Whether to weather

[waaytoomuchintothis]

That's funny. I use Xylene for shooting stain on large woodworking projects where wiping isn't practical. When I was doing RR stuff, I didn't stain large pieces so I never noticed the similarity to the smell of DioSol. I get filtereed Xylene from Sherwin-Williams in gallon jugs. I keep it on hand, and I never dreamed that Xylene was in those tiny bottles of DioSol. By the time I was doing large quantities of O Gauge cars for people, I was using the pint tin of the stuff.

[DAVE]

One thing to keep in mind with the model railroad paints is that they are enamels and
intended to be baked. Many pieces of model railroad equipment are now plastic,
where they were brass or tinplate back when these paints were formulated. So if you
use them on plastic models, a final overcoat of dullcoat or other flat finish is necessary
to keep the weathering from rubbing off with your fingers. Especially since slot cars
get handled more than model trains.

[waaytoomuchintothis]

I hadn't thought of that. We used to have to use "Barrier" a lot, too. I ruined the most beautiful Southern Crescent diner car once because I didn't use it. Crazed the crap out of it. It took days to detail the interior, too, then I ruined it. It still stings.

[svanaken]

[waaytoomuchintothis]

Now I'm really blown apart. You mean I could use ordinary lacquer thinner for Floquil and Tamiya? Doesn't the lacquer thinner melt the plastic?

[Modlerbob]

I have not tried using lacquer thinner on anything but lacquer. One combination I tried turned the paint to a gooey mess, maybe it was trying mineral spirits with lacquer. I will be putting a sealer on the Ford GT to keep the "grime" from rubbing off.

BTW, some plastics will react badly with lacquers so it is best to test before committing to using it.

[waaytoomuchintothis]

That's always been my rule, but after many many years of painting models, I'm getting info I never heard of in this thread.

[svanaken]

[Modlerbob]

So svanaken you build planes too. We have more than one hobby in common. Your models look super.

[waaytoomuchintothis]

That T-28 is an old friend. I'll bet there's a Tech Sgt around here somewhere who remembers it, too. I had a lot of fun with the T-6, and when the T-28s came around, it was a blast. I saw a guy take off at nearly 40 degrees in one with full tanks. What a hot rod.

[svanaken]

Though not slot car related, I invite fellow airplane modelers and model builders of all interests to visit my web site at http://modelingmadness.com where you will see folks with a LOT more talent than I!

[TsgtRet]