Best Way to Paint Railings and Grab Irons?

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K

kz9

Member
I have started to build and detail some of my Athearn BB engines and was wonder what kind of methods peope use to paint the irons.

I recently just painted my irons for one of my CSX dash-9's and hung them all on a small piece of brass rod and sprayed them with the airbursh. Tomorrow I was going to try and install them, but I think I am going to scratch them all up now that I think about it. :rolleyes:
 
Kellan, This is what I do when doing Athearn metal handrails.

1. Assemble and install all handrails on the unit (do not push the stanchions all of the way into the holes).
2. Using a small set of channel lock pliers, crimp down the top of the stanchions to the handrails.
3. Position the stanchions straight up and down.
4. Glue the stanchions to the handrails (I use CA glue and a toothpick, dab a little on all 4 corners).
5. Let dry completely.
6. Remove all handrails slowly.
7. Paint them (brush, air-brush, whichever).
8. Gloss-coat them for best hardness.
9. After decals have been applied to the model, then add handrails back to it.
10. I use either my thumbnail or rubber coated pliers handles to push the stanchions in completely.
11. Weather and dull-coat to your taste with the rest of the model.

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Well I'll wish you luck on the installation. Actually I don't put the hand rails on until it's just about finished. Grabs I paint carefully with a brush. The hand rails well I install them with the stanchions attached and then a little dab of crazy glue to keep them straight on the hand rail. I do not cement them into the shell. Then I paint them carefully with a brush.
This is an Athearn
4700_IMG.jpg
 


well after assembling my first set of handrails I learned its best to not fully install them and then have to take them off to decal. My handrails for an sd90mac look like the locomotive rolled over itself several times.

Im going to try wheelers way on the next 5 sets of railings.

as for painting. Some of the grabs were glued down before painting. After I airbrushed the models I just took a very very fine tip brush and barely put paint on it and carefully painted the railings. Almost all of mine came out great.
 
I think a lot depends on how steady your hands are. I use a micro brush to paint handrails and grabs. I even highlight molded on grabs with a micro brush and rarely slop on of the contrasting color on the shell.

If your hands aren't so steady, spraying them first and then putting them on the model is about your only option. Jerome's methods are absolutely bulletproof for BB handrails. If you drill out the holes slightly, you can usually insert handrail stanchions and grab irons with just thumb pressure. If you have to use a tool, like needle nose pliers, apply the pressure directly to the very bottom of the handrail stanchion or the middle of a grab iron. Even if you damage the paint a little, it's easy to touch up with a brush. Weathering also covers a multitude of sins. :)
 


I always remoce any plastic cast on hand ladders and replace them with wire grab irons. I pant them very carefully with a fine brush being that the black would screw up the yellow paint as seen on this RS 11.
 

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Hi.
I used paint pens that I bought to make lines on roads (yellow and white). Since I had them on hand, I tried them on the railings of my Atherns PBNE switcher. Worked good for the 'good enough' crowd. That is to say from 2-3 feet away it looks fine. Up close, you can see some gaps where the railing meets the frame, etc. Hard to get in tight with a paint pen tip.

Doug
 
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