I have a few un-decorated steam locomotives that I would like to have decals applied and numbered for the Milwaukee Road. Only the smoke boxes need painting. These are HO locomotives. Would anyone be able to recommend a professional service that can do this kind of work?
Has anyone tried Trans Emporium? I have seen they ad in the back of MRM.
Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks. (And yes, I know I could do this work myself, but my skill level and eyesight is just not sufficient.)
Think I would check with my LHS or local club to see if anyone in your area does such things and take a look at their work. My LHS has someone that does repairs, never have asked about painting, decaling, etc. If there is a club in your area, someone in the club may do it.
I would expect someone advertising in MR would do quality work, but shipping could be a considerable factor.
Good luck,
Richard
I think that Richard’s suggestions pretty-well cover it, and he’s right about the costs of shipping stuff, so keep it local if possible.
I do, however, respectfully wonder why you wouldn’t attempt this on your own. If your eyesight is good enough to view the locos, it should be sufficient to also do the work required. A decent brush and a bottle of PollyScale paint will take care of the smokeboxes, and if you have the necessary decals, applying them isn’t all that difficult. The tools needed are very basic: X-Acto knife, tweezers, and some decal-setting solution, and a spray can of Dullcote to finish the job.
As an added bonus, you will have also raised your skill-level.
Even if I were to do a dozen locos for solely the cost of materials (under ten bucks if you have the decals), the shipping costs would be prohibitive.
If you opt for a custom painter, you should also research their turnover times - there are many tales of people waiting months for relatively simple jobs, as some take on more jobs than they can readily handle.
Wayne