Garden Railway Forum

Hi

Just stripping the paint off a 1984 Roundhouse Lady Anne. I say stripping - it doesn't require any chemical stripping as it is just all flaking off leaving a lovely brass finish! Just a couple of questions if I may please...

What brass etch primer are people using at the moment? Upol acid 8 ?
Recommendations for paint to spray the smokebox (I'd like matt black) and body (I'd like satin black)? All will need to be rattle cans please.

Any recommendations would be much appreciated.

Best wishes
George

Chris Bird does a good paint guide using rattle cans:

https://sites.google.com/a/gardenrailwa ... e-easy-way

There is only one and believe me I've tried them all, It's called Hammerite special metal primer it's water based [ although you'd never guess ] and I actually sprayed it but thinned it only very slightly, it dries very quickly and is very good. When I sprayed the boiler of my Archangel Princess I went back to scratch the paint off below where the wicks are and is was quite a job, normally it just falls off with other 'Etch' primers.
Those rattle cans of etch primers you see are great for steel but Brass is a difficult one.
If you're into painting with a brush you would have to work quite quickly and neatly, but take it from me get yourself a spray gun and do a proper job.

John

Hi George,

I used barbecue paint on the smokebox of my Bertie and was pleased with how that turned out - think I used it on the cab roof and running plate too, with the rest of the body remaining in RH gloss black. That came in a spray can, probably from B&Q.

Actually, that may have been a tip from Chris Bird's article that Tom sent a link to...

Good luck with the project,

Andrew.

PS, yes, used UPol last time I etch-primed something. Halfords supply that... Cheers!

Thank you - I'll let you know how I get on

Whatever you do don’t use halfords own brand etch primer, I bought some when they’d run out of upol and wasn’t happy with the results!

I second that.
The data says for zinc & galvanised metals, such as steel. ie car body repairs.
Somewhere, I can no longer find, I once saw "will not adhere to brass".
I don't understand it's popularity.

I don't think a lot of modellers understand the difference between paint just 'sitting' on brass and paint actually adhering to it and not knocking off on edges and corners with minimal use.
John

cncmodeller wrote: ↑Mon Jun 01, 2020 11:03 pm There is only one and believe me I've tried them all, It's called Hammerite special metal primer it's water based [ although you'd never guess ] and I actually sprayed it but thinned it only very slightly, it dries very quickly and is very good.

John

Not that I didn't believe you, just done a search, but it seems it is only in red!

Spot on! it's an etch primer that actually works on brass.
John

Jimmyb wrote: ↑Wed Jun 03, 2020 12:08 pm

cncmodeller wrote: ↑Mon Jun 01, 2020 11:03 pm There is only one and believe me I've tried them all, It's called Hammerite special metal primer it's water based [ although you'd never guess ] and I actually sprayed it but thinned it only very slightly, it dries very quickly and is very good.

John

Not that I didn't believe you, just done a search, but it seems it is only in red!

I missed that initially - sounds very promising, thanks for the tip...

Andrew