Railway Design Associates


DaveInTheHat said:
When I tried water I got a lot of clumps in the paint. .
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Over the weekend I was mixing acrylics with water and did not have this issue. I have a small container about 1" in diameter where I cover the bottom with water and add some of the wal mart craft paint that is too thick to spread. I mix it by swirling the paint brush to mix it with the water. This was for a small area and I don't know how it would adhere to this type of plastic.

Thanks for all the useful comments and I think I will try one of these. It looks like it is all how you finish them to get that professional look.

It would be great to get a couple photos of some of their other structures. lasm
 
I've just used demineralised water to thin house or fence acrylic latex paint to spray it without any issues, wonder if chemicals in domestic supply water could cause problems.
 
Not that anyone gives a damn but my grandfather worked there when it was Simmons silk mill and my father worked there when it was Shapiro & Sons bedspread factory. I remember going there in 1945 when I was 5 and riding the cloth spreading machine that my Dad pushed up and down the table. My kit is going somewhere on my HOn3 mining road. I can't wait to tell my Grandson that his Great Grandfather and his Great-great Grandfather worked in that building and that I played in it.
Blayne
 
I have had just a little bit of trouble with the Walmart, Hobby Lobby craft paints. I have mixed different brands a couple of times and had clumping issues but now I stick with just Folk Art and Americana and have not had any problems. Now if the paint has been opened and has been opened and only part of the bottle was used I have had some clump up on me. You should be able to see the clumps drop as your pouring it from the bottle. But just using tap water to thin the paints I have not seen that, that is all I use is just plain tap water and they have not clumped up on me.
 
I've used just a tiny drop of Dawn liquid dishwashing detergent while thinning acrylic paints. It really helps break down the "surface tension" of the paint/water mix and helps it flow into crevasses, etc. I usually use a toothpick to lightly dip into the Dawn liquid, then stir the toothpick into my paint / water mixture. I haven't tried the windshield washer fluid method; I have used the rubbing alcohol mixed with India ink -- that works pretty well. But I have a suspicion that the pigment is much more finely ground in the ink (as compared to a craft paint), so that might play into the equation.

187 - that's pretty cool to have a family attachment to a real building that's been turned into a model kit! I've heard of lots of guys constructing a model structure to represent a building from their past, but your story is the first one I remember hearing about finding a commercially made kit of one! :)

Regards,
Tom Stockton
 
I bought the Freeman Mfg Co kit last week and will be assembling it to put on my new layout. Should I paint the walls before I assemble, and do I have to use dullcote or something first to get the paint to grab the plastic?

Thanks, lasm
 
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