101. How to - Paint Etched Brass Number & Name Plates

Описание: My model railway club Chesham MRC has an 0-gauge Cornish end-to-end layout called Gunnistock, based upon the original real station of Gunnislake. The Club generally doesn’t own rolling stock, relying upon members to bring along their own stock when needed. As I put many years of effort building significant for it (I’m slow but thorough), I wanted a loco to run on it (to have some ownership sort of thing).
Our Club Chairman Ian, who is our 0-gauge specialist, recommended the Lionheart Trains (Dapol owned) GWR 45xx Small Prairie tank engine, which was being planned at the time.

Technically, GWR trains never ran to Gunnislake, it being part of the Southern Railway (ex PD&SWJR), but no suitable RTR locos were available. The Gunnislake branch known as the Tamar Valley Line (still operating) does however run down to Plymouth & the GWR had the well-known Plymouth Laira Shed in that city. So it is feasible a GWR train could have had access (I’m stretching the reality a bit) !

I chose the 45xx in a GWR plain green livery but un-numbered & at the time of purchase, I had no idea of a suitable loco number. 4570 was later chosen because that loco had been based at Plymouth Laira in its lifetime. The paperwork included with the model gave no hint of where to procure suitable brass etched Plates, nor Decals for the numbers on the Buffer Beams (GWR practice). Research was not easy, but eventually I found Seven Mill Nameplates run by one man Chris Watford, now in his eighties ! He explained that his GWR font was the very best, he was now one of the very few still making Plates to individual customer’s requirements but wanted to retire soon. http://www.severnmillnameplates.co.uk/
So if you want to use his products, you had better pull your finger out.

Starring :
• A Seven Mill Nameplates - GWR 7mm scale cab side Number Plate - '4570'.

Also Featuring :
• Lionheart Trains – LHTS4502S - GWR Class 45xx Small Prairie 2-6-2T Loco – 0-gauge – Un-numbered.

Recommended Paints & Materials :
• Paint Primer – I used the excellent but no longer legally available aerospace Acid Etching Paint Primer to BS X 32. A 2-pack chromate rich thin wash paint made by the Indestructible Paint Co.
However, it has come to my notice via Hornby Magazine (Issue 190, page 38, stage 4), there is a Badger primer suitable for metal & fine details. It’s called Stynylrez, a Grey water based Acrylic Polyurethane. Designed for airbrushes, but I’m sure it can be applied by brush.
• Humbrol – Enamel – 21 gloss Black – Thin using White Spirit to the consistency of Double Cream (must flow & level itself).
• White Spirit – For thinning the Enamel paint & for use on the Cardboard to remove excess paint.
• IPA or Methylated Spirit – For degreasing the Plates.

Recommended Tools & Aids of Note :
• Masking Tape (low tack) – Tamiya – width optional - To retain the Plates whilst painting & to stop paint ingress on their undersides.
• Cardboard squares – the raw plain side e.g. as found on the inside face of Tea Bag boxes & Cereal packets – For Plate’s polished top face wet paint removal & to gently abrading away the ragged dried paint edges.
• Sprue Cutters – flush fine ended for snipping off the brass sprue pip remnants – e.g. DCC Concepts or Xuron.
• Needle file - Flat - For cleaning-up the Plate’s outer edges.
• Paint Stirrer/mini spoon – e.g. Tamiya 74017.
• Paint Brush – Round watercolour type, size 1, 2 or 3 – any brand – For painting the Plate’s outer rim.
• Paint Dropper – a thin round implement – e.g. a Cocktail Stick or Wire Rod – To drip the thinned paint into the Plate’s etched recesses to achieve paint fill.
• Sticky Pick & Place Tool (double ended) – Modelcraft PTW1135.

Venue :
My Dining Room Table, Hertfordshire, England.

Filming :
Camera – Sony Xperia 1 II (Mk2) smartphone.

Video creation :
Software – Microsoft HD Movie Maker PRO.
Background music - POND5 - 023022286-dog-pound-231-sec.WAV file by Daniel Leblanc
https://www.pond5.com/royalty-free-mu...