Paint help

[Mike Walsh]

At the WF&P, I have had good results with engine block paint as well as rustoleum.

Yes, it does flake off... If the surface is not well prepared.

When I prepare surfaces for paint, I like to use a flap wheel on a grinder, or a 2" roloc disc on a 90 deg die grinder. I grind until the mill finish is gone. I find that this helps immensely in preparing for paint. Once the mill finish is gone, there is a surface for the paint to bite into. I have done this on several surfaces and it shows.

Just wiping down with acetone and hitting with primer isnt always sufficient. This is how I've done it and it has held up well over the years. Even on smokeboxes. It's nasty, messy, but sometimes you gotta work to get what you want.

[B&OBob]

Most external surfaces of my 2.5" Ga B&O B-18 ten wheeler and tender are brass. Forty years ago, before painting, I grit blasted everything prior to assembly with 450-grit aluminum oxide. Admittedly, this is a messy process having to be done outside and requiring a meticulous effort to eliminate every bit of residual grit, but for this small locomotive it was appropriate and it worked well. To preserve detail, paint was then applied in seven thin coats with an air brush.There have since been no nicks or any tendency for paint to chip or lift, even in the most highly detailed parts of this small gauge locomotive or on any areas of routine wear.
I'm sure other methods (and self-etch paint) available now might be more appropriate than what I used in 1979, but my loco still looks good and I have no regrets.

B&O Bob

[Chris Hollands]

I think if you want a quality long lasting hard wearing paint then 2 part automotive paints are about the best you will get .

They hold there color for years , it takes a lot to damage / chip ( ever paint will chip if hit hard enough) .

You can get them from most larger automotive parts places in most colors .

Again like any painting process follow the instructions to the letter , sand blast /clean with acetone etc / small spray gun /small quantity at a

time/take your time try not to rush .

I tried a few different spray guns until I found the one that seemed to work for me , it was only about $30 its quite small at about 200ml capacity.

I think they call them HLVP type spray guns , play around first until you get the results you want this may take a bit and can be quite frustrating

sometimes , spray painting is an art to get it right consistently ( I have a long way to go )

[amadlinger]

Chris, what automotive paint did you use specifically?

Thanks all for the replies so far, some good ideas here. And yes, I bead blast all parts before priming with the Variprime 615S. I have a great HVLP gun that I have used for years, but I have also found that a good old Badger 150 airbrush from my HO days is plenty capable of shooting the etching, epoxy, and urethane paints as well - and is great for the smaller parts.

[JBodenmann]

Hello My Friends
One caution about bead blasting or sand blasting. It's great for paint prep, but if anything greasy has been in the cabinet it will distribute grease very nicely on your work piece. So even though I will often bead blast items to be painted, I still always use some sort of metal prep solution like Ospho before the etch primer. Also, be very careful sand or bead blasting flat sheets, it can cause warping. Just my contribution to the thread
Jack

[Chris Hollands]

Generally any 2 part paints are very good paints as the price will remind you - like most things .

Go to your local automotive paint supplier or parts company and use what they supply to the local body shops it is excellent quality regardless of brand

Remember this stuff is - CANCER IN A CAN - so use the PPE required - do not take chances with this stuff it is nasty!

With any good product there is usually a negative but I think it is worth using if you want the result you are after , in the end this is far superior to

any spray can long term .

[Chris Hollands]

Another thing if you choose to use 2 part paints , a little goes a long way if you follow the mixing ratios only buy a quart at a time you can paint a lot of stuff .

There's generally 3 components to the paint system -primer or paint/thinner/hardener so you end up with more paint in the end than just a quart .

[Benjamin Maggi]

I followed this thread intently as I will be painting the frame and chassis of my steam locomotive (Sweet William) in the next week or so. I plan to use Krylon satin black for most parts, but engine block high-temp paint (Dupli-Color engine enamel with ceramic) for the rest.

I have a stupid question: I assume the cylinders and steam chests need high-temperature paint, but does the frame itself? It will be a coal burner, and I wonder if the heat from the firebox will flake the frame in that area. Also, I plan to use Krylon primer under the Krylon paint, but what is the best primer for high-temp paint?

Thanks.

[Pontiacguy1]

Only thing I use high temp paints on is the boiler, smoke box, and anything that attached directly to that with no insulation or gap between them. Most of your high temp paints need a sustained high temperature cure to dry and set properly, and your cylinders won't get hot enough to achieve that. Your cylinders won't ever get much more than about 300 degrees or so.

There are others on here who are a bit more knowledgeable about paint applications, so hopefully they will chime in also.

[ebtfan]

My experience with painting my PRR K-4. For the frame I tried several different spray cans for the primer and topcoat. I ended up using ACE spray cans for both. However, I have found that after painting I end up having to go back and touch up areas that get scratched or chipped while I am adding parts or reassembling. For instance I paint a bracket and then find I have to respray the part after the bolts holding it are tightened. On the boiler I used a two part primer and a Scalecoat Brunswick green top coat. If I had it to do over I would never have used the two part primer. The primer required quite a bit of sanding before I applied the Scalecoat. This was a major problem because I have over 500 screws holding my boiler jacket. In order to sand the primer I had to remove a group of screws, sand, then reinstall the screws. In hindsight I would have used SEM Etch Primer as I find it produces a very nice finish when sprayed. I chose Scalecoat for the topcoat because I wanted a prototypical PRR color. One drawback to the Scalecoat finish is that for any required touchup I will have to get the sprayer out and set it up to do the additional painting.

[thunderskunk]

Greg, I’ve decided to stay away from All Rustoleum paint. I’ve found that it chips badly at the slightest impact with any metal object. Frustrating how easily it chips, and how big the flakes are that pop off the surface. No more for me!

Alternatantly, when I refinished my Ottaway, couple years ago I had the cab and boiler lagging, and tender powdercoated at a commercial shop. So far it has held up brilliantly. Used standard, plain ole hi temp engine spray can enamel on the boiler back end and smoke box. These work well also, but must redo every year or two as the loco is coal fired - nothing lasts very well under coal dust, steam overspray and brush scrubbing,,, so just redo every year or so.

But, really like the powdercoat.

Glenn

I came here for the technical advice, and I stay here for the pictures. Great shot.

[Benjamin Maggi]

Thank you all!