# floquil railroad colors in a rattle can?



## paintjockey (Jan 3, 2008)

Has anyone used these? I have a few "caboose red" cans that won't spray for $h!t. If they work at all they spatter very bad or lay paint so uneven it looks terrible. I've shook (mixed) them forever warmed them cleaned the nozzle.... any other ideas other than throw them out? 

Terry


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## Spule 4 (Jan 2, 2008)

Dad's all did the same thing, sorry.


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## Pete Chimney (Jan 12, 2008)

Terry

How did you clean the nozzles? 

Solvent only or did you try a very small micro drill bit and gentle drill into the opening. 

Sometime I have experienced dried paint that solvents don't remove. Give the micro-bit a try before throwing away the cans.


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## Gary Armitstead (Jan 2, 2008)

I bought two NEW rattle cans of Floquil Pullman Green a few weeks ago and had the same problem as you have described. Lousy quality control!


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## paintjockey (Jan 3, 2008)

i used solvent, ran a wire in then went for the drill bit, all to the same effect.


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## San Juan (Jan 3, 2008)

This happened to me as well (splatter vs nice spray). Seems to have happened since the purchase by Testors. Old time Floquil spray cans used to work perfectly.


Sort of helped my decision to only do Floquil with an airbrush now. Definitely my preferred method. 

Scalecoat spray cans are nice. I used a MOW gray one a few years ago with great results.


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## paintjockey (Jan 3, 2008)

as an update, i just pulled a nozzle from another brand paint can. it worked for about 30 seconds then the same thing. I'm gonna have to say it's either the interior of the can or the paint itself. I'm not sure what the inside of a paintcan entails but my vote is for the paint..... 

Terry


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## Trains West (Oct 4, 2008)

how old is the paint can ? 


I sell hundreds of cans and the only problem is that the tips clog and a quick spray thru the tip with contac cleaner fixes that ....


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## Steve Stockham (Jan 2, 2008)

Hmmmm.........interesting as I have had the exact same problem with _all _my Floquil spray cans! I used another nozzle just like you did and it started working but unlike you, my cans continued to work (I must have gotten lucky.) Unfortunately, Floquil is the _only _brand that gets Pullman Green to match what Accucraft/AMS uses (or at least close enough that I don't have a problem with it.) A suggestion: try to get the can to spray and then turn it over to clear out any crap left inside. It should work after that. Then, when you are done with that can, take the nozzle off of it and keep it in case you have...who am I kidding?..._when_ you have another sputtering can. You will then have the correct nozzle that has proven to work on a Floquil can! It's not a great solution but it_ has_ worked for me.


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## Spule 4 (Jan 2, 2008)

Also, the problem with dad's was about 20 odd years ago, so I don't think it is a new problem. 

You can buy a decent airbrush for what one will burn up in rattle cans quickly.


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

That problem goes back quite some time. I kept a drawer full of Floquil spray nozzles from empty cans for that reason. One would clog up, I'd put another on and keep going. Every now and then, I'd get a can that just wouldn't spray. This was 20 years ago, even. Brush or airbrush seems to be the only alternative, but since I hated my airbrush back then, I suffered through the nozzle issues. It was decidedly the lesser of two evils. I haven't used Floquil sprays in probably 10 years--not necessarily for that reason, just that I've been brush-painting most of my stuff with acrylics instead or using Krylon brown primer or black. (One advantage of modeling a railroad with an unimaginative paint department.) 

Later, 

K


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## paintjockey (Jan 3, 2008)

For me the paint cans are about 3 weeks old. Who knows how long they have been on the shelf. But, looking over the can I can't see the testors name onit even in the small print. Someone above said testors took them over so I don't know if that would be an indication or not. After my last post, I got another nozzle to work but it was a "flat spray" nozzle (one with a square hole). Luckily the job was small, so the poor quailty is not very noticeable. 

As far as aribrushes go, I have a paasche (spelling?) single stage airbrush. It's an older model that uses paint jars underneath, not a top cup. I have never had much success with it but, I have no instructions for air pressure mix volume etc.... 

As far as painting I'm in kevin's camp. I usually brush paint everything. My railroad is modeled loosely (very loosely) on the EBT so colors are typicly obtained from _well working _ rattle cans. 

Thanks for the input 
Terry


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## San Juan (Jan 3, 2008)

Posted By Steve Stockham on 15 Jan 2010 08:56 PM 
Unfortunately, Floquil is the _only _brand that gets Pullman Green to match what Accucraft/AMS uses

Which means you can use the bottles and airbrush it. Great paint...when airbrushed.

My LGB San Juan trainset was airbrushed with Floquil Pullman green and weathered black. You don't need a fancy airbrush either. I just purchased a relatively cheap Badger 200 airbush and compressor combo that Micromark had on sale about five years ago. Not sure if they still carry this or not though.













Whenever I do any airbrushing, I pull out the "Rosetta Stone of Model Railroader." That's what I call it. The November 1998 issue has a great article with everything you'd ever need to know about airbrushing. The best part was a chart ("Rosetta Stone") suggesting thinning recommendations for all the major brands of model paint. They also suggest spray pressure.

Due to the size of the scanned image, here is a link to the airbrush paint chart:

Airbrush Paint Chart 

http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/1382/airbrushpaintchart.jpg


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## aceinspp (Jan 2, 2008)

It's kind of a hit and miss for me. Some cans work and other will not but when I change out the nozzle and use another it will work fine. I just hate to clean up the air brush but may have to go back to using it. Later RJD


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## Torby (Jan 2, 2008)

Thanks for the warning.


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## Dave Ottney (Jan 2, 2008)

Thanks for the link to the chart Matt. 
Dave


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## Henson (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Dave Ottney on 16 Jan 2010 06:51 PM 

Thanks for the link to the chart Matt. 
Dave 
Yes, thanks Matt for the chart just what I think I needed.


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## Richard Smith (Jan 2, 2008)

Just a heads up. Krylon's Camouflage Olive (NOT FUSION) is an olive drab that makes a pretty fair looking color to represent pullman green. It is flat so a gloss would need to be applied over it for a passenger car finish. Be sure and test paint compatibility before applying it to a car. I have no idea how close/far it is in shade from the paint used by Accucraft though. Krylon's spray can nozzles are among the very best I've ever used.


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## AcadGScale (May 20, 2010)

My question to all the Floquil naysayers is, did you have this problem right at the first time, Did you read all the instructions?, Did you, If you had not used the can for a long time, cleaned the sprayer nozzle with paint thinner and add a drop into the nozzle, then shake the can vigerously then try again?

Please try these suggestions BEFORE belittling the paint company, and if that doesn't work, then go to the testor's website and complain there.

If testors doesn't get feedback from customers, things won't change noticably.


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## Larry Green (Jan 2, 2008)

This is a common problem--apparently Floquil in a spray can has a short shelf life. Since ordering mine from the Testors website just as I need it, I have had no problems. 

Larry


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## paintjockey (Jan 3, 2008)

AcadGScale did you read this thread? Nobody is putting down the paint company, actually people were being quite cival discussing and sharing on a problem that seems all to common. Also if you would have read this thread you would have noticed people have tried what you suggested to no avail. My paint cans were new, and I did read the instructions because I paid so much money for a tiny can of paint that I didn't want to mess up. But, aside from all that, why would I want to use a rattle can that I have to take the nozzle off and clean out every time I want to use it? If I'm going to go through all that I may as well use an airbrush. The point to the rattle can is simplicity not to do a rain dance everytime you need it. 

Terry


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