Changing railroad names

mrgooch

New Member
I have a Mikado. I would like to change the name which is on the tenda. Is there a simple way to do this?
 
If they look like what I think they look like, they would be great hanging framed in the trainroom. A touch of authenticity :cool: .

Errol
 
Sorry mrgooch, I stuck my post in the wrong thread.

I'd also like to know what best way to tackle the removal of original road names on a couple of my steamers. I've heard automotive brake fluid can be used but some can melt plastic!

Errol
 

Tyson Rayles

Active Member
You can get decal solvent from Micro- Mark, Walthers, etc. Brake fluid won't hurt plastic or your brakes would fail on your vechicle
(plastic and rubber parts are inside your master cylinder, wheel cyl.'s & calipers) but it will remove the paint along with the decal.
 

Drew1125

Active Member
Hi mrgooch!
I use a product called Easy Lift Off (ELO)...It's a Polly S product.
It will remove decals, & paint, but it works slowly enough that you can remove as much or as little as you like. It will not damage the plastic.
What I do for removing the lettering is dip a Q-tip in the ELO, & blot it on a paper towel. (you dont want to use so much that it runs)
I scrub lightly with the Q-tip, & the lettering just goes away!
Then I take another Q-tip dipped in clean water, & clean off the area. Then dry with a clean rag.
The newly "undecorated" area may be slightly sticky, so let it dry overnight.
Then you can apply gloss coat, & let that dry another 24hrs.
Then apply new decals.
Then apply Dullcote, & weather to your liking.
Remember to keep your fingers off the area your working on until you're finished.
Hope this helps.

I'm including a picture of the 1 pint can that I've had for a couple of years. It's still nearly full...a little of this stuff goes a long way.
 

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Drew1125

Active Member
If you use the "water slide" decals, like those from Micro-Scale, you need to apply them to a surface with a gloss finish.
Floquil makes a clear gloss finish that comes in their regular paint bottle, & I think Testors makes one that comes in a spray can.
Either one will work, just don't apply them too heavily.
If yopu try to apply decals to a flat finish, they will become "silvered", which means you can see the decal film around the lettering.
You can believe what I say, because I have a knack for learning everything the hard way! :rolleyes:
Also,
I know I've said this several times on this forum, but at the risk of repeating myself,
If you're new to this, practice on some old, or junk equipment before you launch an attack on an expensive kit....once again, the voice of experience speaking.
 

Tyson Rayles

Active Member
You can get replacement decals from a lot of different companys. Most of them are in the Walthers catalouge which you can get at your local hobby shop (which maybe has some decals in stock) or go to their website.
 

Gary Pfeil

Active Member
A method I use to remove lettering without damaging a paint job is to brush on some Solvaset and use a pencil erasure to gently rub it. At first it will not seem to be working, don't let that make you start rubbing too hard. Once in a while, remove the erasure debris and rewet with the Solvaset. Before long the lettering will start to dissolve. When complete, wash well with warm water and detergent, let dry and apply gloss cote as above.

Gary
 

sumpter250

multiscale modelbuilder
Charlie,
I, like you, seem to always find out about the right way, after I have learned it the hard way. Applying decals to a gloss finish was one of those lessons. I still prefer Floquil paints, airbrushed.
In order to get the gloss finish, I add Floquil "Glaze" to the paint.
In the case of removed lettering, I try polishing the area where the decal came off, using "Sofscrub" (without bleach), or good old toothpaste. I can usually get the surface glossy enough to then apply the new decals. The lesson??? Decals are applied to a GLOSS finish, dry transfers are applied to a FLAT finish.
I weather with Floquil paint dry brushed, and usually airbrush Testors Dullcote after the weathering is done.
Pete
 

Drew1125

Active Member
Yeah Pete,
The story of my life is that the best lessons are the hardest learned.
I use Floquil paints too.
I like to use their Hi-Gloss, & their Flat Finish.
I use an airbrush sometimes, when I'm painting a large area, or using masking, but a lot of times, for small work, & especially if I want something to have a heavily weathered look, I use the ol' paint brush. (part of this is born out of laziness...it seems like I spend more time cleaning the airbrush than I do painting)
I also really like Polly Scale acrylic paints.
 

sumpter250

multiscale modelbuilder
Charlie,
I've started collecting acrylic paints for the little details, because the newer Flouil paints are thinned for airbrushing, and don't brush on well for things like handrails etc. .
In acutal practice, I spend more time masking than painting AND cleaning the airbrush !
At some point I'll have to develope the technique for spraying acrylics. It's not hard, just different, and I'm comfortable with the old techniques.
Pete
 
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