I recently acquired a standard gauge set and started the restoration process with my wife's help. More to come soon......
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I'll be taking them down to bare metal and repainting the coaches peacock blue haven't decided on the rest yet.
Looks great doing the same for two # 35 and on3e #36 coaches.
What are you using for paint remover?
Do you have any before photos?
Yes, my question as well. And a follow up is do you have a tip for making your own ladders/steps/brake wheels, for they seem to get lost in the drop as well. good topice, thank you for sharing.
Salute BigBoy and mr MARIO!
Here's the only picture I have of the coach before.
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Fltrkrcr89 posted:Here's the only picture I have of the coach before.
Wow, you did a good job in cleaning it up.
Was the old paint difficult in removing?
Did you use a a paint stripper?
I usually keep a record on the rebuilds that I do with the before and after photos for future referance.
I didn't use stripper just some elbow grease. It wasn't hard at all to remove....It was easier than changing son's diaper lol. And thank you so much for the compliments, more pictures to come as I get more of it done.
I used 120 grit sandpaper and it turned out great...Some people say it's a shame to use sandpaper but you gotta do what you gotta do.
I need some random things to go along with this stuff like ladders, trucks, track and other random thing that I can't think of right now.
Check our website. Most any Lionel pre-war part is available from our store ( NOT eBay store). Harry
Harry, do you have any parts for the 9900 AF zephyr by chance and I'll definitely be coming to you for parts for this restoration. We're going to take our time on this, I'm going to be as methodical as possible to make sure it's 100% perfect.
Trying a different color, I know it's not an original color but it looks pretty good.
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To be honest, not too hip on that color. Which is probably why you should use it. Maybe with white accents, but.... maybe not. Too far astray for my eye. Great thread. Have fun.
I agree on the robin's egg blue. Use something closer to what a RR would use.
jim pastorius posted:Use something closer to what a RR would use.
I think you're in the wrong forum
now what fun would that be?
The color looks great, it is a lot better that when you got it.
What engine will you be using to pull the cars?
Are you planning to paint the engine the same color and if so it will look great!
Just enjoy and make it your own, great job.
Thank you RONH I love the color...It's not going anywhere and it has a 318e pulling the cars...And Jim it's turquoise.
This set should look great, please post pictures as you go
I definitely will ��
So far....
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Pretty in turquoise lol
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The roof, it's coming a long nicely.
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Fltrkrcr89 posted:So far....
Looks great, what color will you be doing insert/window frame:
Will you be using rubber stamps, decals, dry transfers or peel and stick?
I might do white, I'm not sure yet. As far as the decals I'm going to do wet transfer like a car model.
In the future this may become my youngest son's....Maybe lol depending on how he is with it when he gets older.
Very Nice Work sir, <salute>
Thank you sir!
Progress......
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Looking good
Very nice, it is going to look great when all is done and on thr track.
Harry Henning posted:Check our website. Most any Lionel pre-war part is available from our store ( NOT eBay store). Harry
Good advise. Harry is my go to when ever I do restoration project.
Window inserts in.
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Nice work - looking forward to seeing the asswembled car with brass inserts. Basket case std stuff is going so cheap now, restored trains bring about the same as 'good' condition (which isn't much). Makes sense to make it your own.
I picked up two shells at the Atlantic TCA meet a week ago - a 9E and 380E. Neither are that pretty, still deciding what to do with each. I have been eyeing up that 'pseudo-Ives' engine that was in the TCA Quarterly a couple of issues ago (an orange set that was kit bashed from beat up Ives cars, but he built a grey long electric from some #8 bodies and two 2064 type Lionel O steam engines, widened for the drives. Really nice loco.
Jim
A really good way to remove paint and gunk down to bare metal is to find someone with a cabinet type blaster and use low pressure glass beads.
More done finally to the sets....
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lookin good
Bare engine body...
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Bare Engine Body!! SUPER.... What a nice paint job... are you going to do this full time now?
I have black-diecast-steamer- body, but no access to booth bead-blaster. Would you do stripper, or carefully wire brush. I wish to remove the paint but leave all the details.... please
thanks!
I tried out the wire wheel on my bench grinder on a junk steamer shell. it took the paint off completely without any damage to the shell.
TANKS Dave!! Salute.........(plugs in the wire wheel, sets speed to "delicate")
I would suggest that you try a junk part before you try it on the one you want to restore.
One of the best ways I have found to remove old paint and do surface prep for new paint is using a blast cabinet, low pressure and glass beads. The glass beads won't do damage to the zinc used in die cast boilers, etc.
I discovered a place that does small blasting jobs for me. It is a generator/alternator/starter repair guy. He has a sand-blasting cabinet that uses a very fine medium. The parts come out with a slight matte finish that can be made a little shinier with steel wool, then primed and painted.
Sounds about right. Glass bead blasting leaves a matte finish that takes paint very well. It also removes slight burrs from machined parts..
I don't do this full time, it's just a spare time thing but I would love to do it full time if the opportunity presented itself.
Miggy, I like to do everything old fashioned. So I would say to use a wire brush if you can.
I've got a blasting booth at work I use. I just got done with with an 1835E resto for a customer. It looks great but the gloss black paint is soooooooooo hard to get perfect. Every little thing shows. I'm much more critical of it than the customer will be but no matter what, it has it's imperfections. I'd wet sand n buff out but the rivet detail will get screwed up
Matt Makens posted:I've got a blasting booth at work I use. I just got done with with an 1835E resto for a customer. It looks great but the gloss black paint is soooooooooo hard to get perfect. Every little thing shows. I'm much more critical of it than the customer will be but no matter what, it has it's imperfections. I'd wet sand n buff out but the rivet detail will get screwed up
Years ago I had access to a glass bead blaster where I worked.
One of the trains was a 2025 and it came out great.
They also had a decreasing machine which prepped it for painting.
Never tried it on prewar tin stuff.
Matt just enjoy the machine you have a work as I do not have that luxury now and resort to paint stripping and manual prep.
Would love to invest in a system but the cost would be kind of steep for a large compressor, and the exhaust system. The large blast cabinet would be the lowest cost parts.
Do not know if it would be profitable, but who knows, maybe when I retire.
I am using as many of the original parts that can be salvaged and making a list of what parts I need. I'm cleaning all the steps, handrails, journal boxes, trucks, wheels etc.
More done
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ATERRY11 your pictures did not come through
This is my first resto too by the way.