Stock for Brent 1947 GWR

My secret is not to use lacquer, but a acrylic semi-gloss clear coat, tinted with a little black  

I will have to give that a try some time, though I have never actually used varnish in the airbrush before. 

38 minutes ago, The Fatadder said:

I will have to give that a try some time, though I have never actually used varnish in the airbrush before. 

 

Tamiya X-35 Semi-Gloss is not varnish - it's a clear coat. Best thinned with Tamiya X-20A Thinners (50/50 mix) through an airbrush. If X-20A isn't available, I've used Vallejo Acrylic Thinners & Mr Hobby Rapid Thinners - they work as well.

I used Klear on a re built Scot and that darkened the colour nicely.

 

David

Klear is another that I haven’t sprayed, only used vast amounts of it in ballasting I still have about 2.5lt remaining so will give it a go on the next one. 
 

anything special to do when spraying it?

 

i will get some of the Tamiya clear coat and give that a try as well.  I have 3 kings, perfect for doing one in each method 

I find that spraying clear is problematic, so I brush it on.

 

david

17 minutes ago, Norton961 said:

I find that spraying clear is problematic, so I brush it on.

 

david

How are you avoiding brush marks in the Klear coat?

Rich, Klear is very watery so the brush marks just disappear naturally. I've brushed it on a few wagons before. The bigger issue I have with when brushing it is air bubbles. I've also airbrushed it, not had any problems. I did use my cheaper airbrush I got with the compressor rather than my H&S, but it covered well, did not clog and was also easy to clean out.

11 minutes ago, 57xx said:

Rich, Klear is very watery so the brush marks just disappear naturally. I've brushed it on a few wagons before. The bigger issue I have with when brushing it is air bubbles. I've also airbrushed it, not had any problems. I did use my cheaper airbrush I got with the compressor rather than my H&S, but it covered well, did not clog and was also easy to clean out.

Thanks

 

i am slowly bringing locos in from the layout for initial weathering and dealing with the paint is a big part of that.  Maybe will get round to bringing a king in next.  That said I probably ought to finish ballasting Brent before I start using up my Klear stash on locos.

21 minutes ago, The Fatadder said:

I probably ought to finish ballasting Brent before I start using up my Klear stash on locos.

Given the brittle nature of ballast secured only with Klear, my personal view is that the stuff is now of more value in terms of varnishing stock etc.

 

51 minutes ago, Captain Kernow said:

Given the brittle nature of ballast secured only with Klear, my personal view is that the stuff is now of more value in terms of varnishing stock etc.

 

Really?  I've found it has a very strong bond so far.  It certainly took a lot of effort to shift ballast that had ended up in the wrong place.

1 hour ago, The Fatadder said:

Really?  I've found it has a very strong bond so far.  It certainly took a lot of effort to shift ballast that had ended up in the wrong place.

Yes, when I used it to secure the initial ballasting on 'Callow Lane' a few years ago, I felt that it was prone to bits coming away, so I supplemented the Klear with dilute PVA plus a tad of washing up liquid, applied once the Klear had set solid. Now that combination really would be difficult to shift!

 

I would imagine that for a fixed layout, you will be OK with it, but I won't use it on it's own again.

 

Okay, I've been using a lot of different types of paint since my last post and learnt a lot.

 

Crazy paving in paint - let each coat dry out fully, before applying the next, as this is the main cause of cracked or crazy paving after you apply a clear coat.

 

Vallejo Model Air - forget thinning it with their own thinners, use Vallejo's Airbrush cleaner instead. Not only does it act as a retarder, but self levels the paint (it dries slower) and your airbrush won't clog.

 

Lacquers - stink to high heaven (so mask up & use extraction), but will produce a fantastic finish. Light coats, lower pressure and close to the model. To far away you'll get a powdery/chalky finish, too heavy and you'll destroy the paint finish below (the affected paint will bubble up, like you've hit it with paint stripper).

 

 

7 hours ago, toboldlygo said:

, too heavy and you'll destroy the paint finish below (the affected paint will bubble up, like you've hit it with paint stripper).

That explains what happened with my Grange..

3 hours ago, The Fatadder said:

That explains what happened with my Grange..

 

Did you use  either Phoenix or Railmatch enamel paint?

1 hour ago, toboldlygo said:

 

Did you use  either Phoenix or Railmatch enamel paint?

I have had issues with two items, both times spraying in colder conditions. The first on a RTR grange and the second on a tender which had been sprayed with Phoenix enamel.  
 

I have feeling both were sprayed in the garden holding the work piece, and may well have been held too close or sprayed too thick.   The king which did not have the issue (and a couple or other locos sprayed since) were done with a lighter coat in the spray booth 

1 hour ago, The Fatadder said:

I have had issues with two items, both times spraying in colder conditions. The first on a RTR grange and the second on a tender which had been sprayed with Phoenix enamel.  
 

I have feeling both were sprayed in the garden holding the work piece, and may well have been held too close or sprayed too thick.   The king which did not have the issue (and a couple or other locos sprayed since) were done with a lighter coat in the spray booth 

 

My advice for using aerosols in cold weather outside (or in a cold loft or outbuilding), make sure the aerosol is kept warm before and in between coats of paint - as if they are cold the paint can come out quite thick.

On 15/12/2020 at 14:19, Captain Kernow said:

Given the brittle nature of ballast secured only with Klear, my personal view is that the stuff is now of more value in terms of varnishing stock etc.

 

Have to say I've never seen what the big deal about using it for ballasting was. I did my photo plank with it and found it no better or easier than dilute PVA. If anything, one of the complaints I saw about PVA being "too solid" is worse with Klear. Seemed to me to be the modern thing of a solution for a problem that didn't exist. My stash is now also reserved for varnishing stock.

8 hours ago, toboldlygo said:

 

My advice for using aerosols in cold weather outside (or in a cold loft or outbuilding), make sure the aerosol is kept warm before and in between coats of paint - as if they are cold the paint can come out quite thick.

 

Also the pressure is reduced when cold. I would always place the can into a pan of boiled water to heat it up, it thinned the paint and got the pressure up to a suitable spraying level.

15 minutes ago, 57xx said:

 

Also the pressure is reduced when cold. I would always place the can into a pan of boiled water to heat it up, it thinned the paint and got the pressure up to a suitable spraying level.

 

Boiled Water?  most Aerosols carry a warning not to expose to temperatures above 50 degree's C. 

2 hours ago, toboldlygo said:

 

Boiled Water?  most Aerosols carry a warning not to expose to temperatures above 50 degree's C. 

 

That's more for prolonged exposure, they won't instantly explode as soon as the surrounding temp is 50*C I wouldn't advise leaving in boiling  water e.g. still on the boil though. By the time the heat has transferred into the can it's well below 50* but plenty hot enough to make it spray well.

10 hours ago, 57xx said:

 

That's more for prolonged exposure, they won't instantly explode as soon as the surrounding temp is 50*C I wouldn't advise leaving in boiling  water e.g. still on the boil though. By the time the heat has transferred into the can it's well below 50* but plenty hot enough to make it spray well.

I'm on thin enough ice putting the aerosol cans in the airing cupboard. I think I will leave her saucepans well alone!

 

Some photos of my attempts at improving Hornby green, the first picture shows Tamiya X-24 Clear Yellow airbrushed on to a spare A4 tender - 

 

 

And the second picture shows the same paint brushed on - 

 

 

The clear yellow was used as I felt the original green needed to be richer.

Both finishes seem to be acceptable.

 

Another experiment I have tried was using the Humbrol 1322 clear orange (yellow?) on a Hornby Duchess pictured below.

 

 

This has given a very good finish in my opinion BUT, and it is a big but --

 

On 15/12/2020 at 23:29, toboldlygo said:

too heavy and you'll destroy the paint finish below (the affected paint will bubble up, like you've hit it with paint stripper)

 

The Humbrol finish has a glossier look then the Tamiya which some may prefer but both do seem to enhance the original green.

 

1 hour ago, ScRSG said:

Some photos of my attempts at improving Hornby green, the first picture shows Tamiya X-24 Clear Yellow airbrushed on to a spare A4 tender - 

 

 

And the second picture shows the same paint brushed on - 

 

 

The clear yellow was used as I felt the original green needed to be richer.

Both finishes seem to be acceptable.

 

Another experiment I have tried was using the Humbrol 1322 clear orange (yellow?) on a Hornby Duchess pictured below.

 

 

This has given a very good finish in my opinion BUT, and it is a big but --

 

 

The Humbrol finish has a glossier look then the Tamiya which some may prefer but both do seem to enhance the original green.

 

 

With Tamiya (Acrylic) clear coat, you can vary the finish depending on what you use to thin it for airbrushing.