Airbrush Painting -- Old Dog Learns New Trick

[R.K. Maroon]

I decided recently to climb up the learning curve on using an airbrush. I have had it on my list of skills to learn for at least a decade, but I have been very adept at putting it off. The project that finally motivated me to get going involved the need for a Central of New Jersey caboose to go with a couple of diesel freight locomotives. My brother donated an IMP Northeastern caboose to the cause. The prototype is Reading, but, conveniently, the CNJ version is very similar. It arrived painted:


https://dl.dropbox.com/scl/fi/h4pmtb2zrkd4r1jg0hy8q/IMP-Reading-Caboose-01.jpg?rlkey=edkpv9a0y0m1cbu0ju1u5jk1y

The paint was a bit shy of where I thought it should be, so I decided to dip and refinish. There was some mild surface corrosion under the paint, but a Paasche Air Erase (a miniature sand blaster that blows aluminum oxide dust) did a fine job cleaning things up. I have quite a pile of Floquil paint, including three bottles of caboose red, so I decided to use it for this project. An experienced model painter has told me that if brass has been given good "tooth" via media blasting (or pickling?) that primer is not really needed. I tend to be overly cautious about such things, and given I have a couple of half-full bottles of primer, I decided to start with a prime coat. I was advised to practice first, so I found the oldest bottle I have (with the old-style label, no less) to practice with:


https://dl.dropbox.com/scl/fi/ct11sbspq8szbak0cws9j/Floquil-Primer.jpg?rlkey=kda79ohtng6vnbxkn0x68brnw

Many years ago I came across a brand-new Binks Wren, so I was looking forward to using it:


https://dl.dropbox.com/scl/fi/y0sfqvwcaq1jqhsymfmxn/Binks-Wren.jpg?rlkey=w936q34cv2efxmv738ouetemv

To my disappointment, I discovered that it has a larger air fitting than (what I assume to be) standard size, such that none of the four hoses I have in the supply cabinet fit. Dang, but on to Plan B, which was this new-in-the-box Badger 350:


https://dl.dropbox.com/scl/fi/bhl6xz0c0ovrlfaqgjf0p/Badger-350.jpg?rlkey=ictvx1jajozm4vcq8l2ng99ac

I bought it before finding the Binks. I didn't know it at the time, but it appears to be something of a knockoff of the Binks.

To my pleasant surprise, the old primer mixed easily and sprayed nicely without thinning. A bit of practice on a piece of scrap brass and it was on to the caboose. Here is the result after the first coat of primer:


https://dl.dropbox.com/scl/fi/v9hv5vjkwaxqqk0y8528e/CNJ-Caboose-Primed-01.jpg?rlkey=xtc627bpez5wknj4gvd10ldki

The model looks pretty good in the photo but there were a few issues. First, the primer went on a little too dry, so the finish is powdered a bit, especially on the roof. Also, close inspection reveals some brass showing through in places -- I couldn't see this as I was spraying, so there is a lesson there to inspect a bit more closely while there is still paint in the gun. Also, I forgot to plug a hole in the top of the cupola where a signal light was mounted. Ha -- another failure of my powers of observation (seems hard to miss, you know). So, lessons hopefully learned. Stay tuned.

Oh, I should also mention that the Badger airbrush operated very satisfactorily.

Jim

[sleepmac]

Jim, that caboose is looking good. I have yet to try my hand at airbrushing. I get waylaid by the thought of cleaning the airbrush after each use.

Dan Weinhold

[up148]

Yeah, it looks great Jim! The rivet detail really jumps out with a light coat of paint. I have an old air brush (forget the mfg) somewhere packed away that I've never used and should get it out and try.

If I have results like yours I'd be very happy.

[Dennis Holler]

I've only used an air brush a couple of times, but like you have been wanting to complete a few projects and now that it is starting to warm up here in the Midwest, maybe I can have a go. That looks good so far.
I will be curious to hear any suggestions to overcome the powdery finish as I think I experienced something similar. Is that due to thinner type or mixture? or Ambient temp and dew point lol, so many variables that can play in.

[bob turner]

My brother-in-law used to make models for the Smithsonian. He recommended the Paasche Model H. I bought one and have never been sorry!

It is single-acting, simple to clean, and doesn't need sophisticated air - almost any air source will do.

I had my very best success with Scale Coat - bead blast at low pressure, prime, shoot the paint, thinned with Scale Coat thinner, so that the coat was glossy but no runs, bake at 180 degrees F for 45 minutes. Decals would go directly on, without further prep, after two weeks of drying time (the paint was dry to the touch after baking).

Same brother-in-law suggested Future Floor Wax, applied by hand in one direction, using Q-Tips. I get good results with cotton swabs of larger cross-section. Seals the decals. Preserves the gloss, and the finish.

Alas, no Scale Coat! Back to rattle cans.

[bob turner]

While I am at it, I should mention that, like Dan, I hate to clean up spray guns, or anything else for that matter.

The Paasche can clog up if you do not at least spray some thinner through it after use, but it is so simple that even if clogged up, an overnight in lacquer thinner makes it as good as new.

I also spray using big guns, and had a lot of trouble with my syphon feed guns. I truly loved the Binks line, owning first a model 37 and then the better model 18, but my method of cleaning was just not good enough. I now use the HVLP system - a Graco turbine feeding a pressure gun. I can report that, even though the manufacturer recommends a thorough cleaning, I run some thinner through it at the end of a session, and it is ready to go for the next project, always. Plus, it throws an impressive amount of paint, compared to the older Binks technology.

And best of all, it is quiet. The compressor makes less noise than The Greek's vacuum cleaner. Lots less.

Here is another Paasche Model H plus Scale Coat example:



And an example of my Binks model 37 expertise. Paint is 1981 acrylic enamel, sprayed in my driveway (loved the stuff, but now difficult to buy); photo is 2015. It still shines like that when I wipe the oil off with a little Pledge.

[bob turner]

Cannot resist posting this - sprayed last year with the HVLP. It was dark green and grey - a great prescription for a midair collision!
It is a 1929 Pietenpol Air Camper - built from plans in 2005. We bought it for the engine, but we are hoping for a few test flights before we pull the engine and sell the airframe.

We call it "PeteCub."

[Dennis Holler]

Nice, love the airplane content!
I think the Paasche Model H is what I have as well.

[cole7015]

Is this a pronto 48 model done with 3 d printing.

wild gator

[R.K. Maroon]

As mentioned in my first post of this thread, I managed to shoot a coat of primer on the caboose without noticing that there was a hole in the cupola roof. The next step was to fill this hole. Here is what the repair looked like before being re-primed:


https://dl.dropbox.com/scl/fi/dc90eo3qbd7c9wml18lkh/Cupola-Repair-01.jpg?rlkey=4cqoim76nc1og2hr1qme7pjca

l started by removing the paint around the hole with a bit of acetone. In doing so, I noticed that there was a slight dimple in the roof. I filled the hole with solder first (you can see a small silver patch in the middle), and then filled the dimple with epoxy (which is the dark area). I would have used body putty for this, but I didn't have any handy at the time. Before soldering the hole closed, I epoxied in a backing plate to the underside of the roof:


https://dl.dropbox.com/scl/fi/6isvk7eq2xm8h30ctr7ew/Cupola-Repair-02.jpg?rlkey=fjgn9r19fqcfnmk18d6g0t6ni

The backing plate is epoxied only along the edges. That leaves the brass surface of the backing plate around the hole available for solder to flow onto. The idea was to not leave the solder that's filling the hole unsupported. Careful sanding and a coat of primer and we're good to go:


https://dl.dropbox.com/scl/fi/kk9rwie5wlzol5j3fpt8v/CNJ-Caboose-Primed-02.jpg?rlkey=yfxy3q667n6qp6zoq7a81f297

On to the first top coat
Jim

[R.K. Maroon]

Here is the IMP caboose after the first top coat of Floquil Caboose Red:


https://dl.dropbox.com/scl/fi/8v51dod05mk415pfqzbrp/First-Top-Coat-02.jpg?rlkey=asv7sa3v6e6rpa08zii07kzg5

Inspection revealed that the coat was not very evenly applied and that I missed a few corners and other narrow spaces. For the second coat, I paid more attention to thoroughly mixing the paint, adjusting the airbrush nozzle until the flow seemed just right, watching the distance from the airbrush to the model, and trying to move the airbrush more evenly. Here is the result:


https://dl.dropbox.com/scl/fi/2k8myqn8i2rehur0id4h6/Second-Top-Coat-02.jpg?rlkey=45fvgrbsts47xr4nudazwxi6n

I think the effort paid off, as the color evened out and darkened up a bit, which I take as a sign that I am covering the primer sufficiently.

For the final coat, I am going to add Floquil Glaze to the paint. This should (hopefully) provide a gloss finish for decal application. It's tempting to just shoot a separate gloss coat with a rattle can, but I am curious to see how well the Glaze works.

I should acknowledge Sarge and my brother Pete, who are my lifelines on this project. They are both experienced and talented painters, and they are both willing to field a lot of questions (at least for now).

Jim

[bob turner]

You are bringing back memories! This is the first attempt at a Lobaugh caboose kit - I think we are talking a third of a century since I soldered it together and sprayed it with Scale Coat. Boxcar red, as I recall, and for some reason it was dry to the touch in an hour. Scale Coat usually took 24 hours unless baked in an oven after spray.

I remember being somewhat daunted - a true craftsman's kit - but it went together easily, and I even installed a light bulb. Today it is following a string of orange ice cars, in turn pulled by an MM-2 2-6-6-2. I stuck a gondola in there, done by Gordon Methot, now somewhere in Mexico. He is a master in brass construction - Photo, maybe sometime.

[E7]

Just bought one the other day. Will no doubt redefine "awful"!

Rich

[R.K. Maroon]

It has been a while since I posted an update to my caboose painting project. My last post showed the model with the Floquil Caboose Red topcoat. Floquil goes on flat, so a gloss coat is required if decals are to be used. My next step was to add Floquil Glaze to the Floquil paint, following the mix proportions found in the Floquil instruction book. To my disappointment, it did not have any noticeable effect -- the surface seemed just as flat as it was before. I was advised to overspray with Floquil Crystal Coat, but, with the Glaze not working, I was worried that the Crystal Coat might also have some issues. Instead, I sprayed the model using an unused can of Testors Gloss Coat. This gave what looked like a nice even coat going on, but, to my dismay, it dried with a turtle shell appearance:


https://dl.dropbox.com/scl/fi/lld0wyrbjre733z86ri97/Turtle-Shell.jpg?rlkey=58wrhgu6hpsv67waigl37bl0w

It looks much worse than it was. The finish was actually quite smooth to the touch. I did consider starting over, but decided that were wasn't much harm in seeing if I could salvage the project as is. I sprayed a second coat of gloss using a new can of Valspar, which I have had good luck with otherwise. This improved the finish enough to where I decided to apply the decals. The hope was the decals would sit down well enough and that an overspray of a matte finish would sufficiently hide any remaining imperfection. Fortunately. K4 offers a modern and very nice decal set for this caboose at a very reasonable price. The decal film is very thin, so they sat down beautifully. There was definitely a learning curve for me, as I don't have a ton of experience with decals and certainly no experience with decals this thin. Fortunately, the set includes a lot of multiples, so that gave me some breathing room when a decal folded in on itself before being fully applied (it happened at first until I got the hang of it). Here is the result, with decals applied and hand rails painted yellow, before the matte coat has been sprayed:


https://dl.dropbox.com/scl/fi/rlfomswwfrjfq3e4z69yf/Decals-and-Hand-Rails.jpg?rlkey=7eyru7j80mw03kcsz9etz436q

I am hopeful at this point. I will apply the final dull coat tomorrow. I plan to use Velspar Matte finish, which has been my go-to for dull coat for a few years now. Photos will be forthcoming.

Jim

[bob turner]

Nice recovery - looks great!

In the Scale Coat days, we would just prepare the brass and shoot one wet coat. Bake 45 minutes, wait a week, decal.

Clear coat was Future Floor Wax, applied with a cotton applicator in one direction only.

I had some very bad experiences with clear coats from both Floquil and Scale Coat. If I needed flat, I always chose Testor's, in a rattle can.