Atlas hand rails and Polly Scale

I am working on painting several undec Atlas GP9 shells SP&S dark green and I am using Polly Scale. The paint on the hand rails seems to come off very easily, more so than shells I have painted before. Anyone use a paint for hand rails that sticks better? I usually use enamel for the white sections of the rails.

Thanks,
John

 

In the past and the recent past I have used a Plastic Adhesion Promoter like what body shops use for painting plastic automotive parts like bumpers.

The brand I picked up, which I can't remember right now, is sprayed on so everything is covered and wet. You let it set until it dries completely then you mist another coat on and let it dry.

Once it's dried you can paint over it. Pretty simple.

I've only used it with Floquil, as that is what I normally use. Floquil being a Solvent based paint, may or may not make a difference as I think what the stuff does is actually etch the surface giving the paint something to cling to.

There was a thread on RW several years ago where several different brands were used and they all seemed to do the trick. But of course if you bend the railing to an extreme, the paint will still flake off.
BullDog brand was one of them and I think that one could be picked up at your local Wally World IIRC?

 

This is what I use...

http://www.autozone.com/paint-and-b...-aerosol-adhesion-promoter-primer/460112_0_0/

I've used it with Polly Scale, Model Flex and TruColor paints and it seems to work just fine. But like Allen said, if you bend the railings to the extreme, the paint will still come off.

 

Does this stuff build up the thickness of the handrails? I've actually resorted to painstakingly sand Derlin handrails with a very fine grit sandpaper to give it some tooth. This helps but I would sure like a better solution as well.

 

Not that I can tell without measuring them. To me, they still look like the bulky handrails that they've always been! Sanding them...WOW!

 

Just food for thought... I use BriteTouch primer. It can be found at AdvanceAuto Stores. It comes in light grey, white, and an oxide red color. It coats evenly, and can be used on metal, wood(don't ask.. LOL!), and most every type of plastic that I have come across. Hope this helps. JMS

 

On my last job, I used Micro Prep from Microscale, it is a solution that prepares slippery smooth surfaces for bonding and painting. It doesn't add anything to the surface and so far the paint looks great.

 

I've been told that paint made for RC car bodies works well. I've picked up a bottle but have yet to try it. I will be picking up some Microprep for sure. You'd think with all of their products I use I would have heard of this one. Thanks.

 

You don't have to use the paint necessarily, Faskoat has a clear that you can add to normal acrylics. I've done about 50/50 in the past but have been wanting to experiment how thin I can cut it and still keep it from flaking.

Jason

 

it depends.

some of the handrails get sandblasted.

all of the handrails receive a coat of n-heptan (that's what micro-prep is). then i mix transparent faskol paint with any paint i use (polly, tlt, modelflex).
faskol paint is used for lexan bodies and sticks extremely well to handrails.

 

I have also been using Micro Prep with good results.

 

Micro Prep, huh ??? I use Micro Everything Else, but haven't heard of it. Guess I will brave the -40 temps tomorrow and visit LHS !!! THANKS !!!

 

Thanks for the suggestions. I had never heard of Micro Prep either. I will visit my LHS tomorrow and pick some up.

John

 

I know this isn't the problem most encounter with painting handrails but I'll mention it anyway. I bought a LifeLike CB&Q GP20, the middle production run I believe, that had grey handrails. Well, the Burlington had all black handrails on these units and I was doing some research to go about painting them when I decided to try a black Sharpie on them. I gave them two coats, allowing an hour between coats before handing them, just to be safe. It worked extremely well, with no problems with smudging or cracking. Too bad they don't make markers with good colors other than black.

 

I stopped at my LHS today and discussed the hand rail problem. I learned Tamiya makes a "flexible" paint for RC cars. Dave told me he has used it on handrails and you can actually bend them without the paint flaking off. They are going to order me some - they aren't sure about what colors are available - black and white yes, but not sure about a dark green for SP&S.

John

 

25 colors enough....granted some are more neon, but...

http://www.sharpie.com/enUS/Pages/fine-point-marker.aspx

I have a Silver Sharpie and it's great for doing sills on trailers, doors, the tips of air hoses, and a hole lot more. I love that Sharpie.

Cheers,
Brian

 

Its not that tamiya doesn't have dark green in their PS line, it's a matter of can your lhs get it. I ran into that issue when I bought an RC car kit from Asia that hadn't been released stateside yet.

 

By Brian K;

Thanks, Brian, I think I'm going to get some of them!