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Forum Boards => Rolling Stock => Topic started by: ACL1504 on March 17, 2020, 05:57:33 PM

Title: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 17, 2020, 05:57:33 PM
I have 7 or 8 brass locos left to paint. When I finish these I'm done. My plan is to do 1 every two weeks if possible. After all, I have no other projects in the works. Hope my nose isn't getting longer.

The Duluth, Missabe & Northern 2-10-2 is out for some back shop repairs so I'll start with the Pennsy K4.


Note: This is not one I painted but rather one painted by one of my old competitors.

This is a brass K4 built by Atlas and imported by PFM, Pacific Fast Mail. This is the 1975 version and sold for around $180.00 back then. More on the loco details later as well.

There is a lot of history on this model and I'll get into that later. For now here are some photos of how it looks at present.

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-170320174249.jpeg)

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-170320174300.jpeg)

Continued -
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 17, 2020, 05:58:19 PM
(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-170320174314.jpeg)

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-170320174327.jpeg)
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 17, 2020, 05:59:07 PM
(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-170320174337.jpeg)

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-170320174350.jpeg)
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: vinceg on March 17, 2020, 10:43:46 PM
Very nice, Tom. I've always like the Pennsy K-4s and that one looks great.
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: BandOGuy on March 18, 2020, 08:32:33 AM

Happy middle of the week to those stopping by. Have to remember to put the trash out tonight.
Didn't hoard any TP, but wish now I'd hoarded some new Xacto knife blades. Grrr.
Enjoy, all.
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: GPdemayo on March 18, 2020, 08:37:46 AM
Nice loco Tom.....I'll be looking in.  :)
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: Oldguy on March 18, 2020, 11:36:49 AM
I've watched your repaints as I have several that I just can't get brave enough to do.  Well mine are dismals and not foamers, but still . . . . .
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: RWL on March 18, 2020, 02:15:08 PM

Tom,


How are you doing? Another project, I know from where you come. You say the K4 is painted by one of your old competitors, wouldn't be Hal would it? Looking forward to your progress.


Bob
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 18, 2020, 02:41:23 PM
Quote from: vinceg on March 17, 2020, 10:43:46 PM
Very nice, Tom. I've always like the Pennsy K-4s and that one looks great.


Vince, 

Thanks for following along. This loco belonged to a local hobby shop owner. It will hopefully look much better after I get a new paint job on the K-4s.

Tom  ;D
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 18, 2020, 02:43:10 PM
Quote from: BandOGuy on March 18, 2020, 08:32:33 AM

Happy middle of the week to those stopping by. Have to remember to put the trash out tonight.
Didn't hoard any TP, but wish now I'd hoarded some new Xacto knife blades. Grrr.
Enjoy, all.


Chipper,

Always good to hear from you but this isn't the Wednesday Daily.   8)

Tom  ;D
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 18, 2020, 02:43:51 PM
Quote from: GPdemayo on March 18, 2020, 08:37:46 AM
Nice loco Tom.....I'll be looking in.  :)


Greg,

Glad to have you on the wagon.

Tom   ;D
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 18, 2020, 02:50:17 PM
Quote from: Oldguy on March 18, 2020, 11:36:49 AM
I've watched your repaints as I have several that I just can't get brave enough to do.  Well mine are dismals and not foamers, but still . . . . .


Bob,

Welcome to the party. I still remember my first brass loco paint job. It was 1977 and a USRA 0-6-0 imported by NWSL. After I got it painted and decaled, I though it wasn't to bad. That was some 386 paint jobs ago.  ??? ??? 


Tom  ;D
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 18, 2020, 02:56:16 PM
Quote from: RWL on March 18, 2020, 02:15:08 PM

Tom,


How are you doing? Another project, I know from where you come. You say the K4 is painted by one of your old competitors, wouldn't be Hal would it? Looking forward to your progress.


Bob


Bob,

Very happy to hear from you. All is well here in the Langford corner of the world. Jess Skeen painted this for DeWitt's Train Depot in 1976. Hal now paints exclusively for Dan Glasure of Brass Trains in Ocala, Fl.

Hal and I are friends but we never competed for paint jobs.

Again, very happy to hear from you and very happy to hear all is well down your way. You are always welcome to stop by when in the area.

Tom  ;D
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 18, 2020, 06:24:09 PM
One very important aspect of this repaint was the K-4 decals. When I first heard Champ Decals was shutting the doors, I ordered some decals for locos I had or thought I may need. This is one loco I knew one day would get repainted. It's the only loco on the A&S roster not painted in the S&A shops.

As it turns out I have three decal sets for a Pennsylvania K-4s.

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-180320151815.jpeg)

More on Champ decals later in the thread.

Continued in a few.
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 18, 2020, 06:29:34 PM
This loco has had the old PFM Analog DC sound for the past 42 years. The PFM sound will need to be removed.

The next photo shows the PFM sound wiper on the main driver.

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-170320174402.jpeg)

The tender was factory drilled for the 8 ohm 1.5" speaker. This will also have to be removed.

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-170320174413.jpeg)

More in a few.
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 18, 2020, 06:35:43 PM
This loco is hard wired, meaning the tender and loco are wired so the two can't be separated. I cut the wires.

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-180320151826.jpeg)

I then removed the pilot and trailing trucks. The screws holding these on were replaced as I'm not ready to remove the bottom plate and drivers at this point.

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-180320151837.jpeg)

The screw holding the pilot truck is also the screw holding the smoke box to the steam chest. So now the front of the boiler is loose. There are two small screws located on the rear of the cab  below the cab deck. These were removed as well.

Now the boiler assembly can be removed.

Continued in a few.




Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 18, 2020, 06:47:02 PM
Oh wow, look at this crap. The rubber coupling between the motor and gear box shafts is dry rot. And, it looks like the shafts are rusted. I'm not sure why as the shafts should never have been wet.

The red bulb is a 12V bulb. PFM sold these as a ballast light. When running the bulb would glow giving the effect of a firebox burn.

The open frame motor has been replaced, not by me, with a Sagami can motor. This was common in the late 70's to use the NWSL Sagami motors. These were referred to as 20X32s, meaning they are 20mm X 32mm in size. This was high tech in the 70's.

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-180320151851.jpeg)

You can see the rear of the can motor has a PFM RF-T. This little bugger kept the radio frequency at a minimum. All this PFM junk will be removed.

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-180320151905.jpeg)

More in a few.
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 18, 2020, 06:49:20 PM
The wire wiper and soldering pad was removed along with all the stuff shown above.

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-180320151916.jpeg)

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-180320151926.jpeg)

Continued -
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 18, 2020, 06:54:09 PM
(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-180320151937.jpeg)

I also see extra care was taken to add more boiler weight. I have mixed feelings about adding more boiler weights.  Extra weight is good in that the loco can pull more cars and not so good as it also places more stress and wear on the driver tires.

I'm going to leave the weight in the boiler. This loco is already older than the prototype when scrapped so at this point what the heck.

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-180320151947.jpeg)

Continued -
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 18, 2020, 06:58:36 PM
I removed the tender trucks.

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-180320152000.jpeg)

I then removed the tender from the tender deck.

Here is the PFM speaker and the PFM-02 or LTM (loco tender module).

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-180320152013.jpeg)

More in a few.
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 18, 2020, 07:02:36 PM
I'll send the speaker to a friend in TN as he still uses PFM sound but the rest will go to file 13.

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-180320152053.jpeg)

The tender shell is back filled with foam and this was removed also. The previous owner, Sue and Dick DeWitt, smoked. Well, Sue smoked and the foam still smells musty and of cigarette smoke.

More tomorrow afternoon.



Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 20, 2020, 04:24:39 PM
The photo below reminds me of the days when PFM Analog Sound was king. The tender on most locos needed to be reworked in order to install the PFM speaker. I'll discuss this in a little more detail later in the thread.


(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-180320152105.jpeg)

I mentioned that the previous owner was a smoker. The loco ran on the store display layout for several years. In the photo below, you can see where I cleaned off some of the paint around the builders plate. The yellow tint on the smokebox is nicotine staining. You can see a little of the staining on the side of the boiler.

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-180320152116.jpeg)

Continued -




Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 20, 2020, 04:27:11 PM
Here is a look at  some of the parts from the loco. Certainly more to come.

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-180320152128.jpeg)

Continued -
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 20, 2020, 04:29:33 PM
The smooth running of any model locomotive is dependent on the running gear. Refer to the following video for my thoughts on the subject.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_sV4rV8FUI (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_sV4rV8FUI)
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 20, 2020, 05:00:07 PM
All running gear has been removed.

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-200320164344.jpeg)

Pilot and steam chest removed next.

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-200320164356.jpeg)

More in a few.
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 20, 2020, 05:03:48 PM
The reversing link support bracket was removed next. One side was unsoldered so this will have to be fixed/resoldered.

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-200320164407.jpeg)

Bottom plate removed from the frame.

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-200320164418.jpeg)

Continued -
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 20, 2020, 05:06:51 PM
The three drivers and six journal springs removed.

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-200320164429.jpeg)

And finally the six brake shoes.

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-200320164442.jpeg)

Continued -
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ReadingBob on March 20, 2020, 05:12:48 PM
Man that's a lot of little pieces and parts.  :P  I'd never be able to Humpty Dumpy back together again.   :D
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 20, 2020, 05:13:07 PM
The loco frame, steam chest, pilot, running gear, springs, brake shoes, etc are all now disassembled. All 60+ parts will get either clean or paint stripped off and then reassembled.

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-200320164502.jpeg)

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-200320164514.jpeg)

Now its time to get out the Acetone and strip the old paint. Speaking of time, I have about 4 hours into the repainting. At $45.00 per hour, I so far owe myself $180.00. Gee, I don't even have it stripped or my paint mixed. :'(


I'll have more on Monday or Tuesday.
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 20, 2020, 05:16:29 PM
Quote from: ReadingBob on March 20, 2020, 05:12:48 PM
Man that's a lot of little pieces and parts.  :P  I'd never be able to Humpty Dumpy back together again.   :D


Bob,

This one isn't to bad and is a relatively easy one. I'll get this Humpty Dumpty back together and should have it running soon.
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: BandOGuy on March 20, 2020, 05:47:53 PM

If you owe yourself $180.00 so far, you have our permission to spend it on any train related "stuff" you want or need.
Great tutorial although I had hope for the B&O Pacific this round.
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 20, 2020, 07:00:11 PM
Chip,

Thanks for stopping by. That money is allocated for more Micro Engineering Code 83 flex track.  8)


Didn't you say you had a United/PFM 2-8-0 consolidation? That loco is the next in the A&S paint shop..

Tom  ;D
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: RWL on March 20, 2020, 10:19:58 PM

Tom,


Nice conversation the other day, thanks for the call! Acetone on an old Floquil job at $45.00 an hour, Methylethylketone, cut your time by 2/3rds. By the way, nice step by step and videos too.


Bob
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: tct855 on March 21, 2020, 02:55:05 AM
ACL 1504,
               Wow!, that's a lot of parts.  How do you keep track of all those pieces and not get them mixed up?  You brass builders are miniature Einsteins or something.  Goooood luck putting all those little pieces back together in the right order.  I'll be watching this master class tutorial real close.
                                                                                                                                                         KP-out...
                                                                       
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: GPdemayo on March 21, 2020, 09:15:31 AM
Enjoyed the video..... 8)  I'm glad to see you've kept that signature tripod bounce of yours at the end of this video too.  ;D
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: jerryrbeach on March 21, 2020, 09:31:41 AM

Tom,


As usual. I'm following along.  I really appreciate the step by step and how explicit you are with your descriptions of the process.
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: Bruce Oberleitner on March 21, 2020, 09:35:22 AM
Hey Tom,
I saw your K4 video yesterday and you've got some good tricks on tuning up steam locomotive mechanisms.  Also, the City of Miami running in the rainstorm was a pretty cool video as well.

Hope you and the babe are doing well.

;D ;D ;D
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: bparrish on March 21, 2020, 04:21:40 PM
Tom..............

You talked about how you owe yourself 180 bux..............  My first thought is.......... who is your collections enforcer?  Hope he does not rough up up too much.


Then, right after that............... so what.............  If you conduct business anything like I do...........

You lose a little on every deal but you can make it up in volume.

So much for Bob's school of advanced business.

see ya
Bob
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: deemery on March 21, 2020, 05:39:49 PM
"You can make much more money with oats before they go through the horse."


That's what I learned about business economics ;D


dave
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: Zephyrus52246 on March 21, 2020, 08:02:59 PM
Great video.  Thanks for posting it.  I think I may know of a certain locomotive Mr. Driggers was talking about.   ::)


Jeff
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: bparrish on March 21, 2020, 11:39:33 PM
Dave..........


It's been a long time since I heard that one.

When I first came to Idaho in '74 I had a bunch of critters on some ground that I had purchased south of Nampa, SW of Boise.

There was a feed and grain place in Nampa that I had found with this really cool old gent who had run the place for over 50 years then and hadn't wound his watch for years before that.  He had an expression for everything.   I was in his store just passing the time of day and a guy came in for some mixed grain with oats.   He sniveled about the price and Butch told him to go around back to the manure pile as the oats were cheaper there.


On a thread that I started a day or two ago about what you are doing with your sequestered time....... there is a Mack bulldog AC dump truck with Borchert's Coal on the dump box.  This is after Butch Borchert as he sold coal also.

Stuff like this can only happen in a small town.............. I went to town to buy a ton of #2 slacker coal for a friend in a town way south of Nampa...  Butch dumped part of a load into my truck on one side and then went around to dump the second half into the truck.   He had a loader that looked like a fork lift with a dump bucket.

He told me to go around to the scale to settle up.  He said, "I might have given you too much, that looks like 2008 pounds.   I scaled it out....... it was 2006.   He said. "my mistake, the extra six are on me".

That guy had shuffled a lot of coal..

I was amazed
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: postalkarl on March 22, 2020, 03:46:06 AM
Hey Tom:

Wow looks like a lot of work. I'm following along.

Karl
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 23, 2020, 11:41:45 AM
Quote from: RWL on March 20, 2020, 10:19:58 PM

Tom,


Nice conversation the other day, thanks for the call! Acetone on an old Floquil job at $45.00 an hour, Methylethylketone, cut your time by 2/3rds. By the way, nice step by step and videos too.


Bob


Bob,

Yes, nice conversation the other day. I've used MEK in the past and like it but I had Acetone on hand for this one.

Thanks for following along and the compliment.

Tom  ;D
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 23, 2020, 11:43:37 AM
Quote from: GPdemayo on March 21, 2020, 09:15:31 AM
Enjoyed the video..... 8)  I'm glad to see you've kept that signature tripod bounce of yours at the end of this video too.  ;D


Greg,

Thank you. I think I'll bump the camera stand at the end of all my videos from now on. You know, kinda of set me apart from others.  :P

Tom  ;D
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 23, 2020, 11:45:24 AM
Quote from: jerryrbeach on March 21, 2020, 09:31:41 AM

Tom,


As usual. I'm following along.  I really appreciate the step by step and how explicit you are with your descriptions of the process.

Jerry,

You are very welcome and thanks for stopping by. I enjoy doing the step by step in my threads.

Tom  ;D
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 23, 2020, 11:47:44 AM
Quote from: Bruce Oberleitner on March 21, 2020, 09:35:22 AM
Hey Tom,
I saw your K4 video yesterday and you've got some good tricks on tuning up steam locomotive mechanisms.  Also, the City of Miami running in the rainstorm was a pretty cool video as well.

Hope you and the babe are doing well.

;D ;D ;D


Bruce,

Thank you, much appreciated. Thank you also for the email the other day. Great to hear you are doing well. The Babe and I are fine and I enjoy the "you need to stay in the train room" for two weeks.  ;D ;D


Tom   ;D
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 23, 2020, 11:50:38 AM
Quote from: bparrish on March 21, 2020, 04:21:40 PM
Tom..............

You talked about how you owe yourself 180 bux..............  My first thought is.......... who is your collections enforcer?  Hope he does not rough up up too much.


Then, right after that............... so what.............  If you conduct business anything like I do...........

You lose a little on every deal but you can make it up in volume.

So much for Bob's school of advanced business.

see ya
Bob


Bob,

Like you I've lost on deals and made some on others. Life is good when it comes to this great hobby.

The $45.00 an hour is just a way of saying how much I would be charging others for this one. It kinda scares most people away.

Tom  ;D
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 23, 2020, 11:53:14 AM
Quote from: deemery on March 21, 2020, 05:39:49 PM
"You can make much more money with oats before they go through the horse."


That's what I learned about business economics ;D


dave


Dave,

Caveat emptor is what I learned in economics.

Tom 8)
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 23, 2020, 11:54:57 AM
Quote from: Zephyrus52246 on March 21, 2020, 08:02:59 PM
Great video.  Thanks for posting it.  I think I may know of a certain locomotive Mr. Driggers was talking about.   ::)


Jeff


Jeff,

Thanks for the comment. I didn't realize you were a customer of Thom's. However, there is none better to make repairs and get it running like a swiss watch.

Tom  ;D
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 23, 2020, 11:56:02 AM
Quote from: postalkarl on March 22, 2020, 03:46:06 AM
Hey Tom:

Wow looks like a lot of work. I'm following along.

Karl


Karl,

It is a bit of work but will be worth the effort in the end. Thanks for following along.

Tom   ;D
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 23, 2020, 12:14:06 PM
I had to drill out the micro mini bulb from the headlight housing. It was epoxied in and I knew an Acetone bath wasn't going to cut the epoxy.

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-230320113455.jpeg)

I also needed to make the repair on the broken link bearing support.

I used a self closing tweezer to hold the two parts together. I used a brass Dremel disc brush to clean the area to be soldered.

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-230320113506.jpeg)

Continued -
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 23, 2020, 01:14:25 PM
I didn't want to unpack my resistance soldering unit and instead decided to use the Micro Mark micro torch.

The Tix solder is on the left and the Tix liquid flux is on the right.

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-230320113518.jpeg)

The torch is powered using Butane.

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-230320113530.jpeg)

Continued later this afternoon -
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 23, 2020, 02:40:55 PM
I cut a very small piece of Tix solder (the photo is enlarged).

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-230320113542.jpeg)


I polish the parts to be soldered and add a little liquid flux to the parts. I then place the solder on the parts as shown.

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-230320113556.jpeg)

Continued -


Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 23, 2020, 02:47:49 PM
The micro torch flame is adjusted and then the flame is put to the solder. It melts the solder almost immediately and the parts are now soldered.

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-230320113608.jpeg)

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-230320113619.jpeg)

The solder melts at around 275 degrees F. The holding power is about 4,300 pounds per square inch. So, this part won't be breaking again anytime soon. You can use a soldering gun, iron or torch. I just like the color of the flame.

Continued -



Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 23, 2020, 02:55:43 PM
While I was at it, I resoldered the other support side.

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-230320113629.jpeg)

I soaked the parts in Acetone to strip off the old Floquil paint.

NOTE: Acetone is nasty stuff so use the appropriate gloves and protective eye wear. Just giving a friendly warning on my part.

After removing the old paint, the parts were washed in warm soapy water. I then washed/rinsed them a second time in just warm water and set aside to dry.

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-230320113639.jpeg)

Continued -



Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 23, 2020, 02:56:28 PM
(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-230320113649.jpeg)

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-230320113700.jpeg)
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 24, 2020, 05:43:53 PM
In the photo below note the shadow of the Pennsylvania and the trim. I've only seen this when stripping old Floquil paints. The occurs when the decal set not only sets the decal but a shadow of the decal through the paint.

Over the past 45+ years I've used Scalecoat paints exclusively. I've stripped many of my brass for updated paint and I've never seen this.

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-230320113712.jpeg)

Continued  -
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 24, 2020, 05:48:27 PM
I mentioned earlier the inside of the tender brought back memories of old.

In the days of PFM analog DC sound, the tender needed to be modified in order for the PFM speaker to fit. The trick was to be able to cut the inside tender brace as shown in the the photo below. However, extreme caution was needed so you didn't cut through the tender side. I can honestly say I never ruined a tender by cutting a hole in the side.


(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-230320113728.jpeg)


(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-230320113740.jpeg)

Continued in a few.
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 24, 2020, 05:52:51 PM
The speaker needed to be trimmed as well. In the photo below you can see how we cut the speaker to fit the modified tender. The cut speaker never lost any sound due to this.

Even today, with DCC TCS WOW sound, I still have some old PFM speakers in the loco tenders. I'm in the process of replacing the PFM speakers with the new TCS 28mm High Bass 4W speakers.

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-230320113753.jpeg)

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-230320113804.jpeg)

Painting starts tomorrow.
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: NKP768 on March 25, 2020, 11:42:50 AM
Great post Tom - brought back some great memorys of the stuff we used to cram inside things. The modern day DCC decoders and speakers are a real god-send. I wonder how many of those engineers and firemen Weston sold.
Doug
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 25, 2020, 02:17:41 PM
Quote from: NKP768 on March 25, 2020, 11:42:50 AM
Great post Tom - brought back some great memorys of the stuff we used to cram inside things. The modern day DCC decoders and speakers are a real god-send. I wonder how many of those engineers and firemen Weston sold.
Doug


Doug,

Thank you. Yes, it does bring back  some memories. It was a pain to install the PFM analog sound but it did sound good when finished. Weston/Campbell Scale Models still sells the engineer but they are a bit pricey. They sold a ton of the engineer and fireman.

Tom  ;D
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 25, 2020, 06:28:24 PM
Yesterday and this morning I got some of the painting done. I got all the painting finished on the loco chassis and main frame. As I mentioned earlier, I only use Scalecoat paints for painting brass locos.

For the loco black here is my formula for Langford Black.

14 parts loco Black
  2 parts White
  3 parts Scalecoat Thinner

The three drivers, side rods, brake shoes, steam chest, pilot assembly and reverse levers support bracket reassembled.

This baby rolls smooth as glass. When I did the glass test video the old 45+ year old lube was still on the axles. Now they are clean and fresh LaBelle #108 oil is on the axles at each journal.

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-250320181811.jpeg)

Continued -

Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 25, 2020, 06:35:21 PM
I painted the smoke box and smoke box front with a special blend as well. I call this Smoke Box Gray.

2 parts Scalecoat Black
1 part   Scalecoat Graphite and Oil
1 part   Scalecoat Thinner

If you want the color a little darker, just as 1 or 2 more parts of black to the mix.

NOTE: The smoke box is much darker than the photo shows.

For the cab roof, I used full strength Scalecoat Oxide Red.

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-250320181824.jpeg)

I'll work on the boiler paint tomorrow.
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: deemery on March 25, 2020, 08:00:38 PM
If convenient, could you dab a bit of that Scalecoat graphite onto a white card and send me a photo?  I have some on order, but it'll help me to see what that color looks like.  (I'll be using it for oil tanks painted "graphite.")


Thanks in advance!


dave
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 26, 2020, 07:09:28 AM
Quote from: deemery on March 25, 2020, 08:00:38 PM
If convenient, could you dab a bit of that Scalecoat graphite onto a white card and send me a photo?  I have some on order, but it'll help me to see what that color looks like.  (I'll be using it for oil tanks painted "graphite.")


Thanks in advance!


dave

Dave,

Send me a PM with your address and I'll send it out - when the paint on the card dries!  8)


Tom  ;D
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: GPdemayo on March 26, 2020, 09:19:01 AM
.....and the A&S paint shop is open for business. Looking good Tom.  8)
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ReadingBob on March 26, 2020, 01:00:19 PM
If you want to air dry that paint let Greg take it for a lap or two around the layout.   ;)
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: GPdemayo on March 26, 2020, 01:56:35 PM
Quote from: ReadingBob on March 26, 2020, 01:00:19 PM
If you want to air dry that paint let Greg take it for a lap or two around the layout.   ;)


He won't want that Bob.....I'd have the paint flowing off the front of the boiler and flying past the tender.  ;D
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: postalkarl on March 26, 2020, 03:36:08 PM
Hey Tom:

There's something I haven't in years. I custom painted HO trains for many years back in the 70's & 80's. Also painted for the Hobby Shop I worked in. I was very good at it and I also enjoyed it much. I did that in those days instead of build wooden structure kits.

Karl
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 26, 2020, 05:10:08 PM
Quote from: GPdemayo on March 26, 2020, 09:19:01 AM
.....and the A&S paint shop is open for business. Looking good Tom.  8)


Greg,

Yes, it is. A busy shop with Covid-19 locking me in.

Tom  ;D

Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 26, 2020, 05:11:17 PM
Quote from: GPdemayo on March 26, 2020, 09:19:01 AM
.....and the A&S paint shop is open for business. Looking good Tom.  8)


Bob,

Good idea but, no. He also might chip what I've already done.

Tom  ;D
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 26, 2020, 05:11:48 PM
Quote from: GPdemayo on March 26, 2020, 01:56:35 PM
Quote from: ReadingBob on March 26, 2020, 01:00:19 PM
If you want to air dry that paint let Greg take it for a lap or two around the layout.   ;)


He won't want that Bob.....I'd have the paint flowing off the front of the boiler and flying past the tender.  ;D


Nothing else to say here.
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 26, 2020, 05:15:25 PM
Quote from: postalkarl on March 26, 2020, 03:36:08 PM
Hey Tom:

There's something I haven't in years. I custom painted HO trains for many years back in the 70's & 80's. Also painted for the Hobby Shop I worked in. I was very good at it and I also enjoyed it much. I did that in those days instead of build wooden structure kits.

Karl


Karl,

I did the same back in the mid 70's and well into the 80's. I painted brass to supplement my rookie income and later took it out in hobby shop supplies.

Although it isn't as fun as it was in the day, I'm enjoying this last little excursion in brass painting.

Tom  ;D
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 26, 2020, 05:19:06 PM
I put blue painters tape on the cab roof. I also started covering the smoke box with the tape. At this point I got busy and forgot to take more photos but I'll have the final paint photos on the boiler tomorrow afternoon.

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-260320171606.jpeg)

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-260320171617.jpeg)

Continued -
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 26, 2020, 05:22:50 PM
I finished the smoke box front this afternoon. The hand rails, headlight, keystone and brass around the red portion of the keystone were all hand painted.

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-260320172223.jpeg)
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: S&S RR on March 26, 2020, 08:29:48 PM
Beautiful work Tom!
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: BandOGuy on March 26, 2020, 09:34:45 PM
Quote from: ACL1504 on March 26, 2020, 05:11:17 PM
Quote from: GPdemayo on March 26, 2020, 09:19:01 AM
.....and the A&S paint shop is open for business. Looking good Tom.  8)


Bob,

Good idea but, no. He also might chip what I've already done.

Tom  ;D



I resemble that remark!
Greg might mar it.
He might get finger prints on it or drool on it.
Worst case, he might sag the paint at warp speed.
But he will NOT chip it. I had nothing to do with it. I was SiP'ing all day in the basement, working on a structure. If I ever figure out how to post pictures here, I have irrefutable proof.
Chip "Proudly" Stevens   :D :D
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: Oldguy on March 26, 2020, 09:59:41 PM
Looks really good.  I have some older brass diesels that the foam became part of the trucks and frame.  Should be good candidates to try painting brass.
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: postalkarl on March 27, 2020, 07:51:31 AM
Hey Tom:

Looks like you are working on it.

Karl
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: GPdemayo on March 27, 2020, 08:43:39 AM
Thanks for the good thoughts Chip.....you are almost 100 % right.....I'd never chip, drool or leave prints on one of Tom's great paint jobs, sag a little, but NEVER chip, drool or print.  ::)
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: NKP768 on March 27, 2020, 11:55:41 AM
Looking good Tom,
Do you bake any of the finishes? - I have been media blasting everything with a 250 grit aluminum flake that leaves a nice surface for the paint. A friend who custom painted for years also put me on to using the Scalecoat NYC Dark Grey instead of any of the engine blacks as they tend to hide detail under normal layout lighting. As I'm modeling the late steam years on the Nickel Plate I usually don't Graphite the smoke boxes but hit with a little light grey prior to weathering and it gives just enough color variation to suggest there was something there besides paint once. Anyway didn't mean to hijack your thread-keep up the great work and stay safe.
Doug
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 28, 2020, 01:22:44 PM
Quote from: deemery on March 25, 2020, 08:00:38 PM
If convenient, could you dab a bit of that Scalecoat graphite onto a white card and send me a photo?  I have some on order, but it'll help me to see what that color looks like.  (I'll be using it for oil tanks painted "graphite.")


Thanks in advance!


dave


Dave,  Again, it appears lighter in the photo. Hope this helps.

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-280320132057.jpeg)

Tom ;D
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 28, 2020, 01:23:54 PM
Quote from: S&S RR on March 26, 2020, 08:29:48 PM
Beautiful work Tom!


John,

Thank you my friend, much appreciate your compliment.

Tom  ;D
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 28, 2020, 01:25:44 PM
Quote from: BandOGuy on March 26, 2020, 09:34:45 PM
Quote from: ACL1504 on March 26, 2020, 05:11:17 PM
Quote from: GPdemayo on March 26, 2020, 09:19:01 AM
.....and the A&S paint shop is open for business. Looking good Tom.  8)


Bob,

Good idea but, no. He also might chip what I've already done.

Tom  ;D



I resemble that remark!
Greg might mar it.
He might get finger prints on it or drool on it.
Worst case, he might sag the paint at warp speed.
But he will NOT chip it. I had nothing to do with it. I was SiP'ing all day in the basement, working on a structure. If I ever figure out how to post pictures here, I have irrefutable proof.
Chip "Proudly" Stevens   :D :D


Chip,

Agreed to all the above but no chipping!

Tom  ;D
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 28, 2020, 01:31:09 PM
Quote from: Oldguy on March 26, 2020, 09:59:41 PM
Looks really good.  I have some older brass diesels that the foam became part of the trucks and frame.  Should be good candidates to try painting brass.


Bob,

Thank you. I sold all my brass diesels. The ACL, SAL and FEC early paint schemes were some I didn't want to tackle. Although I did do all them on Athearn F7 shells. This of course was long prior to Walthers, Intermountain and others coming out with these same paint schemes.


I had one brass loco "grow" some box foam but a bath in Acetone cured the problem.

Tom  ;D
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 28, 2020, 01:32:39 PM
Quote from: postalkarl on March 27, 2020, 07:51:31 AM
Hey Tom:

Looks like you are working on it.

Karl


Karl,

Yepper, I'm knee deep in brass painting these days.

Tom  ;D
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 28, 2020, 01:34:03 PM
Quote from: GPdemayo on March 27, 2020, 08:43:39 AM
Thanks for the good thoughts Chip.....you are almost 100 % right.....I'd never chip, drool or leave prints on one of Tom's great paint jobs, sag a little, but NEVER chip, drool or print.  ::)


Greg,

You left yourself open for this one. You didn't mention anything about elbows.

Tom  8)
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: GPdemayo on March 28, 2020, 01:45:59 PM
Quote from: ACL1504 on March 28, 2020, 01:34:03 PM
Quote from: GPdemayo on March 27, 2020, 08:43:39 AM
Thanks for the good thoughts Chip.....you are almost 100 % right.....I'd never chip, drool or leave prints on one of Tom's great paint jobs, sag a little, but NEVER chip, drool or print.  ::)


Greg,

You left yourself open for this one. You didn't mention anything about elbows.

Tom  8)


I didn't mention our elbows because I haven't seen any foam on your steam engine collection.  ???
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 28, 2020, 01:48:04 PM
Quote from: NKP768 on March 27, 2020, 11:55:41 AM
Looking good Tom,
Do you bake any of the finishes? - I have been media blasting everything with a 250 grit aluminum flake that leaves a nice surface for the paint. A friend who custom painted for years also put me on to using the Scalecoat NYC Dark Grey instead of any of the engine blacks as they tend to hide detail under normal layout lighting. As I'm modeling the late steam years on the Nickel Plate I usually don't Graphite the smoke boxes but hit with a little light grey prior to weathering and it gives just enough color variation to suggest there was something there besides paint once. Anyway didn't mean to hijack your thread-keep up the great work and stay safe.
Doug

Doug,

First, you are welcome to post any comment or question on any of my posts. I never consider it as hijacking the thread. We are all here to learn from each other.

I bake all the finishes at 170 in the oven for 45 minutes.

I've only had a few occasions where it was necessary to "blast" the brass for painting. 96% of the brass I painted was unpainted and only the clear coat needed to be removed.

Scalecoat NYC Dark Gray is a great loco color and so I SP Dark Gray, not sure this is still available. I do have one unopened bottle from the good ole days. I've never painted a loco with Black or Loco Black. I came up with my mix back in the 70's and it gives a nice loco color depending on the finish I add. The same Langford Black will look like four different colors depending on Flat, Semi-Flat, Semi-Gloss and Gloss finishes. Of course any weathering will also change the color.

I always paint the smoke box and fire box with a color variation of Scalecoat Graphite and Oil. I let the weathering do the rest.

I appreciate your taking time to post your thoughts.

The next several photos are of locos I've painted and weathered. The first has a little coal smoke stains on the smoke box.

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-280320124135.jpeg)

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-280320124226.jpeg)
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 28, 2020, 01:48:55 PM
(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-280320124147.jpeg)

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-280320124213.jpeg)
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 28, 2020, 01:50:51 PM
(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-280320124201.jpeg)

This ACL pacific has been painted but not weathered.

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-280320124241.jpeg)
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 28, 2020, 01:55:37 PM
The K4s boiler is now finished except for decals and the final semi-gloss finish. The finish on the loco as you see it is only the Langford black mix baked on.

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-280320125453.jpeg)

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-280320125515.jpeg)

I painted all the ACL cab windows with green and all others red. The ACL is special.


Continued -
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 28, 2020, 01:59:28 PM
(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-280320130744.jpeg)

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-280320130755.jpeg)

I'll have more later this afternoon or tomorrow. Depends what I get into.

Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 28, 2020, 02:00:22 PM
Quote from: GPdemayo on March 28, 2020, 01:45:59 PM
Quote from: ACL1504 on March 28, 2020, 01:34:03 PM
Quote from: GPdemayo on March 27, 2020, 08:43:39 AM
Thanks for the good thoughts Chip.....you are almost 100 % right.....I'd never chip, drool or leave prints on one of Tom's great paint jobs, sag a little, but NEVER chip, drool or print.  ::)


Greg,

You left yourself open for this one. You didn't mention anything about elbows.

Tom  8)


I didn't mention our elbows because I haven't seen any foam on your steam engine collection.  ???

Okay, I'll give you this round.

T  :o
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: tom.boyd.125 on March 28, 2020, 02:10:46 PM
Tom,
Saw your paint mixes mentioned on this thread...are you using the new Scalecoat I paints now available from Minuteman Scale Models or an older stash on the shelf ?
If some one asked this question already my bad....
Tommy
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: GPdemayo on March 28, 2020, 02:21:32 PM
Quote from: ACL1504 on March 28, 2020, 02:00:22 PM
Quote from: GPdemayo on March 28, 2020, 01:45:59 PM
Quote from: ACL1504 on March 28, 2020, 01:34:03 PM
Quote from: GPdemayo on March 27, 2020, 08:43:39 AM
Thanks for the good thoughts Chip.....you are almost 100 % right.....I'd never chip, drool or leave prints on one of Tom's great paint jobs, sag a little, but NEVER chip, drool or print.  ::)


Greg,

You left yourself open for this one. You didn't mention anything about elbows.

Tom  8)


I didn't mention our elbows because I haven't seen any foam on your steam engine collection.  ???

Okay, I'll give you this round.

T  :o


I don't care what all the other guys say, you sir are a gentleman and a scholur.  ::)  .....and the engine looks great.  8)
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 28, 2020, 02:59:45 PM
Quote from: tom.boyd.125 on March 28, 2020, 02:10:46 PM
Tom,
Saw your paint mixes mentioned on this thread...are you using the new Scalecoat I paints now available from Minuteman Scale Models or an older stash on the shelf ?
If some one asked this question already my bad....
Tommy


Tommy,

The answer is a big NO. The new Scalecoat paints aren't as good from what I've heard from two other painters. Nothing against MSM but I've not used their paints. Maybe someone who has done so can comment. Two other painters I know have mentioned the new Scalecoat paints are of a lesser quality then the original.

The brand is the same but the paint mix/formula is much different.

When I heard Scalecoat was selling, I ordered a pack of six of most colors. I gave two of the original Loco Black to Thom Driggers.

Even the original Scalecoat changed over time with respect to their formula. After baking the paint any handling of the loco and the paint wore off the sides.

I'm using new old stock from my stash. This old stash paint can be handled without any wearing of the paint off the running boards or other parts.

Tom  ;D
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: deemery on March 28, 2020, 03:56:11 PM
Tom, thanks for the chip.  It'll be interesting messing with the weathering over top of the Scalecoat 'graphite'.  Right now I'm priming with light grey, maybe I should prime with white....


dave
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: Zephyrus52246 on March 28, 2020, 05:57:58 PM
I assumed since you painted the "chassis" separately, you'd paint the boiler/cab and then combine them.  Do you mask off the wheels when you're doing the boiler/cab?


Jeff
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 28, 2020, 06:29:01 PM
Quote from: deemery on March 28, 2020, 03:56:11 PM
Tom, thanks for the chip.  It'll be interesting messing with the weathering over top of the Scalecoat 'graphite'.  Right now I'm priming with light grey, maybe I should prime with white....


dave

Dave,

You are very welcome. Let me know if you need anything else.

Tom  ;D
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 28, 2020, 06:38:50 PM
Quote from: Zephyrus52246 on March 28, 2020, 05:57:58 PM
I assumed since you painted the "chassis" separately, you'd paint the boiler/cab and then combine them.  Do you mask off the wheels when you're doing the boiler/cab?


Jeff


Jeff,

Great question. Everything was painted separately and then reassembled. In the photo below you can see all the main parts and the three drivers in the upper portion of the photo. Only lazy or inexperienced painters will leave the drivers on the chassis and paint.

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-230320113639.jpeg)

The boiler cab roof and smoke box were painted and then taped off. The loco boiler was then painted black, tape removed and then baked. The firebox graphite was hand painted and then the piping was touched up with a brush using the black paint.

In the next photo the boiler is just sitting on the chassis and the pilot and trailing truck are just sitting under the loco for the photo.

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-280320125515.jpeg)
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 28, 2020, 06:48:22 PM
Just prior to painting the tender, I noticed the brace was not soldered properly. Actually the solder joint was weak and not very good. I ran out of Tix solder and had to wait for a new shipment from Micro Mark.

Yesterday the package arrived and the tender brace was resoldered, cleaned again, baked dry and painted.

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-280320184559.jpeg)

Both the tender and boiler are now painted with Scalecoat Gloss and ready for decaling tomorrow. They are in the oven in the cool down stage at this posting.
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: RWL on March 29, 2020, 01:05:48 AM

Tom,
Again, nice step by step, baking temperatures and times. I have used the new Scalecoat from MSM and I agree the formula has changed, but with a bit of Xylene in the mix it comes out hard after baking. Are you lettering the K4 for the A&S?
Bob
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: T.C. on March 29, 2020, 08:35:51 AM
If I may ask a question that may or may not apply here ?Do all the paint types require baking after painting ?For example I have recently bashed a metal boiler with a plastic cab and I don't think the cab is going to take kindly to being put into an oven ?I used old formula Floquil to paint it after a coat of etching primer.
T.C.
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 29, 2020, 10:07:11 AM
TC,

Great question.


Paint can be air dried. Even brass can be air dried. I've used aluminum mail boxes, sun, and room temp to dry paints.

With a metal boiler and plastic cab your best bet is let the paint air dry and cure. Dry to me means dry to the touch and cured means you let it dry for several days until the paint is cured (dried) all the way.

Hope this helps.

Tom  ;D
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 29, 2020, 10:11:20 AM
Quote from: RWL on March 29, 2020, 01:05:48 AM

Tom,
Again, nice step by step, baking temperatures and times. I have used the new Scalecoat from MSM and I agree the formula has changed, but with a bit of Xylene in the mix it comes out hard after baking. Are you lettering the K4 for the A&S?
Bob


Bob,

Thank you. I'll have to remember the Xylene tip for possible use with the new MSM paints. I believe I still have enough of the old, still good to use, old  paints.

I'm going to decal the K-4 for the PRR with the gold stripping.

Tom  ;D
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: deemery on March 29, 2020, 11:00:32 AM
Talking to Shawn, a lot has changed in paint chemistry, with some solvents being unavailable/outlawed.  Same thing happened to Floquil, the formula changed over the years as solvents became unavailable.

dave
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: T.C. on March 29, 2020, 11:21:56 AM
Tom  thank you  for the answer, I should be good then as it's been painted for a couple of weeks.Just So you know I do follow your layout build daily, keep up the good work, It looks fantastic!
T.C.
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 29, 2020, 11:44:04 AM
Quote from: deemery on March 29, 2020, 11:00:32 AM
Talking to Shawn, a lot has changed in paint chemistry, with some solvents being unavailable/outlawed.  Same thing happened to Floquil, the formula changed over the years as solvents became unavailable.

dave


Dave,

Yea, I remember when Floquil changed. With the change came a very slight, although noticeable, difference in some of the colors. I have some bottles where you can see three different colors in the same color paint.

I guess the EPA calls this progress.

Tom  ;D
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 29, 2020, 11:57:22 AM
Quote from: T.C. on March 29, 2020, 11:21:56 AM
Tom  thank you  for the answer, I should be good then as it's been painted for a couple of weeks.Just So you know I do follow your layout build daily, keep up the good work, It looks fantastic!
T.C.

T.C.,

You are very welcome. I love this place as we can share ideas and help each other.

Thank you as well for following the layout thread and the kind compliment. I'm itching to get back to the layout but want to finish all the brass painting.

Tom  ;D
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: NKP768 on March 29, 2020, 12:46:04 PM
Beautiful looking locomotive Tom. I've just completed a couple of locomotives using the new Scalecoat I and I've found that I need to dilute it little more than the old formula. With that, I insert an old broom handle through the boiler front and secure the handle through the lead weight holes using the weight's original screws. This allows me to "roll" the boiler as I spray due to the paint being slightly thinner than in the past. As a side note-I ran out of the Scalecoat thinner half way through the last job so I grabbed a can of
cheapo Walmart lacquer thinner for the final coats...the final results look like a hand rubbed lacquer job from the sixties -almost hate to weather it. Take care - be safe
Doug
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: deemery on March 29, 2020, 02:25:01 PM
There was definitely a change in the solvent chemistry.  I still have part of a can of old Floquil Dio-Sol.  It smells different than the newer stuff.  And I think the old promise by Floquil their paints were impervious to solvents was removed with that chemistry change.

dave
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 29, 2020, 03:56:04 PM
Quote from: NKP768 on March 29, 2020, 12:46:04 PM
Beautiful looking locomotive Tom. I've just completed a couple of locomotives using the new Scalecoat I and I've found that I need to dilute it little more than the old formula. With that, I insert an old broom handle through the boiler front and secure the handle through the lead weight holes using the weight's original screws. This allows me to "roll" the boiler as I spray due to the paint being slightly thinner than in the past. As a side note-I ran out of the Scalecoat thinner half way through the last job so I grabbed a can of
cheapo Walmart lacquer thinner for the final coats...the final results look like a hand rubbed lacquer job from the sixties -almost hate to weather it. Take care - be safe
Doug


Doug,

I have some of the Scalecoat I and have used it with excellent results. I thinned mine as well. I never thought of the broom handle but it is a great idea. I have an old pair of Dental pliers that have worked very well for me since I started painting over 40 years ago. If I loose it, I'll use the broom handle method.

Greg has been supplying me with the Floquil thinner for the past few years. I forget the formula but I think it is a 50/50 mix of Zylene and Toluene (sp). I've also thinned some of my thick Floquil paints with full strength Zylene, worked just fine.

Oh, thank you for the compliment on the loco.

Be safe out there.

Tom  ;D

Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 29, 2020, 03:59:59 PM
Quote from: deemery on March 29, 2020, 02:25:01 PM
There was definitely a change in the solvent chemistry.  I still have part of a can of old Floquil Dio-Sol.  It smells different than the newer stuff.  And I think the old promise by Floquil their paints were impervious to solvents was removed with that chemistry change.

dave

Dave,

I'm sure Government regulations had a great deal to do with the changes. I finally used all my old Dio-Sol and have Greg making it, see above post.

I had one loco I repainted years ago for a customer and the dang paint wasn't even touched by Acetone. I had to use the gooey Paint Stripper and it took three tries to remove the old paint.  Not sure what it was but it looked like it was brushed on.

Tom  ;D
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 29, 2020, 04:27:43 PM
I spent about 6 hours today decaling the Pennsy K4. I was going to show a step by step but it got to involved with the decals.

I'll have more on this along with some photos tomorrow afternoon.

I will share this one little trick though.

When applying decals to the headlight number boards, I cut a small slice into the foam and insert the smoke box front into the foam.

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-290320162240.jpeg)

This holds it in place and makes it easier to add the very small numbers. Thank goodness the 5401 was one decal. I've had to cut four separate numbers in the past. Ever notice some brass locos don't show the number boards numbered?

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-290320162251.jpeg)

Even with the Opti-Visor my old eyes are getting to old for this kind of decaling.
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: RWL on March 30, 2020, 04:18:55 PM

Tom,
A Pennsy engine with straight Langford Black, I thought you would at least add three drops of Southern Green to the mix.
Bob
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: jerryrbeach on March 30, 2020, 07:04:51 PM

Tom,


I found my Optivisor was not enough magnification for painting fine details like belts and suspenders on figures.  Rather than change the Optivisor lens for things requiring higher magnification, I picked up an inexpensive magnifier from Harbor Freight.  When performing tasks that require more magnification than my Optivisor provides I just slip it on long enough to complete that step. Then I go back to my Optivisor and its lower magnification and longer focal length. 
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 31, 2020, 01:12:22 PM
Quote from: RWL on March 30, 2020, 04:18:55 PM

Tom,
A Pennsy engine with straight Langford Black, I thought you would at least add three drops of Southern Green to the mix.
Bob

Bob,

Yes, Langford Black. I had a bottle of Brunswick Green, the Brunswick black color, but the paint didn't look right. I never thought of a few drops of SRR Green to the Langford Black mix.  8)

I'll have some final paint photos later this afternoon.

Tom   ;D
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 31, 2020, 01:13:59 PM
Quote from: jerryrbeach on March 30, 2020, 07:04:51 PM

Tom,


I found my Optivisor was not enough magnification for painting fine details like belts and suspenders on figures.  Rather than change the Optivisor lens for things requiring higher magnification, I picked up an inexpensive magnifier from Harbor Freight.  When performing tasks that require more magnification than my Optivisor provides I just slip it on long enough to complete that step. Then I go back to my Optivisor and its lower magnification and longer focal length.


Jerry,

Thanks for the tip on the  Harbor Freight product. I'll check it out.

Tom   ;D
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: NKP768 on March 31, 2020, 01:35:27 PM
Tom
Uline sells a nice little lighted magnifier for around 50 bucks.
Doug
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 31, 2020, 03:24:03 PM
Quote from: NKP768 on March 31, 2020, 01:35:27 PM
Tom
Uline sells a nice little lighted magnifier for around 50 bucks.
Doug


Doug,

Thanks, I'll check it also.

Tom  ;D
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 31, 2020, 03:27:16 PM
Painting and decaling are finished on the K-4s.

I still need to add marker jewels, crew, windows, cab curtains,very very light weathering, coal load and TCS WOW sound.

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-310320130615.jpeg)

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-310320130630.jpeg)
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 31, 2020, 03:29:45 PM
When I enlarged the next two photos it came out grainy and looks like the paint isn't smooth, it is smooth. Sorry 'bout that.

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-310320130643.jpeg)

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-310320130655.jpeg)
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 31, 2020, 03:30:38 PM
(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-310320130710.jpeg)

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-310320130723.jpeg)
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on March 31, 2020, 03:36:13 PM
I forgot to mention one thing about the decals. When using on decals, you may find that when soaking or applying them they simple break up/fall apart.

I had this discussion with Bob, RWL, and one way to solve this issue is to spray the decals with Testors Clear Gloss. Since I had three sets of the K-4 decals, I decided to test one. These decals are about 18 years old. However, they were perfect and were applied to the model without the requirement of a clear gloss coat on the decals.

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-310320130738.jpeg)
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: Zephyrus52246 on March 31, 2020, 04:51:32 PM
Looks great, Tom.  I'll bet those tender stripes were a pain to put on.

Jeff
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: Judge on March 31, 2020, 05:08:18 PM
Looking good, Tom!  Dick Dewitt would be proud.  (He was the owner of our hobby shop for many years and we inherited several Pennsy engines from him, including this K4s.  The paint job formerly on this engine was simply not up to Tom's standards.) 

Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ReadingBob on March 31, 2020, 07:15:04 PM
She's a beauty alright!   :D  Super job my friend. 

I sure hope I can remember that tip about decals that break apart.  That happened to me recently and I simply gave up.   :(
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: sdrees on March 31, 2020, 10:47:57 PM
Beautiful paint job Tom.  Many years ago as a teenager, I painted several of my brass locomotives using an automobile primer.  I still have them and they still look nice.  I had a Binks airbrush at the time.
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: GPdemayo on April 01, 2020, 08:31:17 AM
Great job Tom.......all you need is the heavyweights for it to pull.  8)
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: NKP768 on April 01, 2020, 11:13:37 AM
Beautiful looking engine Tom - great job
Doug
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on April 01, 2020, 05:06:54 PM
Quote from: Zephyrus52246 on March 31, 2020, 04:51:32 PM
Looks great, Tom.  I'll bet those tender stripes were a pain to put on.

Jeff


Jeff,

Thank you, much appreciated. The tender stripping wasn't that bad. They came on one sheet, the hard part was getting it all square.

The Frisco decals were a real pain to put on. Each corner had to be aligned and the the double stripping was added in between the corners. I spent close to an hour on each side of the Frisco.

Tom  ;D

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-010420161142.jpeg)
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on April 01, 2020, 05:09:04 PM
Quote from: Judge on March 31, 2020, 05:08:18 PM
Looking good, Tom!  Dick Dewitt would be proud.  (He was the owner of our hobby shop for many years and we inherited several Pennsy engines from him, including this K4s.  The paint job formerly on this engine was simply not up to Tom's standards.)


Bill,

Much appreciate the compliment. Dick may be proud and then promptly find something wrong. The previous paint job was good back in 1975 but no so for the A&S RR. You know me to well.

Tom  ;D
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on April 01, 2020, 05:10:43 PM
Quote from: ReadingBob on March 31, 2020, 07:15:04 PM
She's a beauty alright!   :D  Super job my friend. 

I sure hope I can remember that tip about decals that break apart.  That happened to me recently and I simply gave up.   :(


Bob,

Thanks very much. It was a fun paint job but happy to be moving on. Old decals an certainly be a challenge.

Tom  ;D
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on April 01, 2020, 05:14:03 PM
Quote from: sdrees on March 31, 2020, 10:47:57 PM
Beautiful paint job Tom.  Many years ago as a teenager, I painted several of my brass locomotives using an automobile primer.  I still have them and they still look nice.  I had a Binks airbrush at the time.

Steve,

Thank you. The auto primer in dark gray would be a good color for a weathered loco, never thought of using it.

I still use a Binks airbrush. I have three different heads and they have served me well. They ain't broken so I ain't replacing them. I did however replace the old Binks compressor about 20 years ago.

Tom  ;D
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on April 01, 2020, 05:15:16 PM
Quote from: GPdemayo on April 01, 2020, 08:31:17 AM
Great job Tom.......all you need is the heavyweights for it to pull.  8)


Greg,

Thank you my friend. We do have the heavyweights. The Judge is populating them during our forced shut down.

Tom   ;D
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on April 01, 2020, 05:16:17 PM
Quote from: NKP768 on April 01, 2020, 11:13:37 AM
Beautiful looking engine Tom - great job
Doug


Doug,

I appreciate the kind compliment, thank you.

Tom  ;D
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: RWL on April 01, 2020, 05:19:12 PM

I see you numbered it for the second one rostered, The striping came out excellent, it will look exceptional when you finish all the enhancements you plan on. What are you using for lenses in the markers? Looking good!


Bob
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on April 01, 2020, 06:36:41 PM
Quote from: RWL on April 01, 2020, 05:19:12 PM

I see you numbered it for the second one rostered, The striping came out excellent, it will look exceptional when you finish all the enhancements you plan on. What are you using for lenses in the markers? Looking good!


Bob

Bob,

Thank you. The cab number was the one on the K4 prior to the repaint so I used it for old time sake.

I think I have enough white and red MDC marker jewels so I'll use them. I think I have an MV lens that will fit the headlight.

Appreciate the feedback.

Tom  ;D
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on April 12, 2020, 03:26:14 PM
I started to add details to the K4 and got side tracked on the gear box. This is the original PFM gear box. I noticed the shaft wasn't turning smoothly so I took it apart.

In the photo below you can see the once fresh lube in the gear box housing and worm gear is now petrified.

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-120420151315.jpeg)

Petrified grease/lube on the gear, bronze bushing and the two brass spacers.

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-120420151329.jpeg)

More in a few.
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on April 12, 2020, 03:30:58 PM
This just some of the crud that came out of the groves in the worm gear.

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-120420151342.jpeg)

Fast forward here. I soaked the parts in paint thinner for a few minutes, rinsed them and washed them in warm soapy water and rinsed again and then dried.

Quite a difference now.

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-120420151421.jpeg)

More in a few.
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on April 12, 2020, 03:34:41 PM
I applied some hobby Teflon lube/grease to the top of the gear housing.

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-120420151447.jpeg)

I put all the parts back on the gear shaft and set it in the housing. I then carefully turned it to get the lube on the gear.

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-120420151500.jpeg)

Continued -



Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on April 12, 2020, 03:38:13 PM

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-120420151512.jpeg)
I then took a Q-tip and cleaned out the gear box cover. The black on the Q-tip is the crud I removed from inside the cover.

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-120420151527.jpeg)

Continued in a few more. Time for a Diet Pepsi.


Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on April 12, 2020, 03:47:01 PM
When DCC is installed in a loco, especially brass, the motor must be insulated from the frame. I cut a piece of 0.40 styrene to fit the motor mount on the loco and glued it in place.

I then reinstalled the motor mount on the loco.


(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-120420151544.jpeg)


(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-120420151556.jpeg)

More in a few.
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on April 12, 2020, 03:59:36 PM
As my luck would have it, the old Sagami motor was bad. I was just bragging to Chip, B&0 Guy, that I've never had a Sagami motor go bad. This one is  only 44 years old so I'm not sure why it went bad.  :-X


And, as my luck would have it, I just happened to have a couple of spare motors on hand.

I mixed some epoxy and glued the new motor to the white styrene on the motor mount. I made sure it was aligned properly and then let it sit so the epoxy could dry.

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-120420151610.jpeg)

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-120420151925.jpeg)
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: deemery on April 12, 2020, 04:23:51 PM
Tom, did you do the 'run across the glass' test before you glued the motor in place?  Also, if the motor is glued, how would you replace the rubber tubing in the U-Joint? 


dave
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: Zephyrus52246 on April 12, 2020, 05:39:04 PM
What type of tubing is it?  Size?  Where do you acquire this type of tubing?  Thanks in advance for the answers. 


Jeff
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: jerryrbeach on April 12, 2020, 07:08:15 PM

Tom,


As usual, simply beautiful!  My hat's off to you.  Fortunately you cannot see the glare from the top of my head. ;D ;D ;D
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on April 13, 2020, 10:31:45 AM
Quote from: deemery on April 12, 2020, 04:23:51 PM
Tom, did you do the 'run across the glass' test before you glued the motor in place?  Also, if the motor is glued, how would you replace the rubber tubing in the U-Joint? 


dave

Dave,

Great questions. And, I'll answer one that wasn't asked.

1. Yes, the glass test was done and all is very smooth and quiet.

2. The motor was glued to the motor mount. The motor mount is attached to the frame with two screws on each side. You can see in the photo below how I've done it. So, the motor mount isn't glued to the frame. Once the two screws are removed the motor mount can be removed with the motor. The tubing can then be removed or replaced.

3.  The two holes in the top of the new Sagami can motor are holes for screws so the motor could be mounted directly to the motor mount.
I turned the motor so the screw holes were not likely to get any of the epoxy oozed up into the motor.

Tom  ;D


(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-130420102246.jpeg)

Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on April 13, 2020, 10:36:21 AM
Quote from: Zephyrus52246 on April 12, 2020, 05:39:04 PM
What type of tubing is it?  Size?  Where do you acquire this type of tubing?  Thanks in advance for the answers. 


Jeff


Jeff,

Another great question. The tubing is a rubber(neoprene?) I purchased it from a local RC Plane Hobby Store. When the store opens again, I'll get more and send a sample to you. I also got some off Ebay but the quality of that tubing was very bad and I ended up junking the Ebay tubing.

The side of this tubing is 5/32 OD and the hole is 1/16 ID.  Hope this helps.

Tom  ;D
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on April 13, 2020, 10:38:07 AM
Quote from: jerryrbeach on April 12, 2020, 07:08:15 PM

Tom,


As usual, simply beautiful!  My hat's off to you.  Fortunately you cannot see the glare from the top of my head. ;D ;D ;D

Jerry,

Thank you for the very kind compliment. I have a glare on my head as well.  ;D ;D ;D


Tom  8)
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: deemery on April 13, 2020, 01:28:54 PM
Thanks, Tom, that answers my questions...   I have seen people attach motors with caulk, but I think those did not have the rubber shaft adapter/joint.


dave
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on April 13, 2020, 02:54:10 PM
Dave,

Happy to help. I've seen the caulk under the motor as well. It seems to work as long as it keeps the motor insulated from the frame.

Tom  ;D
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on April 13, 2020, 04:10:05 PM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-ogAhy6H7Q (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-ogAhy6H7Q)
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: GPdemayo on April 13, 2020, 05:09:37 PM
Smoooooooooooooooooooth..... 8)
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: Zephyrus52246 on April 13, 2020, 08:00:05 PM
Nice smooth runner on the video.  Thanks for the info on the tubing. 


Jeff
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on April 16, 2020, 05:35:15 PM
Quote from: GPdemayo on April 13, 2020, 05:09:37 PM
Smoooooooooooooooooooth..... 8)

Yepper.

Tom   8)
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on April 16, 2020, 05:35:55 PM
Quote from: Zephyrus52246 on April 13, 2020, 08:00:05 PM
Nice smooth runner on the video.  Thanks for the info on the tubing. 


Jeff

Jeff,

Thank you and you are very welcome.

Tom  ;D
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on April 16, 2020, 05:38:07 PM
With the exception of the coal load and cab tarp, this one is finished. Cab windows and crew installed. I'll do the cab tarp when the coal load is done.

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-160420172748.jpeg)

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-160420172810.jpeg)

Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on April 16, 2020, 05:42:06 PM
I wasn't planning on doing a Wow sound install portion but several folks have asked.

I'll just do a short compendium or basics for this portion. There are many Youtube videos on this.

I forgot to mention I found a spare MV Products headlight lens and installed it.

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-160420173201.jpeg)

I made sure the LED worked.

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-160420173218.jpeg)

More in a few.
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on April 16, 2020, 05:51:49 PM
I installed TCS Steam #1516, Version 4 in the Pennsy K4s.

In the photo below note I bundled the Brown, Pink and Tan wires. The capacitor is the Keep Alive. The tan wire is for a cam wiper if you want to add a cam to the main driver. I've never found it necessary to add a cam to any of the WOW steam decoders we have installed.

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-160420173147.jpeg)

The two purple wires go to the speaker. I'm using the TCS High Base speaker.

I soldered the red wire to the tender and the black wire to the loco frame.

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-160420173241.jpeg)

I don't add the wiring harness to the decoder until the wires are all soldered.

More in a few.
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on April 16, 2020, 05:56:13 PM
The Yellow, Green and Violet wires are for additional light functions. The K4s has no tender light so I just bundled it with the others. Normally this would be the Yellow wire.

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-160420173258.jpeg)

To avoid any chance of a short inside the tender. I folder the Yellow, Green and Violet wires onto themselves and then added shrink tubing to hold them.

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-160420173348.jpeg)

More in a few.
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on April 16, 2020, 06:08:46 PM
The White wire is for the headlight and the Blue wire is the common. The Blue wire would also be used for the Yellow, Green, Violet, Brown and Pink wires.

I soldered a 470 ohm resister to the White wire. The headlight Black LED wire was soldered to the resistior and the Blue wire was soldered to the Red LED wire.

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-160420173403.jpeg)

Its just that simple. However, I caused myself some extra, about four hours extra work, installing this one. I guess I'm getting old as I've never done this before.

I reversed the main driver so I had opposing polarity on the rails and the decoder wouldn't work. Normally I use a volt meter to check the polarity of the drivers on the rails but this time I also neglected to this as well.

I got the decoder programmed and it worked and ran fine on the program track. I moved the loco to the third or Summit level and zip, zero, nothing and so on. I took me an hour to find one power lead coming out of the Digitrax booster was loose. This booster controls the third level. Once I figured this out the loco ran and sounded fine.

Continued -
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on April 16, 2020, 06:09:35 PM
(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-160420173418.jpeg)

(http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-160420173432.jpeg)
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ReadingBob on April 17, 2020, 06:47:31 AM
She's a beauty all right!   :D  Marvelous job.  Sure hope to get to see it up close and personal someday. 

I never could wrap my head around that resistor stuff.  The ohm's and what not is well beyond me.   ???  If it weren't for current limiters I wouldn't be lighting structures.   ;D
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: GPdemayo on April 17, 2020, 08:48:25 AM
Great job Tom.....wasn't the K-4 built for speed?  8)
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: postalkarl on April 17, 2020, 09:57:55 AM
Hey Tom:

Beautiful Job!!!!!!!!

Karl
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on April 17, 2020, 10:03:45 AM
Quote from: ReadingBob on April 17, 2020, 06:47:31 AM
She's a beauty all right!   :D  Marvelous job.  Sure hope to get to see it up close and personal someday. 

I never could wrap my head around that resistor stuff.  The ohm's and what not is well beyond me.   ???  If it weren't for current limiters I wouldn't be lighting structures.   ;D


Bob,

Thanks, much appreciated. The 470 ohm resistor came with the LEDs so it sounds like I know what I'm doing. I do plan on trying the current limiter in one of the sound installs. It sure takes all the guess work out of it.

Tom  ;D
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on April 17, 2020, 10:04:42 AM
Quote from: GPdemayo on April 17, 2020, 08:48:25 AM
Great job Tom.....wasn't the K-4 built for speed?  8)

Greg,

Thank you very much. It was fast, but not on the A&S RR.  8)

Tom   ;D
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on April 17, 2020, 10:05:40 AM
Quote from: postalkarl on April 17, 2020, 09:57:55 AM
Hey Tom:

Beautiful Job!!!!!!!!

Karl

Karl,

Much appreciate the compliment, thank you.

Tom   ;D
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: madharry on April 17, 2020, 11:45:00 AM
A master class Tom. Beautiful. Yeah they were very fast Greg! ;)
Mike
Title: Re: Pennsylvania K4 Repaint
Post by: ACL1504 on April 21, 2020, 05:42:28 PM
Quote from: madharry on April 17, 2020, 11:45:00 AM
A master class Tom. Beautiful. Yeah they were very fast Greg! ;)
Mike

Mike,

Thank you, much appreciated. Glad you followed along.

Tom