NWNG Railways No.1

[River Lin]

Hi all.
Completed the lower beading on both sides and the duckets.
Lots of sanding to do now on all the seperate pieces before priming/undercoating.

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David.

[Soar Valley Light]

It's looking really good David. I can't do better than agree with Grant. I'm really enjoying seeing it come together.

Andrew

[River Lin]

Lots of sanding with very fine glasspaper over the weekend. I then cut a piece of card to slip into each window opening to stop spray paint getting through to the varnished interior (I nearly forgot the two end windows). The hardest part was masking the two ducket openings. Because i know i would need to prime the roof at some point, putting it in place now would kill two birds with one stone - get it primed with the body and protect the internals.

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Two coats of primer added today and leave to cure overnight. That makes a total of 4 coats below the window line where the largest visible panels will be.

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All the parts primed ready for sanding prior to masking for coloured coats.

David.

[LNR]

Wondering what type of glue you intend using to glue the primed and painted beading frames to the body?
Grant.

[Peter Butler]

Every step in this build has been a lesson in patience and perfection... superb!

[ge_rik]

Inspiring work - you seem to have infinite patience and attention to detail. Those radiused corners to the windows and beading are a credit to your workmanship (and, of course, I am deeply envious of your skills).

Rik

[River Lin]

I don't know about perfection Peter but certainly you can't rush these things as, looking at your projects, you already know. It is all a matter of what you are happy with. I have projects from the past though that i now wish i had taken more care over and am constantly updating. After this project i want to repaint my NWNG 6 wheel Cleminson.

Grant. I never ever use superglue on paintwork as it can damage it. I wonder how i know that. I don't whether it affects all types of paint but it is heartbreaking when it happens. The last time i applied a beading i used a general purpose glue in a tube with a fine nozzle. These normally dry fairly quickly and dont need mixing. I also apply in small dots as i find it less messy than trying to spread it on thin strips. The final clear varnish coat seals in any minute gaps that might be left.
I hope to apply the top coats of paint on the beading later today.

David

[River Lin]

Hi all.
Beading and duckets painted.

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Coach body masked for cream stripes.

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David.

[Lonsdaler]

This is good stuff David - you have far more patience than me! Do you spray paint indoors, because I'm certainly not enjoying the sort of weather that allows it outdoors at the moment (well, most of the summer as well really!)

[River Lin]

Hi Phil.
Not indoors as such but in the doorway of my garage with the large door open. This keeps me out of the rain but allows for plenty of ventilation. I don't actually like the smell of the wet paint so this method disperses it quickly and it seems to dry reasonably well. I then usually bring it inside into our utility room to cure overnight. One thing i have learned is that the gloss will dull off if the surface is handled too much even over a day or two so i have learned to not touch for a couple of days even though it might seem dry. Patience is the key here. There is always something else i can be getting on with.
David

[Big Jim]

It might be worth remembering as well that damp air can cause some paints to 'bloom' and dull. This I learnt the hard way when spraying some coaches last year. One to watch if you are painting in an open garage.

[River Lin]

I wonder if anyone has tested different paints to see the effects of differing conditions.
D.

[Lonsdaler]

Hi Phil.
Not indoors as such but in the doorway of my garage with the large door open. This keeps me out of the rain but allows for plenty of ventilation. I don't actually like the smell of the wet paint so this method disperses it quickly and it seems to dry reasonably well. I then usually bring it inside into our utility room to cure overnight. One thing i have learned is that the gloss will dull off if the surface is handled too much even over a day or two so i have learned to not touch for a couple of days even though it might seem dry. Patience is the key here. There is always something else i can be getting on with.
David

You use a similar location to me then, except I have a roofless area outside my shed door, sheltered only by surrounding walls of the shed and house. I have found it helps to warm the paint cans first (only to room temperature), and then gently waft a hot air gun over the painted area afterwards to begin the drying process, and then it's down to curing time. Patience is definitely key to a good finish. As soon as I achieve one, I will let you know

[River Lin]

[River Lin]

Hi all. Latest update.

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Antique white (pale cream) panels sprayed last wednesday and allowed to dry until today.
All of the masking tape removed and new tape applied and cut to mask the cream panels only. I cut a sheet of card to fit into the top of the coach and added a cover of tape ensuring to seal the sides and ends.
A calm, dry and relatively warm day today so 2 coats of top coats applied this afternoon. It is sitting in the garage at the moment curing.
I just hope that no paint spray has found its way to the inside.
DO NOT TOUCH for 24 hours.
To answer John who pm'd me - I know i will have to be very careful removing the tape. Hopefully it will just pull off leaving a crisp edge. If it looks as though it might lift the paint i will use a knife along the edge of the tape to cut the paint first. All of the edges between cream and red will of course be hidden behind the beading.

[River Lin]

4 hours later.
The coach has been curing by a warm radiator for a few hours now. Without touching the paint i have cut a large hole in the roof covering and by holding the internal partitions have been able to completely remove it. With the point of a sharp knife i then picked up a corner of the tape covering the cream panels and carefully started to peel the tape away. I was prepared to stop if the red started to pull away at the edge but it left a good edge so i continued to remove it all.
I then slid out the window cards which came out guite easily apart from the two in the guards end wall. These i had to push through to to the inside to remove them. Coincidentally the internal walls have remained spray free so all of my preparation seems to have paid off.
I will now leave it alone for a few days to cure completely.

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Note the reflection of the box in one of the panels.
David.

[Peter Butler]

Beautiful result... can't tell what tape you use but I use Tamiya masking tape which bonds well and doesn't 'bleed' but is easily removable without damaging paintwork.

[River Lin]

Hi Peter.
I have two different types of tape. One i know is printed with the Wilkinsons name on the roll. This is very tacky and has a slightly crinkled feel to it which, i feel, does not give a very crisp edge. The other, that i got from my local hardware shop in the village is un-named. I prefer this one as it has a smoother texture and a less tacky glue when applying it but seems to be gripping well when i try to remove it. It actually tore when removing a strip this afternoon.
David.

[GTB]

I have two different types of tape.

The model is coming along very nicely. Rather you than me though, when it comes to building passenger stock with mouldings and tumblehome.

I find I have to leave rollingstock for a week between paint coats, as unlike metal locos., they can't be put in the oven to speed things up......... sigh......

Like Peter, I use Tamiya masking tape for some jobs, as the narrow sizes are flexible enough to curve to some extent and it is thin, so easier to work down into details.

The masking tape I mainly use now though is 3M 'Scotch Blue', which as the name implies is a blue colour with a smooth surface. The version I prefer is 'Painters Tape for Delicate Surfaces' code #2080, which holds quite well, but is easily removed and doesn't leave residues, or remove paint. It can also be left in place for a couple of months, without adverse consequences. 3M make several types and the #2080 type has a blue and orange label that makes it easily recognised on the shelf. It's twice the price, but worth it in my experience and a 54 metre roll does a lot of models.

'Scotch Blue' and Tamiya tapes cut smoothly and very cleanly, so if I need a really sharp edge, I stick a piece on a sheet of glass and trim the edge with a new scalpel blade. Both tapes also takes pencil well enough that special shapes can be drawn and cut out.

Regards,
Graeme

[River Lin]

Hi all.
I have left you all alone for a few days because i have totally messed up with the painting of the guards duckets. So much so that i have decided to remake them. It happens to us all at least once i suppose, or does it? With the coach body i have masked and painted the cream stripes and will stick the prepainted beading on top to give a crisp edge between the maroon and cream. With the duckets i stuck the beading on first and then painted the complete unit with the intention of filling in with cream after. This is where it all went wrong. My painting of the cream was not neat enough for me and after a combination of trying to neaten it up and trying to remove it I spoiled the maroon as well. Incidentally, the sides were starting to bow inwards. Could this have been a reaction between the paint and plasticard?
I didn't want to just repaint over it all as i was losing the crisp edges and as i couldn't remove it, rather than waste any more time i started again using my material of choice - wood.
So-
I made up a lamination for the ducket sides using three layers of 3mm square hardwood with the window aperture allowed for. I rounded the ends of the window apertures with a needle file. I then drew around a plasticard template to get the correct ducket shape allowing for the window to be in the correct place.

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I then cut 2 pieces of 1mm ply 30mm wide and glued two sides to each (The flat edges first) and allowed to dry. Notice i drew a line to allow me to line the two sides up parallel with other.

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I then glued the gentle curved ends first using small cramps and masking tape to hold everything in position and left them overnight. The following day i turned them round, glued the tight curves in the same way and left alone again.

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Today i removed the cramps and tape, applied another bead of glue around the inside of the joint and then taped again to leave overnight.

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The next jobs will be to trim the duckets to length and prepare a beading for each one.