Wenlock's Blog

Sublime, just sublime.

What lovely work

Thanks both!

Hi can you tell me all of the colours that you've used as I'm just about to start a composite especially the lining colours

 

Regards

John

Hi John, I used Phoenix Precision paints for these coaches.  I find their gloss colours once hardened for a week or so give a really nice surface to line on.

 

The body colour was their GWR coach brown and coach cream.

 

I used Railmatch Indian Red for the droplights, which is a slightly lighter and to my eye more convincing than the Precision version.

 

Humbol Enamel matt black for the raised moulding, mainly because it covers so well and I also find it easier to control with a brush than gloss paint!

 

The "Gold Lining" is actually a yellow oche colour, Its again made by Precision Paints specifically for the Bob Moore lining pen. Unfortunately the writing on the label has worn out and is illegible. However on the very bottom of the label I can make out that it says "(Gold lining for Bob Moore pen)"  As far as I remember its a colour used by on of the pregrouping companies to paint their locos in!

 

I wish I could be more specific, I bought my pot at Telford after speaking to Ian Rathbone who recommended it.

 

Best wishes and happy painting!

 

Dave

Good stuff Mr. Wenlock, please continue with a short note on how you painted the kit...  like:-

 

* how you prepared the surface to remove any indication of the join in the sides;

* brush or spray;

* matt or gloss;

* letering.

 

After all, if you produce such a great looking result then we are bound to ask.

 

regards, Graham

Good stuff Mr. Wenlock, please continue with a short note on how you painted the kit...  like:-

 

* how you prepared the surface to remove any indication of the join in the sides;

* brush or spray;

* matt or gloss;

* letering.

 

After all, if you produce such a great looking result then we are bound to ask.

 

regards, Graham

Hi Graham, Here goes!

 

I always try to paint coach sides before assembly in the flat whenever possible.  Obviously this won't work with etched brass kits because of the soldering involved!  All the Slaters 4 wheel coaches have one piece sides, so are no real problem, but as you mention the join in the sides on the clerestory coaches can be hard to hide.  I tape one piece of the side to the benchtop and then butt up the other length so that it fits as well as it can at the joint.  I then tape this second piece into position.  It's important that the tape is kept away from the areas that are going to be glued, or the glue may creep under the tape and spoil the finish.  Once I'm happy with the relative positions of the two halves I flow liquid poly along the joint using a fine brush, then allow to set for at least 24 hours.

 

Once the joint has hardened I remove the tape and lightly sand the join with a fine abrasive block.  I make the abrasive block by "borrowing" one of my wife's disposable nail files and cutting it into small sections.  I find these are great for many modelling tasks, I'm not so sure Mrs Wenlock would agree though!

 

I then spray a mist coat of Halfords aerosol grey primer over the side and allow to dry.  Once dry I find the primer will reveal any areas of the joint that may require filling and smoothing.  If I can see any imperfections, then I use Milliput epoxy putty to fill the depressions.  Once this has dried I re-sand the area and apply more primer.

 

Once happy with the primed surface I then use an Iwata double action airbrush to apply the paint.  I tend to use Enamel Paints form Railmatch, Phoenix Precision or Humbrol for my painting, thinning the paint with the addition of around 30% thinners.

 

1  Spray whole of coach in Gloss Coach Cream and allow to dry for 48 hours.

 

2  Mask top of coach above the waistline, apply the tape to the raised bead on the coach side.

 

3  Spray bottom half of coach in Gloss Coach Brown, remove masking after one hour and allow to dry for 48 hours.

 

The use of gloss paint makes for a much smoother surface, which will help when we come to using the lining pen later in the process.

 

4  Paint raised beading with a chisel edged fine bush using Matt Black, allow to dry!  I find the matting agent helps stop the paint flowing over the edges of the beading.

 

5  Paint the Drop Lights and Bolection mouldings in a Mahogany colour, I use Railmatch Indian Red with a touch of brown to represent the polished wood.

 

I use a Bob Moore lining pen for all my lining which I find works well for me, as long as it's kept scrupulously clean!  The key is to make sure the paint is warm and  thinned with a drop of lighter fuel as suggested in the pen's instructions.

 

6  Go around each cream panel using the raised black moulding as a guide  with with the standard plus nib in the pen which will draw a 0.5mm line in Coach brown.

 

7  Allow to dry for at least 24 hours

 

8  Go around each cream panel again using the raised black moulding as a guide, keeping the nib on top of the previously drawn brown line, but this time using the standard nib which will draw a 0.34 wide line in Yellow Ochre.  I've tried using gold paint in the past but found the metallic particles clogged the nib too easily and the yellow ochre colour looks more convincing to my eye anyway!  

 

Although going around each cream panel twice takes patience it does give you a cream panel with a 0.16 mm brown line, followed by a 0.34 "gold line and then the black beading.  Ideally there should be a cream line between the gold and brown lines, but this is I feel a reasonable compromise!

 

9  Go around each brown panel using the black moulding as a guide, with the standard nib and the yellow ochre paint.  At least this time you only have to do it once!

 

10  Apply the transfers.  I like to use the ones available from CPL products, which I think are particularly good.

 

11  Varnish the finished sides!  I like to use Ronseal Diamond Glaze Satin varnish diluted around 50/50 with white spirit and sprayed with the airbrush.

 

12  Breath a sigh of relief that the painting is done and all you've got to do now is assemble the thing!

 

I hope this helps

 

Best wishes

 

Dave

Thank you, I think that I can follow your method.  What will happen when I try is another kettle etc..

 

I recollect that the Slater's kit does not include couplings, where did you source those items?

 

regards, Graham

Thank you I was wondering whether to paint the sides before assembly

Regards

John

Hi me again could you show a photo of the ends of the coach I actually model LNWR but I want some GWR coaches as through coaches I'm not sure how the ends are painted

John

Thank you, I think that I can follow your method.  What will happen when I try is another kettle etc..

 

I recollect that the Slater's kit does not include couplings, where did you source those items?

 

regards, Graham

Hi again Graham, as yet I haven't fitted my coaches with couplings! I'm

working my way through my wagons fitting them with Sprat and Winkle couplings, but haven't got round to sorting out the coaches yet. I'm probably going to run them as a fixed rake and just put S&Ws on the ends.

 

Dave

Hi me again could you show a photo of the ends of the coach I actually model LNWR but I want some GWR coaches as through coaches I'm not sure how the ends are painted John

Hi John, the ends are fairly simple thank goodness!  Chocolate brown all over, with the raised panelling and handrails/steps picked out in black.  Fortunately the ends aren't lined in gold!

 

I'll try and take a picture of the ends over the weekend if you like

 

Dave

Thanks

Hi dave appolagies for keep asking questions but di you fit the floor to the body and then add the under frame details or did you complete the floor and under frame paint it and then join it to the body

Regards

John

Hi John, sorry somehow I missed your question! Once the sides were painted, I assembled the body and floor as one piece and then added the under frame.

 

Happy to answer any questions if you think I can help.

 

Best wishes

 

Dave

Thanks I was hoping to assemble the whole floor as a separate unit to help when painting the floor .what I intended was to blue tack the floor in place assemble the body take out the floor assemble paint and then fit it (he says hopefully)

John

Hi John, I don't see any reason why your proposed method shouldn't work out ok fine. Half the fun of modelling in my opinion is deviating from the instructions and doing things your own way!

 

I hope it works out well.

 

Dave

Hi dave me again could you possibly give a list of all of the colour paints that you have used including the insides seats etc as I'm about yo order them thank you

John

Hi John, 

 

I'm afraid I mixed my own colours for the interiors of the coaches, which probably isn't much help to you!  I used a "wood" brown for the partitions and floors and then dry brushed a paler brown colour on top to high light the individual planks.  I made mirrors from aluminium foil and the pictures were just printed of from a pc to fit into the picture frames.  I painted the seats in the 1st class compartments a dark green, the 2nd class a warm golden brown and the 3rd class a fairly dull burgundy colour.

There's an interesting discussion about coach interiors here http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/85373-coach-interior-colours-edwardian-period/

 

Here's a close up of the clerestory coach showing the colour of the 3rd class compartments

 

I hope this helps!

 

Dave

 

Many thanks Dave