Painting and Lining Model Locomotives and Coaches

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

I have always wanted to paint my own models. I first started spray-painting at the age of 10 with the old Humbrol airbrush. After a trip to the Farnborough Airshow, I received a number of plastic aircraft kits for my 10th birthday, and my dad encouraged me to spend some of my birthday money on some paint, and on that airbrush. My pocket money would not stretch to the cans available for the supply of air, so we obtained a car wheel and tyre and used that for the purpose. Having then got into modelling ex-Midland LMS, I built up a small collection of plain matt black liveried locomotives and one black loco, which was lined by my dad. After a few years, I felt it was time to upgrade my airbrush, and I bought a Paasche, along with a simple compressor. Feeling brave, I had a go at a crimson loco, which I lined to a reasonable standard with Rotring-type pens and water-based paint. I then built a number of coaches that needed lining in LMS livery, and achieved success again with the Rotring pens. However, I realized that, in order to get the range of colours I needed for other liveries and to obtain more consistent performance, I would need to develop my skills with a bow pen. I also upgraded my compressor to a larger model, this time with a reservoir. I started to spray finishes that were not just matt and it was at this point I realized that my technique was not correct. After a lot of practice and research, I worked out what I was doing wrong and was able to change my approach.

My first commission, photographed on the client’s layout. The loco is a GWR Bulldog, from a Martin Finney kit. PAUL BASON

The LNER Silver Jubilee train, photographed on Tony Wright’s layout of Little Bytham. The coaches are built from Marc Models kits and the loco is a repainted Hornby model, supplied by the client.

The first model that I built as a commission was back in 2004. I was to paint the chassis mainframes satin black, and then return the reassembled model for painting by someone else. It felt strange to me to be letting go a part-completed model. I completed three commissions in total to this specification. By 2006, I was introduced to someone who wanted a GWR Bulldog built for his OO layout. This relationship developed, and I ended up building two more locos for him in O gauge, and then painting and lining a GWR King, an auto coach, a Banana railcar, and a pair of B set coaches, all in O gauge. I continued to take a very small number of complete build and paint commissions over subsequent years, fitting them between the day job and my own modelling. In the spring of 2014, I decided that I would make the model-making my day job. My intention was to provide a building service that included painting, lining and weathering to clients’ specifications. However, as word has spread, I have taken in a number of painting and lining, and also weathering, commissions, which I am fitting in and around the building jobs.

This book aims to cover all the main areas of painting railway models, including the preparation, which actually goes back to the building part of the process, the priming and the main colours. Then I will look at ways to apply lining to models, with step-by-step photos. The application of lettering, numbering and decals comes next; I always get the lining done before applying decals, as lining is generally by far the longer job and I want to minimize the risk of damage to transfers by handling. Occasionally, I have been unhappy with a result and have decided to start over. In such cases, if I had already put the transfers on, they would have been lost. On the other hand, if a transfer needs to be removed, it is easy to do this with no damage to the paint underneath. The next stage is varnishing, then in the last chapter I will take a brief look at the weathering process.

An O gauge Bachmann Brassworks King, painted and lined for the same client as the Bulldog – my first attempt at lining in 7mm scale.

My own Duchess of Sutherland, built from a Martin Finney kit, seen on my O gauge garden line. The coaches were built by Brian Flanagan.

CHAPTER TWO

TOOLS FOR THE JOB

Part of the process of making models, whichever outline you choose, is painting. For some, it is the highlight of a project; for others, it is a chore. What is certain is that, as the paint is applied, a model really starts to come to life.

BRUSHING OR SPRAYING?

There are a number of approaches to painting. The first decision is whether to brush-paint or to spray. I prefer to spray as much as possible, and to avoid brush-painting of anything other than very small areas. I feel that I can obtain a better finish with an airbrush. Unlike many other professional model painters, I will always spray buffer beams, for example. I have never been happy with brush-painting these, but this does mean that I am faced with some time-consuming and tricky masking situations.

Spraying can be done from a can or by using an airbrush. Some manufacturers supply model paint in spray cans, but, rather than using the can to apply the paint, I prefer to transfer it into a jar, adjust the thinning, and then spray the paint through an airbrush. I have used cans of car paint to spray directly on to a model – normally a primer and very occasionally a top coat – but I much prefer having the control afforded by spraying through an airbrush. The surface of a model is not always flat; it can have internal corners and items of detail can create shadows. Using an airbrush allows the painter to vary the amount of paint to suit these situations.

If a model requires lining, this can be achieved with either transfers or paint. I have come across two types of lining transfer: Pressfix and waterslide, which will be covered in more detail later on. There is a specific lining pen available, often seen at exhibitions, but it will not paint lines thin enough for the smaller scales. Painting with Rotring-type pens is relatively easy, but the flow of paint is rather inconsistent over time, and each pen will only deliver one thickness of line. Lining with bow pens is probably the most common, but it does take some preparation and practice.

TOOLS FOR SPRAYING

When I first started spraying models in my youth, I powered my airbrush with a car tyre mounted on a wheel (an inner tube alone lacked the necessary power). Needless to say, the pressure was never constant, as the tyre was always deflating itself, but it was acceptable for what I was doing then. I still have a couple of models that were sprayed using the car tyre and my old Humbrol airbrush. I did have an air canister, but only one; knowing that this would cost pocket money to replace, I never actually used it.

I have since then had experience with two types of compressor. I bought a Rotring compressor at the same time as my Paasche airbrush. Again, this worked fine, but there was a feeling of the air pulsing as it emitted from the airbrush. There can of course be no substitute for a compressor with its own reservoir, complete with a moisture trap, and a pressure control valve. This allows you to regulate the air pressure of each airbrush, and according to each type of paint, and be assured of a steady pulse and a free flow of air. It is vital to keep an eye on the pressure, however, as some spray jobs can easily use more than one tank full. It is possible to get around this by leaving the compressor switched on, so that, when the pressure in the tank gets down to a certain level, the compressor will recharge it. It does tend to make you jump out of your skin when you are concentrating hard on a complex job and the compressor suddenly comes back to life. With this compressor, as the pressure in the tank starts to get low, the regulated output connected to my airbrush seems to increase. If I have not at that point already noticed that the pressure is getting low, this serves as a prompt.

My first compressor. It has no reservoir of air, so runs constantly, and it delivers air with a pulse rather than a constant flow.

My current compressor. Similar examples are available from various tool suppliers for a reasonable price. This one came with a number of attachments, including a spray gun (a little too big for model painting), an air line, and a tyre inflator. It saves paying to use the air line at the local petrol station!

My fleet of three airbrushes: (top right) the Paasche VL; (underneath) the PremiAir G35; and (left) the Iwata TR2.

This type of equipment need not be expensive. My compressor was an Aldi ‘special buy’ a number of years ago, and came with a number of other accessories, including a spray gun and a tyre inflator for my car, all for about £50. I have seen similar offers over the years, and this type of compressor also appears in tool retailers’ catalogues.

I no longer have my original Humbrol airbrush. The air valve started leaking after a number of years and I felt it was time to upgrade to something a little more serious. The various types of airbrush include internal mix and external mix. The external-mix airbrush is the rather more basic model, which works by way of the air blowing across the nozzle at the top of the paint container. The flow of paint is controlled by the height of the nozzle. As the name implies, with the internal-mix airbrush, the mixing of the air and paint occurs inside the tool. The flow of paint is controlled by a needle valve inside the airbrush. Airbrush types are further divided into single-action and dual-action. With a single-action airbrush, the button operates just the air, switching it on and off. The needle inside the needle valve can be moved by a separate control, normally at the back of the airbrush. This means that the flow of paint is constant whilst you are spraying. With a dual-action airbrush, the button or trigger operates the air flow in the same way as a single-action airbrush, but, as the button is moved backwards, first the air is switched on, then the paint is gradually introduced. The further the button is moved back, the more paint is emitted.

The spray booth is made of hardboard and the fan fits on to ducting that goes out through an external wall. All the components for this project were bought from a local DIY store for a few pounds.

Looking upwards at my spray booth lighting, simply a household low-voltage light set with some daylight LED bulbs. Each lamp can be positioned easily by hand.

Once you have spraying equipment, you also need somewhere to use it. I used to spray in the kitchen, taking the time to lay out plenty of newspaper first, then giving the room a good airing afterwards. Now, I have a room dedicated to model-making – an integral garage, which was converted into a spare room a number of years ago. My spraying area is set up in one corner. The spray booth is simply three pieces of hardboard fitted together and painted white. (It does not stay white for very long, so every so often it is whitewashed again.) There is a fan fitted in a hole in the back piece of hardboard, connected to some ducting that goes to an external wall. It is very important to have an extraction system when working with cellulose paint and thinners, to avoid inhaling the potentially harmful fumes. You should also have dedicated lighting for the spray booth or spraying area, as it is imperative to be able to see clearly how paint lands on the surface being painted.

Both my lights came from The Craft Light company. The large main light is the LED Adjusta lamp, 1500 lumen 12-watt, and has four settings of brightness. The smaller lamp on the left has a high-definition 6-watt LED bulb, which provides a very strong localized beam that has to be seen to be appreciated.

I wear glasses for reading and model-making, but I need further magnification when lining. This device comes with four different magnifying lenses.