I'm working on a color scheme for my railroad and can't quite visualize it. Is there any software that can help me made the image?
Get the line drawing from the paintshop.railfan.net website, and then "painted" it using my good old Paint Shop Pro (you can get a demo version of it at www.jasc.com). Of course, you could use any old graphics program you want, but The Railroad Paintshop is an indespensable source of line drawings to use and experiment
with paint schemes. They have line drawings for almost every imaginable diesel, electric, and quite a few freight cars even. I used PSP and Railroad Paintshop line drawings to develop the green,
silver and gray paint scheme for my own AHNC. Although what appears on the screen certainly isn't the same as what appears on the model, it's a very good way to figure out if some paint scheme or
other will "work". It's a helluva lot better than spraying swatches on old bodyshells or scrap styrene.
Jonathan N. White
Anybody know what colors would be prototypical for a small diesel switcher? I know some of these industrial diesels were painted yellow or orange, but would anyone know of a more 'railroady' color
that may have been used on a backwoods shortline somewhere (besides basic black)?
You've the rainbow to choose from. More railroady color besides black? What's your favorite color. The colors of your favorite team. Your college colors. The choise is yours.
Don Lodge
There are two reasonable answers here.
First is that many short lines and industrials tended to paint things black or some other drab color, with little trim or other color.
That's one answer.
On that other hand, some short lines and industrials painted things with very eye-catching schemes.
So that's the other answer.
Fred D.
Well, it's true that any color will be correct for some industrial engine somewhere. You could score points with your boss by painting it for YOUR company (even if you don't have anything but
computers, you must have company colors and logo).
Pieter
most of the ones i've seen seemed to be standard rust with some hints of other colors if you looked real close. Unknown
My notable failure is my inability to put a satisfactory coat of paint on my Black Widow E9 which I have sidelined for a while.
Nelson
Use FLAT black water-based acrylic...brush it on with a soft brush...let it dry thoroughly...then apply decals...don't use a lacquer-based overspray...results...a beautiful slightly-weathered-looking
finish...and no brush-marks, either :))
Some projects just don't do well with an airbrush, it seems...buildings seem to do well, although it's more fun to "brush" them...yellows and oranges and blues seem to airbrush well...i use a
"dolphin gray" undercoat in airbrushing...seems to make all the difference...especially if you use a FLAT red, put a coat of FLAT light grey under it... :))
"big john"
When it comes to deciding what to airbrush first... base it around what's easiest to mask. F'rinstance, I painted and masked the radome of my F4D-1 Skyray first, then I'll paint the engine area,
then the blue VF(AW)-3 spine and vertical tail, then the white undersides and ailerons, then the gray topsides.
It's much easier to paint and mask small areas first than it is to paint the basic scheme and then mask VAST areas to paint small areas.
Hope that helps!
Chris Bucholtz
I am building an accident scence. What color would be a good match for fresh blood?
Really fresh blood in large quantities is a slightly reddish purple, sort of. Dried blood is almost a 50:50 mix of caboose red and boxcar red.
Walt
For fresh, try 6 parts signal red with 1 or 2 parts grimey black. For dried, roof or rail brown is about right.
Scott
Arterial: Santa Fe Warbonnet Red. Venous: Vermilion
Little Jack
Would some kind soul point me in the direction of a crossreference of FS colors and Model Mastrer and Aeromaster paints.
Try going to one of these sites as they have numerous references on paint colours. The colors on the pages may vary on different computers so should be used only for reference and not the actual
colour that the paint will dry to.
Urban Fredriksson's Color Reference Charts
The Testor Corporation for Floquil Enamel Railroad Colors and Polly Scale Acrylic Railroad and Military Colors
Tamiya Acrylic Paint
Humbrol Paint and Sprays
Any tricks on painting hand rails even if the color is yellow? I seem to always have a hard time getting yellow to go on properly
I use Scalecoat because it takes only one coat of paint. Do them using a Q-Tip and finish off using a small brush in tight places. Lay a piece of cardstock below the rail while painting so as to
catch any splashing. Q-Tip won't splash as much as a brush will.
John A. Zelinsky
Yellow is a difficult color to paint anything, as i does not cover very well. Items to be painted should always be prime painted first. To paint yellow handrails, I first give them a prime coat of
Floquil Foundation, which is tan-colored. Their Primer or even white will also do. The yellow goes on great after. I just use a small brush, and sometimes go back and touch up the body paint. Works
for me!
Bob Boudreau
OK, I guess I'll be the one to give out the secret. Some of the old timers on the dlist say that the secret to painting with yellow is to paint the primer coat as SILVER.
Steve Sillato
White is a tough one. What works sometimes for me (airbrush, but a spray can would work too) is first to apply a primer coat. This gives the paint something to "grab onto". After letting that dry,
get out some flat white and mist it on in very light coats until covering the item to be painted. Flat white I think goes on better than gloss, so after the white is dry, and if you need a gloss
white, apply a gloss coat over the flat white. This is one time that it pays to use a flat paint, then gloss coat, vice going with a gloss paint to start with. If you're bound to paint with a brush,
this still might work, but I wouldn't count on it.
Steve Jantscher
I have heard of people using Future Floor Wax. Any truth in this and how do you use it?
Check out the Future Floor Wax page to see comments about how to use Future floor wax.
Here's my method for reducing and removing dust. To reduce the possibility of dust, I spray down the air and floor of my painting area before I paint. This knocks down dust particles and also the
damp floor reduces your chance of stirring up dust as you move about. I use an old window glass sprayer with nothing but water. It also helps to have the floor damp should a spill occur ).
Dust is an inevitable product of nature, it is you and the world around you and no matter what safety methods you take, a particle/s of dust will get your paint. I keep a #000 brush dipped in water
for acrylics (my paint of choice) or mineral spirits for enamels. Should a rather large speck show, I take the brush and swipe it damp, then gently pick up the speck with the tip of the brush. This
may cause a slight blur in the paint, but let it tack, then shoot another shot over it.
On small particles of dust, I can remove dust specks (while using acrylics) by buffing the finish with a Dremel Tool and Buffing Wheel. Some specks removed may even go through to the primer or
plastic. Here I touch up with a brush and buff out the spot after 24 hours drying time. Once you apply a gloss prep, you never notice the spots.
The worst problem for me is when a brush hair comes free and is not discovered until the finished is dry. The best way to remove these is to gently (ever so gently) scrape them with a #11 X-Acto
blade. Don't try to cut it out, shave it out. Again, expect to touch up and buff.
Caz Dalton
What do you use to thin the Creamcoat paint with?. I also find it splocthes on me right out of the body.
I use Grumbacher retarder and Golden air brush medium when thinning acrylics for brush painting...they thin the paint without reducing the coverage quality...both products can be found in most art supply stores...you can thin with water too but it reduces coverage quality and will require more coats which makes it less desirable...however, thinning with water is fine for airbrushing or brush painting bare plaster...
Do not use alcohol or windshield washer to thin acrylics that you are going to /brush/ on...they are fine for airbrushing but they speed up drying time so much that the paint dries before it has time to level out and eliminate brush marks...in fact, if you use an in bottle paint filter be very careful with the alcohol as it will cause the paint dry in the bottle and clog the filter real badly...windshield washer is not as bad because it isn't all alcohol...
Btw, the Golden airbrush medium is more versatile as it can be used for both airbrushing and brush painting...the Grumbacher retarder is only for brush painting and doesn't work as well for airbrushing...I keep both on hand but if you're going to use just one, go with the Golden...although Grumbacher and others also make an airbrush medium/thinner (not the same thing as the retarder) which is probably as good as the Golden...
Also, if you're in a bind you can use vinegar (very little) as an acrylic retarder for brush painting if you can stand the smell...I can't...
Rod