Thin Primer

Wal Mart's own house brand of spray paint, "Color Place", used to include a spray primer (three colors, red, gray, and white), that was actually very thin.  A friend told me that it did not include "filler" material, which is common in a lot of primers.  And at 99 cents it was quite the bargain.  However, I think they have discontinued it. Too bad, as I used to buy it frequently and used it to prime all sorts of models (not brass, however).

Al Carter

Painting Brass

Hi Doug--I painted brass for many years, my own and others. I urge you to do it right, or you will not be happy. Don't even consider a rattle can. When painting brass, I only use Scalecoat I paint.

http://www.minutemanscalemodels.com/category-s/127.htm

Thin with their thinner or Xylol (Xylene). Before the Scalecoat line was sold there were good instructions on their website. Now it seems the current owner has not provided those. I don't recall exactly their recommendations, but what I do falls within their guidelines. If you metculously clean using Dawn and a tooth brush, priming is not required.  After cleaning let it dry thoroughly and do not touch it with bare fingers. I use about a 5 to 1, paint to thinner, ratio and spray at 20 lbs with a trusty Paasche H. After painting bake it for at least an hour. I use our kitchen oven, set at its lowest temp, 170 deg. (Yes, she is used to it....) Then set it aside for a few days. Only after you can only minimally still smell the paint should move on to decalling.

Steve Hoxie

Pensacola FL

thanks, scalecoat it is

PA1954, Huh?  That's my b-day year.

Anywho, it seems i must try a few things.  I pretty much agree aerosol cans would apply it too thick - when you prime outdoor furniture or car parts, you want a fairly thick coat. And I was just at WallyWorld today and they do not have their own brand.

I have seen some complicated cleaning processes, soak in laquer thinner, follwed by soapy water, plain water, vinegar, then brush it dry with butterfly wings.  Last engine i painted was with Floquil, which says how long ago it was.  With a $10 Badger airbrush.  The finish was flawless because the Floquil was solvent based with extremely fine pigments.

Practice, Practice, Practice

Too many people I talk to pick up their airbrush and start painting their brass engine and then they are unhappy with the results.

Before you airbrush that expensive brass, practice on an aluminum soda can, or beverage of your choice. Wash the can with soapy water and dry, from then on do not touch the can with your fingers. 

Load your airbrush with a primer and practice laying down a thin even coat. The reason that you are using a soda can is that it is a tube, so you have to move around the can to get an even coat. If you are using Scalecoat, bake the can for an hour. Practice on a few cans.

Once you have a good finish on a can with primer, mask off one half of the can with tape. Spray one end of the can with a color, remove the tape and bake the can. Then mask off the painted end and spray the other side with a different color. Practice pin stripping the can.

Experiment with different paint/thinner mixtures, different air pressure, make sure you have the right moisture traps. Make a mistake and learn how to correct it.

Try different brands of paint like Tru Color, Scalecoat II, etc.

Once you have perfected painting the can(s), you are ready to attack the brass engine.

Bill B.

good ideas

thanks, Bill. I thought of practicing on plastic boxcars, there are always a few laying about. The round can will give practice rotating a boiler.  The masking is also excellent.

Rattle can primer

  Tamiya makes an excellent primer for brass, it's a bit expensive for a spray can but I use it because I don't want to put solvent paint in my airbrush......DaveB