Painting handbuilt points to match rtr track?

[Vistisen]

I have now got close to completing my first point. I ended up using Plywood sleepers, Plastic chairs, with printed circuit boards under the nikkel silver rails where there was a need for soldering. I now need to paint this point to match the dcc concepts flex track I will be using for normal track. I have no ides how to go about this. Should I paint the point before laying or wait until it is in posiion and ballasted. What do others do?

[bertiedog]

I find it best to undercoat the whole point before laying in place, in car red oxide paint, then after in place paint to match the track colour, ballast and weather the point to match. The car paint will grip well, and take further colour well. Area of electrical contact can be masked, but this depends on what system of wiring you use.

My points are made on a board of acrylic plastic, using PVA as a temporary adhesive to hold down the sleepers, then after assembly the lot can be easily removed to be laid in place on the layout.

The car paint will remove easily from the rail top with a cloth full of thinners, then polish the top with very fine 1000+ abrasive paper, The final finish is by rubbing with a burnisher, a polished stainless steel rod to rub the surface hard.

 

Stephen

[66C]

Hi Vistiaen

 

I suggest starting by staining the sleepers with a diluted mix of brown and black enamel paint.  This will give them colour without losing the wood's natural surface.  If they are simply painted, this will be lost.

 

Next paint, with an airbrush if possible, the chairs and side of the rails using a more reddish colour to represent the dirty rust colour that they acquire in use.  The reason for suggesting an airbrush is that you have plenty of control over the amount of paint applied.  Don't worry about overspray on to the sleepers - it's surprising how little there is.

 

The plain track should get the same treatment prior to ballasting.  Finish the ballasted track with a suitable mix of colour  from an airbrush, if possible.

 

Regards.

[Vistisen]

Thanks for the repiles. I will experiment on som plain track first!

[Junctionmad]

Wow , I'm exactly and the same stage.

 

I'm not going to stain thev plywood as I want to play down the difference between the points and the ready made track

 

I'm thinking of spraying everything Halfords primer grey and then working beck to a consistent weathered sleeper look

[Vistisen]

 

Wow , I'm exactly and the same stage.

 

I'm not going to stain thev plywood as I want to play down the difference between the points and the ready made track

 

I'm thinking of spraying everything Halfords primer grey and then working beck to a consistent weathered sleeper look

 

Now I really am just about to start. Have you got further than me, if so I would love to hear your experiences with photos if possible. I have now bought an airbrush and compresser and extractor. But I have never used an airbrush before.

Edited December 7, 2017 by Vistiaen

[Dave Holt]

My trackwork consists of rivetted ply sleeper points, with cosmetic chairs, and C&L plastic flexitrack plain track. I fixed all the track in position using PVA and then attached all the electrical connections by soldering dropper wires to the foot of the rails on the non-visible side which pass through the baseboard to the wiring underneath. I then painted everything with Halfords grey primer from a spray can. The rails and chairs were then hand painted in suitable rusty brown colours and the sleepers with weathered sleeper colour (basically grey with a hint of brown, in my view). Eventually, some variations in shade will be added, but for now, I defy anyone to tell where the wooden and plastic sleepers meet/end.

Dave.

[gordon s]

Doing exactly that right now. Copper clad point work sprayed with Red Oxide primer from Simonize, followed by airbrushed emulsion paint that I had specially mixed at the local paint shop to a suitable track colour.

 

Once laid and ballasted, I'll go back over the laid track with a gentle air brush spray to tone everything down to a weathered look.

[Nick G]

A tip I was given a while ago, spray the laid track before ballasting with Halfords brown camouflage paint, its ultra matt and and looks great.

 

 

[philsandy]

A tip I was given a while ago, spray the laid track before ballasting with Halfords brown camouflage paint, its ultra matt and and looks great.

 

Nick,

Do you have any photos of the sprayed track work you could show?