Never know I was a quadruple threat in modeling:tb-biggrin: By the way, this Blacken-it stuff doesn't smell like much but, after a while, can really irritate your lungs. I'm putting it on, then fleeing the room for a long while.:ru-err:
I just use good ol rust-oleum. That spraypaint realy works, The cammo colors are perfect for different varriations in rail color. I use dark brown. I have noticed on ribbon rail trains the rails are grey from the rolling mill where ever that might be. Have fun with all your track you quadruple threat you.:tb-biggrin:
Too bad there's not a "jig" that paints rails and leaves the top mostly "unpainted" - then you'd just run it down each rail... - guessing you could make it attached to one of them Atlas 33K tankers, and have that be the paint reservoir, then just pull it along with your favorite loco
There is an outfit that sells a sponge type roller (small one) that contacts the rail side only, you'll still have a little bleed on top of some ties, but depending on whether you use floquil (my favorite) or acyrilic your results will vary. Spray painting is the quickest using an airbrush with a narrow pattern. Spray cans waste alot of space and cover quite an area. On the chemical blackeners (or colorants) I believe because of safety issues, that the amount of chemical is too little or the concentration isn't high enough. A gun shop might have stronger stuff, maybe they have a commercial concentration you could buy, but be very very careful, eye protection, hand protection, some of them are acidic, most are poisonous. On top of that with the weak solutions (Micro engineering) you have to clean the rail very very well, (hot vinigar helps) That length of mainline, using neolube would be very expensive. I would save that for rods and exposed metal on model locomotives (maybe on turnouts in the point area, but don't bridge both rails) best bet? economically speaking? with the time consideration? An airbrush that you can control the pattern width (it doesnt need to be a double action brush either) Rob
