I would like some input on modeling a canvas roof in HO with photos of your work if possible.
The car is a steel car built in 1912 with canvas (or a similar material) roofing.
It is a kitbash but turned out to be more of a scratchbuilding project. I am having a blast. I built a similar car several years ago but it had a sheet metal style roof. The basis for the roof on this car is a Branchline Trains plastic roof with some modifications. I have already sanded off the rivets and seams and have another plastic roof to play with.
Whatever medium I use, I plan on installing the canvas in sections just like the prototype. (See the photo.) I like the idea of using a tissue paper and have purchased the kind that model airplane folks use from the local hobby shop.
I suppose I would cut it in sections and apply with a coat of paint (or glue) underneath first and then paint over it? I would like this car to look like it is well maintained but show the seams where the material overlaps but very subtly. What paint have you folks used on this technique as to brand, type and color? In this B&W photo it appears to be weathered to an almost grimy black (more of a gray) but in another poorly lit color photo of the same car, it appears to be closer to a black as in a locomotive black.
Actually, just giving the roof a coat of dark gray auto primer from a rattle can does a very good job, no tissue paper needed. The auto primer is good and flat and prototype tar and canvas roofs had a good thick layer of tar that pretty much filled in the web of the canvas.
I did a caboose roof once using a single layer of Kleenex bedded down into and then painted over with black or dark gray paint. I did that many years ago and the caboose still runs on the layout and the roof looks good.
Although I have no car to show you, I can say that I’ver used Facial tissue (no brand name given) And applied it with only a coat of flat black paint as adhesive and coloring. Cutting the tissue into strips will probably be a good idea: giving a small seam with some overlay and being a pretty good representation of the prototype. Be sure the car top is clean before paint is applied. Happy modeling…JWH
I am still working on the roof before applying the roofing. One area will be white styrene. Will the white show through? Will Poly S Floquil water base paint be OK?
I would think a lite coat of gray or red primer would be called for, before applying the tissue paper roof topcoat. The primer should be close in color to the final color of the topcoat. Then the final color coat of paint.
IE: If the final color of the topcoat is gray use gray primer. If the topcoat is red use a red primer. If black use black primer. Which ever color is closer to the final color of the topcoat, use that primer to block the white plastic from showing thru the final coat of paint.
Use lite coats of primer. You will be better off applying more lite coats then one heavy coat.
Some of the tissue that model airplane folks use is called Silkspan. It is designed to shrink when painted, so you might want to do a test with the material that you have before putting it on the car roof.
What I have done is first paint the roof sections, then put the tissue on it while the paint is still wet. So you should have the squares pre-cut, and paint just the area that one square will go, put it down, then move to the next square. Once the paint is dry, trim the covering if required, then paint the whole roof once more. Use the same color both times.
And yes, Polly Scale or Polly S water based paint will work OK.
