Does anyone have any tips for using an airbrush on factory painted locos. Can you paint a factory painted loco? My main question(s) how do you paint an already factory painted loco? do you just paint a primer coat on first then paint what color you want? do you have to remove the painted on decals first (like road names)? The locos i want to paint are mostly all atlas with one kato and one BLI unit in either Conrail or NS factory paint schemes. I want to paint them for a freelanced railroad I intend to create based on the area where I live called Delmarva rail (I live in Delaware) with custome painted locos and decals. The railroad will be ran as a medium sized shortline and the locos are either SD40-2’s, Dash 40-8’s, Gp35, Gp40’s, or SD38.
I have painted over factory paint, but its not the best thing to do. Sometimes you can see the raised lines of the lettering from the old paint, plus all of those layers of paint start to obscure the detail at some point. It is better to strip the loco, there are many different methods for this. No matter if you strip it or not you should use a primer first.
Indeed, a factory painted locomotive should always be stripped back to bare plastic before being repainting in some custom scheme. Failure to do so very often leads to the original lettering or color breaks showing through the new paint, completely ruining the impression, just as JPM has indicated.
Simply applying a coat of neutral primer over an already painted loco will, likewise, result in a generally poor finish, since any custom paint job will likely add further layers of paint to the model. This can be particularly serious in the case of those who lack extensive model painting experience, as they will often apply paint layers too thickly.
The best advice is to pick up a couple of cheap f/p diesel shells at the next train show near you and get in some serious practice stripping and repainting shells, so as to avoid ruining any good locomotives.
Or you could buy some undecorated models and start fresh. The time it will take for you to strip an already painted loco will be to time consuming. You would have to use a light grit sandpaper, remember not to harsh on the sandpaper, because you are dealing with plastic and you don’t want to damage your loco shell by using a strong grit of sandpaper. Then after your done sanding, then you would have to prime it. I suggest priming it twice, then paint. Instead just go with an undecorated model & keep the roadnames & models you already have.
I’ve never striped an already painted loco, but I’ve never heard of using sandpaper to do it, most articles I’ve read on this subject say to strip the paint by submersing the shell in Pine Sol or Alcohol or even brake fluid. It seems to me that sandpaper would remove alot of detail and would be very time consuming. There have been a good number of posts on striping model railroad equipment on this site, you might want to do a query.
Howdy KNOXy. I used to custom paint model trains in all scales. I prefered to use Scalecoat paint remover (or similar chemical brand X) with pretty good results. Never had a problem with Atlas or Athearn shells, but once experienced “crazing” with some older Rivarossi pieces. I’ve never tried the brake fluid method, but I’d only recommend it with brass models.
If you are serious about modeling a “mythical” shortline, might I suggest you do like the real regional/shortlines do and “patch” over the existing reporting marks and apply your railroads initials on the patch. Not too many shortlines have the ready capitol to apply new paint to second hand or leased motive power, and they get around to it a piece at a time. Most even keep the number boards the same until they aquire enough eguipment where renumbering is a necessity. This would add some colorful interest to your lashups. Do we get all googly-eyed over seeing NS Dash-9s when we are trackside, or do we take special notice when a UP-BNSF-Insert your own favorite rr is in the lash-up. This will allow you to run your current equipment, and add your new shortline colors (via undecorated shells) at an easy pace.
Thanks for all your comments guys. You know the more i think about it I might go along with keeping what i got and buying a few undecorated models to paint up for my shortline. It might not be all the hard to imagine since NS is already running the Delmarva Secondary as a shortline now trying to replicate the sucsess they got by doing this in North Carolina with some lighter used lines. This could be a backdrop to my shortline story - Delmarva Rail now the operator of the former NS Delmarva Secondary tracks and as such leases older locos from NS during thier startup… which in turn they interchange with NS… don’t know sounds good to me! Thanks for the great ideals. I do have an older shell to a kato unit SD40-2 that i might still practice on to see if its fesible. TTY all later and thanks again!!! If i get time I will post a few pics of paint schemes i came up with and maybe you guys could let me know what u think? Anyway ttyl.
Hi: You have had a good number of replies… I have done a considerable amount of painting, and repainting. It sounds as though some advice shys away from the brake fluid method of stripping… I have used this on near all of my stripping and I have yet to run into a problem… I suggest you take any old shell and try it first… Once you see how easy it works then you will have more courage to try one of your better models… I have a standard wide mouth two quart canning jar, filled with brake fluid.(I can do as many as four shells at one time if they are short enough to go under the neck of the jar) I dunk the complete shell in the fluid for at least 15 minutes, pull it out and see how the paint is reacting to the fluid… Some paints remove quite easily, others take several dunkings in the brake fluid. I have left some shells in over night with no problem, I had a stubborn (home done custom) paint job that even after I had the most of the paint removed I soaked it for about three days to get the last to loosen… You will find the little grills and fans etc. the hardest, as most of the time these need extra picking with something like a dental pick… Once all you paint is removed, wash it with ordinary soap and water and let it dry…(I blow mine off with an air hose) I’d like to hear how you make out if you try your first old one…
" I have used this on near all of my stripping and I have yet to run into a problem" this is not due to your good judgement mearly your good luck. modern plastics used to make models are very suceptable to solvents other chemicals.
" I suggest you take any old shell and try it first" that really defies the point of it dosent it! an OLD shell may well withstand the fluid but when you come to use a newer one it will shrivel up or go all gooey!
my point is simple. why take the risk. yes brake fluid is cheaper than a propper model stripping fluid that is designed to work with modern plastics. but is the price difference more or less than the price of a model?
for the sake of a couple of dollars are you going to risk your loco?
my advice is strip it first and then prime it. but NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER use brake fluid on a loco.
I use poly s decal and paint remover …here is my webpage photo album to show you the steps i used to paint rolling stock which will also apply to painting locomotives minus the masking tape to paint for two tone paint jobs…click the next button to see the series of photos and there are explanations of what i’m doing in the lower right hand corner… (you’ll have to also go to “trains 2” to see the whole procedure (ran out of photo space in “trains 1”) http://community.webshots.com/photo/137793353/1321880395055249160nqNfFx chuck