Pennsylvania K4 Repaint

[ACL1504]

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

[deemery]

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

[T.C.]

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.

[ACL1504]

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

[ACL1504]

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

[NKP768]

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

[deemery]

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

[ACL1504]

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

[ACL1504]

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

[ACL1504]

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.



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?



Even with the Opti-Visor my old eyes are getting to old for this kind of decaling.

[RWL]

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

[jerryrbeach]

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. 

[ACL1504]

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.

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

Tom 

[ACL1504]

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 

[NKP768]

Tom
Uline sells a nice little lighted magnifier for around 50 bucks.
Doug