Paint and ink pens for lining

[carlislecitadel]

I'm hoping somebody on this board might have tried this technique already.

I remember reading an article somewhere a few years ago in which somebody had experimented using opaque, fine nibbed, felt tip and fine nibbed ink pens pens to line out carriages. In my case I have a stack of LMS panelled carriages to finish but the idea of using a bow pen terrifies me. The article used various types of pens to line the basic yellow on the raised beading and then used finer pens to apply the black line in between. At the time Tamiya were producing paint pens and that may have been one of the types he was using. However the author also tested various ink and felt tip pens which used opaque colours. Some of them dried almost instantly while others took a bit longer and could be wiped off if the lines were not applied well enough. I was hoping somebody here might know about the article or have experimented with this technique already. I have various Ratio MR clerestories, Mainline panelled coaches, Comet period 1s and LNWR ratio and brass kits to line and I dont fancy the idea of using a bow pen. Coachmann's work is very inspiring but painting has never been my forte - I even struggle to get waterslide transfer lining in a straight line - so this struck me as a potential alternative.

Any help would be much appreciated.

 

Thanks in advance,

Stephen

[Guest 40-something]

Hi Stephen

 

A bloke in my MRC uses acrylics paints in refillable fine nibbed paint pens from art shops. He lines panelled stock and brought the equipment up to the club a couple of months ago to show just how easy it was. I found it very very easy to do and because its acrylic then paint can be wiped away if not happy. I lined out most of a panelled coach side in under half and hour with it!

 

 

A quick google search produced this... http://www.mastergrave.co.uk/catalogue/detail.php?product_ID=867&product_Category_ID=38

 

I'll see him next thursday and will ask what the actual materials are

[RBE]

I've used these on few occations and it works pretty well. Things to watch though is paint build up on the tip as you run along the ruler (a cork backed ruler to hold it off the surface slightly is better). Also I find its essencial to have a matt finish as the roller tip can skid along the model without painting its line if a satin or gloss coat is applied first. Any mistakes can usually be removed with a cotton bud and thinners. The lines will need sealing with a coat of varish afterwards though.

 

cheers

Cav

[Karhedron]

I even struggle to get waterslide transfer lining in a straight line

I had problems with these as well but I found a solution. I now use a thick piece of masking tape just below where the lining should be. The masking tape is thick enough to hold a straight line. It then provides a straight edge and the lining transfers can be simply brushed up against the tape. This is how I did the lining on my D600 Warship (see below).

 

[carlislecitadel]

Thank you very much for the ideas on both transfers and pens. I like the look of those refillable pens and will certainly give them a try. I had found Gundam marker pens which those modellers use for doing the panel lines on their robot models and some of them seem to be useful. http://www.gundammad.co.uk/index.asp?section=products&idd=38 and http://www.michtoy.com/item-GNZ-GM01-Black_04mm_Enamel_Fine_Line_Paint_Marker.html

 

I'm sure there are others out there that may be of use to railway modellers as well. I will give some of these a try in the near future and post the results.

 

Thanks,

Stephen

[corax67]

I do all of my lining out with a Bob Moore lining pen, an expensive piece of kit to buy as an initial investment but they last a lifetime given proper care. My own examples are at least 10 years old and are still going strong.

 

http://www.phoenix-paints.co.uk/misc.asp

[carlislecitadel]

I'd heard of the Bob Moore pens before on this forum and they seem like a good idea but they are expensive. I'll experiment with the markers on an old Ratio clerestory first and see how that goes. If it doesn't work out then I'll probably end up going for Bob Moore pens.

 

Cheers