Restoration/paint question

I have been using Hennings paint. If you can find the color you need in a spray can use it. I always use automotive primer first. If you are using enamel paint it is fine to toss it in the oven at 170 degrees for two hours. Your wife may not appreciate the smell though.

Rob

Automotive paint, Hennings or Charles Wood are all good paint choices. I do recommend baking it to make the paint more shiny and durable. The homemade light bulb oven works great.

This one was done with plain rattle can spray paint baked on.

Depends on the color you want. Close matches in orange, red are on the shelf. Peacock, Teracota etc I'd go with Woods or? Black is easy and always looks good

Steve

I have used the train enamel from Woods; drying time is long unless you bake.  I have had excellent results with the paint from Hobby Horse Products and use that now. http://www.hobbyhorseproducts.com/paint.html

Jeff Davis 

Thanks all, so as long as I can find a color in auto paint I should be good.

Now about the baking process, this I've never done before so this might sound stupid. Do I put it in the oven after every coat or only after I'm done with all coats of the primer then again when I'm done with all top coats?

Put your primer on and wait for it to dry. Then spray your multiple coats of color. Once all painting is done you can put her in the oven to bake. I usually put mine in as soon as it's dry enough for me to move it to the oven.

I remove the old tin plate paint with Drain-o. It works great and you can dump it down your drain when your finished. I prime and paint with Krylon Spray Paint if they have the colors I want. Bake the finished train in my oven at 200 degrees. The results are terrific. See attached photos.

Another vote for automotive paint.

Stay away from Krylon. Krylon is easier to spray because it is a soft plastic. Not durable long term.

Use better paint, like an automotive acrylic laquer and the surface will be harder and more durable.

And an Automotive grade self etching primer, like SEM brand.

If possible find an actual auto specialty paint store.

And as a reminder, be sure to fully clean the bare metal before priming, even refraining from touching the bare metal with your fingers (finger oils). Gloves help.

Good luck and have fun!

Read your comment on baking at 200 degrees Gene. Question.. how long do you bake it? Thanks

I bake painted metal parts in the oven at 200f for 10-15 mins. Any longer and you can wrinkle or damage the paint. Try using an tinfoil lasagna pan with some chicken wire laid over it to hold smaller parts

Bake it after several coats. When all the painting is done basically

I found that 10-15 mins is usually sufficient. Also the smell is VOCs or volatile organic compounds. Just run the vent above the stove or leave the back door open for several mins. It goes away quickly

I don't see any mention of this in previous posts, so let me suggest NOT to use a gas oven  for baking paint. VOC vapors are flammable and a gas oven has an open flame. Electric is OK. Personally I use a cardboard box lined with aluminum foil and a couple of heat lamps I got at Ace Hardware. I bake the paint for a couple of hours and it comes out fine. I don't really know what the temp is but you don't want to stick your hand in during the process. 

  On using our paint! I use an old electric house hold stove oven part. It has a slide out wire shelf. I pre-heat the oven to 225 degrees. The painted item is placed on the shelf w/ the door left in the open position.  I let the heat flow while I am painting another body etc.  It takes about 15 - 20 minutes for the paint to "DRY HARD AS A ROCK". I just keep painting and running back and forth to the oven.  Small parts I use a roll of steel mechanics wire to make 'S' hooks to both hold the pieces for painting and hanging on the wire shelf.  I will normally paint the inside of a body shell first, oven cure, and when cooled down, paint the outside last. With our paint and the Paasche #62 3oz. sprayer, 1 coat is normally sufficient.

  I never use primer on an item unless there has been 'repaired' damage such as body filler etc.  Primer just gives a uniform color to the piece being painted. If doing a set the same color,  i.e. loco and passenger cars all the same color, and 1 item had body work, then I would use primer on all.

TIP!!...Our paint is sold in 1/2 pint cans, and after using, a section of 'Saran Wrap' tucked down into the can, and up against the can wall will greatly enhance the life of the paint in storage.    The Old Man".

Thanks Harry. Some useful advice there. 

"Primer just gives a uniform color to the piece being painted."

Sorry, incorrect information. Primers are specifically designed to create a bond between paint and metal surface. Cover paints and primers are different chemically and do different jobs.

Primers are a very important aspect of getting a correct durable finish.

I won't even go into it here... Just do a web search.

"I will normally paint the inside of a body shell first, oven cure, and when cooled down, paint the outside last."

Is the outside masked off when the inside is sprayed? Unless you mask off the outside, in effect you are curing overspray on the outside and creating a texture for the final coat to be applied upon and so reducing the paint's ability to lay flat. Plus the over spray dust prevents proper adhesion and should be cleaned off before spraying. Separate sections should either be masked off or painted/cured at the same time.

Sorry to sound so critical, but your post contains inaccurate and unprofessional advice.

The devil is in the details. Painting is 90% prep and cleaning...

Remember, a tinplate toy finish is identical to finishing a car, just on a smaller scale.

Just a quick follow up question. Could I use halogen work lights as a heat source for my make shift oven? Reason I ask is I have 3 of these in the garage. These are the ones that use the long thin bulb, I think each one is about 100 watts.

Thanks,

Sam

Sam,

My Goodness! To be safe....NO!! To much heat. Two 60w is what I use. I have a apple box(for size reference).

Ok thanks!

I was just looking around the garage this morning taking stock. I started applying the primer yesterday and figured I'll be ready for the top coat this week.

I understand the "oven" get's used after the top coat but will I still be able to hit the trim areas?

Here's why I ask. I'm going to paint the body black. But on a 42 you have trim on the bottom and around the windows as well as brass colored paint for the hand rails and vents at the end. I'm afraid that touching the engine before it's dry to apply the trim paint will be bad but also waiting to for the black top coat to fully dry then paint the trim then use the oven can't be very useful.

Again, this is new to me so any guidance would be great.

Sam,

I see no problem baking the paint before you do your trim work. Remember this one thing. Even after you bake your color coat you must wait at least 30 days before you handle your engine. It will take at least that long for your paint to cure. When you do start your trim work it would be wise to wear light white cotton gloves. This will prevent the oils on your skin from harming the finish.

Rust oleum is not too safe on plastic. I think Krylon is more suitable for plastic

Just an update on this, I used SEM paint from an autobody shop. Once I stripped the old finish off I used their etching primer then top coated it with a semi gloss black. Because the 42 is part of a series I'm writing for METCA I'm going to hold off posting pictures of the final product until the next waybill is released which will have the final details on the project as well as pictures.

Thanks,

Sam