Hi all. I am beginning the process of preparing my United brass B&O 2-8-0 for paint, a new motor and gearbox, working lights, and DCC. The first part of the process, the painting, will actually be the hardest! This thing is a true Chinese puzzle box of parts, and it is coated in the usual brass-colored lacquer paint, so I will have to completely disassemble it and strip all that old lacquer off before I can begin the painting process. Lacquer Thinner is hard to get in any real quantity here (Netherlands) so I will have to try and strip with some acetone. If that doesn't work, well... more drastic measures will have to be taken! If anyone has advice on stripping this stuff that doesn't involve lacquer thinner, I'm all ears! It begins, Amanda
a bit expensive to get a sandblast booth for just one model, but ?? i take it that you don't have a friend with one ?
Unfortunately, no. I don't really know any other modelers here - or that many people in general, really. I'll have a go with 91% isopropyl alcohol, and if that doesn't cut it, I'll try acetone, I suppose.
A Badger grit blaster is pretty cheap, I did mine with baking soda outside, did not need a booth. Rick Jesionowski
Luckily acetone cuts through this lacquer well! I'll give it a good soak and scrub and see where I'm at.
you don't need to strip the lacquer! if it is in good shape, as it appears to be, just clean it and prime/paint over the top personally I would do any mechanical modifications first, inevitably you'll have to drill a hole here or there for a wire or speaker mounts etc. not to mention you risk chipping or damaging the paintwork in handling/fitting new parts.
You can't just paint over the surface now that you have started removing the lacquered surface. It will all now need to come off. When I did some brass painting in the past I would test the lacquers bond to the model by putting it in a preheated (then shut off) 200 degree F oven for an hour and then let it cool. If any of the lacquer was not bonding well to the brass it would have a tendency to pull up from the surface or turn white. If the original coating was thick (even just in spots), had any flaking or had a rough surface it came of before painting. If painting over the lacquer you would wash (using a soft bristled toothbrush) the disassembled model in warm water with dish-washing soap (Dawn) ,rinse well and oven dry (not over 200 degrees F). If any lacquer coating was loose after doing this procedure it usually showed up as flaked material either clear or whitened. This meant you needed to strip the model anyway. Striping the model was almost always my first choice to avoid additional steps. Using lacquer thinner, aircraft stripper (probably not available in EU or restricted), and/or as recommended a grit blaster. Sometimes doing this will result in parts falling off that weren't soldered properly or just super glued on. Time then to re-solder, drill holes for wiring or additional detail parts, and/or do any prototype modifications. This excess handling should be done before cleaning any dirt from the surface that would affect paint adhesion. Again the model needs to be washed in warm water with dish soap and lightly scrubbed with a soft bristle toothbrush (or use an ultrasonic bath), rinsed (can use brush again to clean any residual loose coating) and dry model thoroughly in as clean or dust free environment as possible. I almost always used Scalecoat I or II for painting because of its bonding ability to brass surfaces, not usually needing a primer to adhere to most model surfaces and drying to a gloss surface that was ready for decaling. Again this might be a problem getting in the EU, so a metal primer would probably be needed to help any acrylic or water based paint to adhere to the surface. When first learning all this, you are doing the right thing using a lot of available resources with all kinds of good advice. I'm sure there are other things I have left out that others will fill in to give you your best available choices to get something you'll be proud of when you're done. It's great to see someone taking the time to do the work to get a model the way they want. Best of luck with your project! John
Thanks much for all the advice, folks! I do want to try and strip it first, as I dont want too many layers of "stuff" on the surface if I do not have to have them there. I have a caboose coming as well, perhaps I will try stripping it (as its, you know, much easier to take apart) first! All the best, Amanda
I would suggest the caboose would be a better starting point. If you don't quite get the result you happy with you can always strip it again and start again. I would advise an etch primer.
Hi all. I have done a brass loco before, an N scale Key NYC H10. I have also remotored that one, which was quite a project! I will indeed use an etching primer, and at the moment have all primer, paint, and decals ready to go; I am just waiting on the parts from NWSL, though I am debating painting first. I must completely tear it down to repaint it, but to remotor and regear it, I need only remove 1 axle and the body shell. Still, I will probably try to remotor/regear first. Post is slow from the US atm, it seems!
