I am planning on re-painting a K-Line S-2 switcher into GM&O No. 11. It’s a simple dark red scheme with gold letttering from a Champ HO decal set that should fit the short S-2 well.
[?] What is the best method to strip the old paint without damaging the plastic? Brake fluid? Easy Lift Off? Or can I remove the lettering, prime first, then paint?
I do not own an air brush, so I will use spray paint. What is a good plastic-compatible brand? Krylon?
I look forward to your input![:)]
To borrow from Dr. Fu-Manchu… (I love his typical little intro)
Dr. Brianel here, resident K-Line S-2 expert ready to tackle your question Dr. John.
I don’t know what shell you have as far as road goes, but the most important thing is to remove any raised lettering and or logos. If it is one of the early unpainted shells… Proctor & Gamble, ATS&F (blk and blue shells) B&O (solid blue), C&NW (solid green), some very fine automotive sandpaper may simply do the trick. Otherwise, yes brake fluid will work.
First get the window insert out. To do this you will have to bang the back of the shell against something like a piece of homosote. You don’t want to damage the shell… just loosen that window insert. You’ll also want to remove the headlight lens, which should pop out though on ocassion I’ve had to drill it out because I couldn’t get it loose. The front headlight is really a long lucite tube going from the back to the front. You’ll have to be cautious when removing this to not break it. But I don’t worry about that because I install an actual headlight instead. Remove the decorative horn and bell too. Now you’re ready for the brake fluid soak which will probably take a good 24 hours.
You should then be able to use a toothbrush and remove most if not all of the prior paint and lettering. Then you want to wash the shell real good in warm dish water soap. Now is also a good time to make any modifications to the shell. A Lionel metal decorative horn can be added in place of the K-Line one, so you’ll need a slightly bigger hole. Likewise a decorative bell from a basic Lionel steamer can be added too, or a nicer ornamental bell from a better Lionel steamer. The Train Tender (Jeff Kane) has had these parts in the past. You can also use GG-1 marker lens to add red marker lights to the back of the cab. To add them to the front, you’ll h
Brian,
Thank you! I appreciate all of the tips. If this project goes well, I’m going to repaint a Williams GP-38 in the GM&O red and white scheme.
I have both a B&O and a Dr. Pepper S-2 shell to use, but probably will use the Dr. Pepper. Good ideas on opeining windows and adding marker lights. I’ll try the windows, not sure about the markers, though.
I’ll check with Microscale on the decals, although I don’t think they offer the ones I need. I’ve used Champ before in my HO days. A bit thicker than microscale but still work okay. And I have the Champ ones on hand.
Brake fluid works, and I’ve heard that using the 90+% isopropal alcohol works too. What I did was about a 50-50 mix of the alcohol and brake fluid, let it soak for about a half hour then take a old tooth brush and brush to help scrub it off. It took me about 2 hours of soak and scrub to get it all off. Yours may take longer, just keep working it till your happy with the results. As for the deep nooks and crannys, corners, etc. you can either use a toothpick or the like to get into the tight areas. It was kinda hard to get it all out of the tight areas for me. I wound up using a dental pick and a old dull angled box cutter blade to get the tight areas. This was on a Lionel loco body. When done, give it a good cleaning in warm soapy water, then take it from there.
Theres also this stuff which I’ve heard is good, but didn’t want to spend the $$ for it. http://www.chameleonproductsonline.com/homepagewelcome.html Good Luck
I’ve used castrol super clean with real good results for stripping paint. I soak the item in the stuff full strength for a day or two then clean it.
Jim
Just a small adidtion to Brian’s instructions on using Micro scale decal solutions.You should wash the model with warm soapy water to remove the decal residue before spraying the decals clear.I used to just wipe the model off but have noticed some water stains on the older ones.
Ed
Good pointer Ed, and thanks.
Dr. John, one more pointer: on your red and white paint scheme, be sure to use a museum artisit quality non-yellowing gloss coating spray. On a couple of my older repaints: a white snowbird scheme Lehigh Valley K-Line Alco FA and a McGinnis scheme New Haven Alco FA, the white has started to yellow a bit. So I learned my lesson the hard way. It’s not that these locos look bad or anything… but I notice the difference. Some might actually like the effect… almost like a weathering of the otherwise bright white color. But I now use an artist quality non-yellowing gloss, at least over anything that will have white paint.
Hi Dr. John,
I’ve been told that straight Pinesol works for removing paint though I haven’t tried it. I’ve just finished stripping and repainting several Madisons using brake fluid. On a couple of the cars, Williams, it took a few days of soaking and scrubbing to get them dowm to almost bare plastic.