sets of handrails. You’d be surprised how often some shops toss out cans that still have material in it.
aside from all the excellent advice presented above, i’m not that sophisticated.
i prime my slippery plastic parts with testors magnesium metalizer, and go from there.
if i want to go for an overkill, i will scrub the plastic part with soap and water to get the mold release off, then paint.
either way seems to have good results.