Garden Railway Forum

Hi all,

Several years ago I built a couple of GRS L&B coaches. My first attempt at kit building in 40 years, so quite a learning experience.
After years of happily running them I now feel to need to re-paint them.
Anyone familiar with these coaches will know that the window glazing is a fundamental part of the construction so can't be removed for painting. I'm after ideas for a quick way of masking off the window panels. Being naturally lazy, the prospect of cutting out many window shaped pieces of masking tape is a barrier to starting the job.
Any fiendishly clever solutions would be most welcome.

If you have a steady hand, good quality paint brushes and paint, together with a patient mind you might be tempted to hand paint round the windows one at a time.
Alternatively, if you spend a bit more than usual and buy Tamiya Masking Tape and new knife blades you might be more successful. This stuff pushes into holes and corners and over minor raised areas and sticks well. Once in place a careful use of the knife could leave your windows clear of the paint you apply to the coach sides. I've used Tamiya Masking Tape before but not for masking windows.
Alternatively again, run the coaches as old condition and heavily weather the chipped bits.

Hope this helps

If it's still available humbrol maskol is good as well. It's a liquid mask and once u finish painting it just pulls off. I tend to use it were I can't get the masking tape in.

Mike PVLR:101178 wrote:If it's still available humbrol maskol is good as well. It's a liquid mask and once u finish painting it just pulls off. I tend to use it were I can't get the masking tape in.

- and of course it would be simpler to 'paint' the maskol on a flat surface and up to the window frame than it would be to paint the frame against the window.

Mike PVLR:101178 wrote:If it's still available humbrol maskol is good as well.

Yes, it is, I bought a bottle last week! ( Got it in an arts and crafts shop, not a model a shop, btw)