The Finishing Touch.
Ray Wyborn gives you a few painting tips.
Most people in our hobby will at some time or other have painted an engine, coach, wagon or something connected with railways. Each person may have his own pet way of doing things and I wouldn't want it any other way, so this article is only written to show how I do what I do and why.
A short while ago I gave a lecture to the High Wycombe Model Engineering Club. (I was Hon. Sec.) and was very surprised to find that a fair number of the members didn't know about much of the equipment I showed them. So for those of you who count yourselves amongst that fair number, let's go over the most useful items.
Try to buy a couple of decent sable hair brushes made by a reputable company such as Winsor & Newton or Reeves. For general painting a No. 3 is very useful, together with a smaller brush for fine work, say a No. '1' or '00'.
This, I find, is a matter for the individual. I use Humbrol but believe that Floquil or Precision Paints are as good if not better. Whichever paint you use, make sure you have the right thinners/brush cleaner. I still haven't come across a good etching primer for brass, so if anybody has a source please publish the secret. If you don't wish to go to the expense of brass name plates, these can be made up with Slaters plastic alphabets and painted with an excellent gold paint called Liquid Leaf obtainable at the better art shops. If you own an airbrush, you will probably be aware of the superb finish you can obtain with cellulose, but beware of spraying direct onto plastic or you will find out the hard way, as I did, that the cellulose thinners melts the plastic. Remember that your top coat can only be as good as the surface underneath it, so rub down undercoats where possible. If you are putting on the final coat by brush, it's not a bad idea to read a book for an hour beforehand. This may sound crazy, but think about it. A lot of paintwork is spoilt by dust adhering to the drying paint, so if you can gather all your materials together, take them into a little used room and sit down to read for a while, it gives the dust a chance to settle. Do your painting, place a cardboard box over your finished but still tacky handywork, and the chances are that you will have a very good finish when all is dried.
The ruling pen, when used for lining, can be the curse of mankind if it's not running well. It has certain inherent limitations due to the way in which it is constructed. As most of us know, it has two blades and the paint is retained by capillary action. If too much paint is put in, the weight of the paint will make it blob, whilst if it is too thick it won't run at all. I generally find that I can use Humbrol direct from the tin providing that it is a new tin and well stirred. Using the ruling pen is a bit of an art which will only come with experience. One of the faults which often occurs is that the line thickens up at each end. This is due to the pen being allowed to dwell too long on the work. If you can start drawing the line a little way in front of where you want it to begin and 'float' the pen onto the surface and then 'float' it off at the other end without stopping, the line will remain at a constant thickness. Always hold the pen vertically as the paint will only flow if both blades are touching the surface. To sharpen a ruling pen, always remove metal from the outside. Close the blades together and try to make them even in shape by honing with an oilstone. Don't make them too pointed or you may cut through the skin of the final coat of paint underneath. It is a good idea to use a different based paint for lining, so if your engine is painted in cellulose use an enamel. If you have used enamel for the main coat, try oil paint or cryla for the lining. The reason for this is to enable you to wash it off with a suitable solvent if you make a mistake without damaging what is underneath. Lining which runs parallel with an edge can best be put on with a bow compass, with the point extended so as to form a pair of oddlegs. Quite complex shapes can be lined out using this method as I found when I tackled a friend's 5" gauge Stirling Single. Drafting instruments such as Rapidograph Pens can be very useful when doing black lining, although they are not much use for colours as the inks don't have much body to them. Circle and oval guides for doing rounded corners are very useful, but remember that they have to be raised up from the surface or the paint will creep underneath. Special shaped guides can be cut from acetate sheet by scratching the surface and cracking the shape out.
A short while ago I gave a lecture to the High Wycombe Model Engineering Club. (I was Hon. Sec.) and was very surprised to find that a fair number of the members didn't know about much of the equipment I showed them. So for those of you who count yourselves amongst that fair number, let's go over the most useful items.
Try to buy a couple of decent sable hair brushes made by a reputable company such as Winsor & Newton or Reeves. For general painting a No. 3 is very useful, together with a smaller brush for fine work, say a No. '1' or '00'.
This, I find, is a matter for the individual. I use Humbrol but believe that Floquil or Precision Paints are as good if not better. Whichever paint you use, make sure you have the right thinners/brush cleaner. I still haven't come across a good etching primer for brass, so if anybody has a source please publish the secret. If you don't wish to go to the expense of brass name plates, these can be made up with Slaters plastic alphabets and painted with an excellent gold paint called Liquid Leaf obtainable at the better art shops. If you own an airbrush, you will probably be aware of the superb finish you can obtain with cellulose, but beware of spraying direct onto plastic or you will find out the hard way, as I did, that the cellulose thinners melts the plastic. Remember that your top coat can only be as good as the surface underneath it, so rub down undercoats where possible. If you are putting on the final coat by brush, it's not a bad idea to read a book for an hour beforehand. This may sound crazy, but think about it. A lot of paintwork is spoilt by dust adhering to the drying paint, so if you can gather all your materials together, take them into a little used room and sit down to read for a while, it gives the dust a chance to settle. Do your painting, place a cardboard box over your finished but still tacky handywork, and the chances are that you will have a very good finish when all is dried.
The ruling pen, when used for lining, can be the curse of mankind if it's not running well. It has certain inherent limitations due to the way in which it is constructed. As most of us know, it has two blades and the paint is retained by capillary action. If too much paint is put in, the weight of the paint will make it blob, whilst if it is too thick it won't run at all. I generally find that I can use Humbrol direct from the tin providing that it is a new tin and well stirred. Using the ruling pen is a bit of an art which will only come with experience. One of the faults which often occurs is that the line thickens up at each end. This is due to the pen being allowed to dwell too long on the work. If you can start drawing the line a little way in front of where you want it to begin and 'float' the pen onto the surface and then 'float' it off at the other end without stopping, the line will remain at a constant thickness. Always hold the pen vertically as the paint will only flow if both blades are touching the surface. To sharpen a ruling pen, always remove metal from the outside. Close the blades together and try to make them even in shape by honing with an oilstone. Don't make them too pointed or you may cut through the skin of the final coat of paint underneath. It is a good idea to use a different based paint for lining, so if your engine is painted in cellulose use an enamel. If you have used enamel for the main coat, try oil paint or cryla for the lining. The reason for this is to enable you to wash it off with a suitable solvent if you make a mistake without damaging what is underneath. Lining which runs parallel with an edge can best be put on with a bow compass, with the point extended so as to form a pair of oddlegs. Quite complex shapes can be lined out using this method as I found when I tackled a friend's 5" gauge Stirling Single. Drafting instruments such as Rapidograph Pens can be very useful when doing black lining, although they are not much use for colours as the inks don't have much body to them. Circle and oval guides for doing rounded corners are very useful, but remember that they have to be raised up from the surface or the paint will creep underneath. Special shaped guides can be cut from acetate sheet by scratching the surface and cracking the shape out.
