Painting a 3.5″ model

[ian HoldsworthParticipant @ianholdsworth27760]

How should the painting be done, brush or spray. Whose paint is the best. How do I get a finishing that is good and does not look like painted tar put on with a stick?

All advice is welcome for this beginner!!!

[Brian Baker 2Participant @brianbaker2]

Greetings Ian, if you lashed out and bought a copy of Chris Vine’s book “How (not) to paint a model steam locomotive” you would find more information than you need, but it will tell you everything you need to know.   Well worth purchase and a read.

Regards

Brian B

[noel shelleyParticipant @noelshelley55608]

I’ll second Brians comment. Buy the best paint for the job, take your time, and remember an adage from a friend at Westlands    Piss poor preparation prevents proper product performance !

If it’s a working model try to run it and be sure that all works correctly BEFORE painting. Trying to undo paint filled screw slots not only often ruins the screw but wrecks the paintwork ! Good Luck. Noel.

[ian HoldsworthParticipant @ianholdsworth27760]

Thanks a mil. The book is ordered.

 

[Clive Brown 1Participant @clivebrown1]

Vine’s book is certainly an interesting and worthwhile read. His results are near perfection but some may be rather daunted by his no-compromise approach.

I could never see myself achieving good results with a brush, except on quite small components and maybe spoked wheels. For platework etc. I have a cheap Badger airbrush (~£20,) which gives quite acceptable results by my standards. I’ve used Precision Paints and Humbrol gloss enamal, although this latter seems less widely stocked these days.

Rattle cans can give reasonable results with practice.

A good-sized workspace and a decent airbrush compressor are nice things to have.

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

The key thing about brush painting that in days of yore would have been learned in years of apprenticeship is the viscosity of the paint. It has to be ‘just so’ so that it does not drip and run but when applied it is just able to flow enough for the ridges and furrows from individual brush hairs to smooth out before it thickens. It helps to have expensive fine brushes and expensive finely ground pigment.
This viscosity thing is still important (and different) with spray but at least the brush hair problem is removed.

I noticed as I typed that a mistype turns ‘spray’ into ‘pray’ – perhaps that is also good advice 🙂

[Richard SimpsonParticipant @richardsimpson88330]

Many years ago I watched a TV program about the behind the scenes at Rolls Royce.  One of the interviews was with a coach painter, who said that the best possible paint finish could only be achieved with a brush.  He then went on to explain the process of many layers, painted on in different directions and then how it was all rubbed down in between coats.  All very interesting and way beyond the vast majority of us but I always remember him saying that the best finish could only be achieved with a brush.

One of the best paints I have ever applied, with a brush although I’m sure it could be sprayed as well, is Craftmaster Coach Enamel.  It glides on beautifully, settles perfectly and is an absolute joy to apply.

This is Crimson Lake:

 

 

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

All very interesting and way beyond the vast majority of us but I always remember him saying that the best finish could only be achieved with a brush.

Richard,

Still, as you say, that was many years ago. I rather suspect that spray painting techniques have moved on since then. That doesn’t mean you cannot get a good finish with a brush on a model though.

Painting metal  on a loco is likely to be more challenging then painting model boats where the underlying material is likely to be wood or GRP and the edges are less clearly defined. Plasticard does require more precision however as it is closer to a metal finish.

Colin

 

 

[noel shelleyParticipant @noelshelley55608]

In 1969 I put an ex MOD champ on the road, a NEW registration in the September, most people thought it was a new vehicle, why? It was brush painted with Valspar ! It still looked good 25 years later ! Noel.

 

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

Picking up on Bazyle’s advice, even if we have to make do with less exotic paints I would suggest very thorough stirring so all the pigment is back in emulsion and the whole mixture is homogenous.

[Author]

Posts