Paint on Rolling Stock

[coh2000]

I am thinking about spray painting (flat clear coat) a USA rolling stock caboose model with something to take the 'sheen' off of the factory paint.

Has anyone done this, and if so, what type of clear coat paint, etc. would be the best to use?

[Kevin Strong]

Depends on what the effect you're after is. I'm not a fan of spraying models--especially large scale models--with a clear flat finish. I think it makes it look too uniform. Having said that, Krylon matte finish is very good, and Testor's Dull-Coat is a favorite as well, though that's been known to react to certain kinds of paints on occasion. Usually not factory finishes, though.

 

I usually use a wash of grimy black/brown acrylic paint. This dulls the sheen a bit, and also highlights the details very nicely. You can also go through and wipe it off in various places where you'd expect to see shiny paint on the prototype. The mix of gloss and matte on the various areas of the model gives it a very realistic appearance.

 

Later,

 

K

[coh2000]

Thank you Kevin for your response.

I guess I need to find some information on the web about 'how' to apply a wash.

It sounds like a good idea, but I don't know exactly how to apply it.

 

If you know of any information sites that might be helpful, please let me know.

 

I appreciate your help.

[coh2000]

Kevin, I should have said that my item is a 'wood Sheathed' reefer and it has wood sheathed doors.

Knowing that, can you suggest anything regarding my doing something to make it look realistic.

It's an example of a very old reefer.

[Kevin Strong]

Wood sheathed is even better with washes.

 

I use the cheap craft paints you find at Michael's, Jo-Ann's, etc. for around $1/bottle. I prefer the "Folk-Art" brand, but for washes, they all work well. For my "grime," I use a mixture of black and brown paint. Typically, I'll put some paint on a bit of plastic or something similar, mix the paint to the right color, then dip my brush in some water and swash it around so it's fairly runny. I use a 1" wide flat artist's brush. Then I just brush this onto the side of the car. If it's too dark on the car, I dip the brush in water and thin it on the car. If it's too light, I dip the brush in the paint and add it. There's no real science to it, it's all in what you think looks right.

 

Here's a photo of me applying the wash to the tank of an 0-4-0 I did:

 

Before:

 

 

Applying the wash:

 

 

I went somewhat heavy on this since it's a very utilitarian switch engine. Finished, it looks like this:

 

 

On a box car, the finished result might look more like this:

 

 

I also dry-brushed some light grey paint to highlight areas where the paint has peeled off the car. You can see how the wash fills in the joints in the boards, giving them some shading. Also, since you're letting gravity do the work of pulling the wash down the side of the car, it naturally pools along the bottom of the car, leaving a slightly heavier coating along the bottom edges.

 

If you're after a very heavy effect, here's a caboose I did:

 

 

If you wanted a lighter effect, you can apply the wash then take a paper towel and wipe off the excess, leaving the wash only along the cracks and crevasses. Here's a shot of a passenger car I did:

 

 

It's hard to see in this photo, because there's nothing reflecting off the green paint, but the green is still fairly glossy, as you'd expect on a passenger car. The grime is very flat and non-reflective.

 

 

Later,

 

K

[coh2000]

Wow! Really nice work.

Thank you for posting these photos to help me along with weathering. I've never done it before.