# The Adventure...



## rdamurphy (Jan 3, 2008)

So, I bought an undec (actually painted silver) frameless tank car, and a set of CDS transfers. And a can of black spray paint. Krylon, from you-know-where.

Took the trucks and couplers off, and started painting. Very thin layers, about an hour apart, and by the evening, I had a very nice looking coat of paint! Even my 12 year old daughter remarked that it looked nice.

But. I had a small run on one side, and little "light" coverage on the bottom, so, after letting it dry for a day, I took it back out to "touch up" a few places. Quick and easy, right? It crinkled. Bad. Very bad.

Wonderful. Well, I've used Easy-off oven cleaner in the past, after brake fluid destroyed a Rivarossi shell (A Krauss Maffei, rather difficult to come by at the time...), with good results, but, ti is a rather expensive model, soooooo.

Down to my LHS for some Scalecoat. Cost a bit more, but less risky.

Did a fine job stripping the paint, including the silver Bachmann put on there to begin with.

Odd thing, though. It smells just like oven cleaner???

Robert


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

I've all but given up on Krylon since they changed formulas. I bought a can of semi-flat black for my EBT 0-4-0 project, and found it to be very thin and translucent. I needed quite a few more coats than usual. I've had good luck with some Valspar spray paints here and there, so I think I'm going to give them a try on my next go-round. 

Later, 

K


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## armorsmith (Jun 1, 2008)

Gents, 

Read the can labels carefully. Some of the newest generations of rattle can paints are going to the 'water' based stuff. Thinner and harder to get it to cover. Even the big automakers are starting to go to the water based stuff. I personally don't like the stuff. 

My tuppence worth. 

Bob C.


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## John J (Dec 29, 2007)

These things have been running through my mind for a log time now. I have had some ugly things happen. This is why I have posted all the questions about pain and what people use. 
I am looking more and more to my Grex air brush ( can be brand) for complete paint jobs. I have had run problems with Rattle cans and havae been shying away from them. 
I have even contemplated a full size paint spraye for the big jobs such as base paint for, say, a box car or hopper car. I have been so happy with the used rolling stock I have purchased from members of MLS and the paint jobs they have inflicted on the rolling stock that I have not had to venture into Painting yet. But I am getting ready. 

JJ


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## aceinspp (Jan 2, 2008)

I use the fusion paint which covers quite well and is UV resistant. I have had very good luck with this paint. later RJD


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## SRW (Jan 13, 2010)

Rattle cans can be your friend or bite you right on the butt. Last year I got a freebie Bachmann B&O Jackson Sharp car. Valspar makes a satin green that matches the ET&WNC green perfectly. I used the Valspar Plastic primer, let it dry for a couple of days and even though the Valspar Satin green wasn't a 'plastic' paint it matched it flawlessly. A year later it still perfectly matches my original Bachmann Tweetsie passenger cars. 
I've had other good success on Bachmann plastic with Krylon fusion and also on HLW plastic. It's a crap shoot though if you don't have an exact piece of scrap plastic to experiment on but more times than not has worked fine for me. 

I learned a few years ago restoring old bicycle fenders for a cruiser bike that you NEVER want to mix laquer and enamel spray paint, even from the same manufacturer. Even with about a week of drying time in between the paints reacted with each other and gave me such a crazed mess I had to strip it all the way down, re-primer and start from scratch.

Sometimes I have taken the time to bathe the piece in question with an alcohol bath prior to painting to hopefully remove any oils. Don't know if that makes a difference or not but before I occasionally got some tiny bubbling spots on things that i attributed to oils from my hands, etc.


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

I picked up a can of Krylon UV Protected Clear Flat spray and discovered it was "acrylic" (water-based, like the Polly S paints.) The store guy (forget which store,) said all the paints were going to an acrylic base these days.


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## SRW (Jan 13, 2010)

I am a woodworking guy. I have worked everything from being a framing carpenter to building lots of furniture for folks at what could be considered a semi-professional level. My friends who make their business building furniture day in and day out told me almost 10 years ago water based was the future and solvent based finishes were dead. After they got done cursing the learning curve switching from solvent based finishes they all told me that the water based stuff works great and they would never look backwards. Once you get the hang of it they say it is as good if not superior. They used to spend their days in the 80's and 90's with their spray boxes ventilating nitro-celloulose fumes, and other nasty solvents to the atmosphere. Now they feel much more secure working with less toxic finishes and they tell me they feel the new finishes may even be superior in most every application. 
For larger projects I am learning how to use my HVLP spray rig like they use. For smaller wood working projects I thin polyurethane from the can down 1:1 with solvent and wipe it on multiple thin coats to get the kind of finishes [better actually] than I used to get from stuff like nitro-cellulose finish. Wiped on thin poly in a clean environment will yield a beautiful wood surface. Anyway, solvent based paint/finish has gone the way of grandpa's straight razor so...learn it.


S


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## Axel Tillmann (Jan 10, 2008)

I terms of Spraypaint I swear by Montana Gold (You can buy those only online or if your have stores such as Blick Arts Supply - they are not available in any of the big boxes). They are expensive but absolutely fantastic and you can get different spray heads for them that gives you a wide range of applications. Montana Gold is a quick-drying nitro-combi silk lacquer. They have a large variety of colors.

Montana Gold Spray Paints 
                         


In terms of water based..... Now I have a different opinion (but of course I don't have to inhale this daily).

I re-sihed a few antique pieces myself. For first two great projects I used Polyurethan (the good old stuff) and then I thought - maybe I gone try the water based stuff. After all is set and done (learning curve and so on) the finished project always looks a bit on the milky side (opague). So going forward I will go back to the good old stuff.

In our hobby it seems acrylics are not like acrylics either. I had a very hard time with Tamica acrylics. And overall I prefer the solvent based paints of acrylics. Maybe I am a too old fashioned guy







.


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## SRW (Jan 13, 2010)

Axel, I'm guessing you mean you tried Minwax water based finish in the blue cans, maybe the satin finish. I tried it about two years ago and it's complete trash, even by Minwax standards which I find in general not worth opening the can of most of their products. The Minwax water based clear is acceptable but not the flatter finishes, just terrible products IMO. 

Scott


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## Axel Tillmann (Jan 10, 2008)

Scott, yes Minawax but not the Satin, the Gloss one, but yes they are compelte trash


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## railcandy (Dec 19, 2010)

I like to turn the locos, cars and parts upside down of their operating posistion to paint with a spray can.

That way if I do get any runs they dont look like runs when the car is rightside up on the tracks.









....Remember to take the time to "mask" the work with blue painters tape before you blow paint !


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