Philip's Workbench

[Broithe]

1 hour ago, Broithe said:

When you've finished the current project, you could build a metro system running in the ducting.

U-Murphbahn.

Mmm - thinking further about this, there is a precedent - this highway bridge in Prague actually has the Metro running in a tube underneath it - https://www.google.com/maps/@50.0650592,14.4285975,3a,51.1y,87.9h,96.91t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s8WDelnI3bpaj29L7Pyq-8A!2e0!7i16384!8i8192 - like a 'tunnel in the sky' - it does stop passengers being blinded by the sudden light, before they are plunged back under the ground at the far side of the valley.

[murphaph]

I am pretty sure I've passed through that without actually realising it.

[murphaph]

First projects for the new and improved spray booth...

I've switched to undercoating with the airbrush because the finish is just better and using water based acrylics there's no smell.

I can only say good things about the Oesling acrylics. Just using deionised water as a thinner though he says tap water is also fine but our water is very hard here. A gallon of deionised water costs like €3. Just keeps spraying with no tip dry. 

[Robert Shrives]

Love the two Dutch vans - I guess bought as that, I have been cutting a steam van into the EGV version and  now need to sort roof vents and genny exhaust. The road vehicles look interesting..

Have to say I have lined my booth with newspapers to help with clear up.

Robert    

[murphaph]

I might give that a go with the newspapers. Not a bad idea at all.

Yeah those EGVs were bought like that, not scratch built or anything. I'm sure IRM will announce them in RTR the moment these are done lol.

The road vehicles will have an Irish accent applied to them. I'll say no more for now.

[Robert Shrives]

Agree re rtr ..!  ( anybody at IRM towers tuned in..)

 

[murphaph]

So I'm happy enough with the Ford Cargos. The transfers seem to have a little yellowing of the carrier film, probably due to age, but in reality from more than a couple of feet away it's not noticeable. 

 

 

[DJ Dangerous]

Absolutely stunning!

So, the most important question...

When aill you have a run of 500 ready as an IRM special commission?

[Georgeconna]

Try sticking them in the sunshine for a bit, For Yellowing transfers it usually helps.

[DJ Dangerous]

2 hours ago, Georgeconna said:

Try sticking them in the sunshine for a bit, For Yellowing transfers it usually helps.

If you need some sunshine, I know a man!

[murphaph]

I went with the Revell granite grey number 69 on the roofs of the rebuilt Dutch vans. I doubt anyone would have a code for the "correct" shade and this looks ok to me.

Just the black to do now

[jhb171achill]

2 minutes ago, murphaph said:

I went with the Revell granite grey number 69 on the roofs of the rebuilt Dutch vans. I doubt anyone would have a code for the "correct" shade and this looks ok to me.

Just the black to do now

You mean colour of roofs? That would be black.........

[jhb171achill]

Brilliant! And your painting idea is a very good one too. That size will give many possibilities as you have outlined. Best of luck with it.

[murphaph]

Hi Jonathan, yeah I've seen other models painted black but I have seen a pic in a book where the roof looks dark grey, definitely not the same black as the sides and ends anyway. It may be that the black just faded over time to this grey look, in which case it's ok as I'm not modelling these vans new, but already several years old with faded, sun bleached roofs.

[jhb171achill]

9 minutes ago, murphaph said:

Hi Jonathan, yeah I've seen other models painted black but I have seen a pic in a book where the roof looks dark grey, definitely not the same black as the sides and ends anyway. It may be that the black just faded over time to this grey look, in which case it's ok as I'm not modelling these vans new, but already several years old with faded, sun bleached roofs.

That would be weathering. They were all painted black in actual fact. If you want them to look weathered, which of course would be far more appropriate than anything pristine, a grey background would be too consistent - I would paint them a way darker grey and weather it heavily.

 

[murphaph]

Yeah I'm gonna weather these too at some stage  The grey is actually quite dark, but it's lit up very brightly in the spray booth in the above pic.

[Barl]

3 hours ago, murphaph said:

I went with the Revell granite grey number 69 on the roofs of the rebuilt Dutch vans. I doubt anyone would have a code for the "correct" shade and this looks ok to me.

Just the black to do now

I was trying to find a photo of the roof I had seen before when scratch-building a Dutch Van but of course I couldn't find it anywhere! 

From what I can remember the roof was black but a more matt black then the sides so a very dark grey would probably look similar to a matt black.

By coincidence I was just flicking through my copy of 'Irish Railway Rambler' I found in a box of stuff from home and on Page 86 and Page 88 there's pictures of Dutch Vans and they certainly look matt black - being behind a loco a lot of the time would probably make them black over time anyway I suppose! 

Edited March 7, 2022 by Barl

[jhb171achill]

1 hour ago, Barl said:

I was trying to find a photo of the roof I had seen before when scratch-building a Dutch Van but of course I couldn't find it anywhere! 

From what I can remember the roof was black but a more matt black then the sides so a very dark grey would probably look similar to a matt black.

By coincidence I was just flicking through my copy of 'Irish Railway Rambler' I found in a box of stuff from home and on Page 86 and Page 88 there's pictures of Dutch Vans and they certainly look matt black - being behind a loco a lot of the time would probably make them black over time anyway I suppose! 

Yes, they were indeed - the initial glossiness of the black, same as on other CIE roofs in green and black'n'tan eras, would last about four seconds flat before becoming matt!

[murphaph]

I had a change of heart in the end and sprayed them black with the sides

[jhb171achill]

16 hours ago, murphaph said:

I had a change of heart in the end and sprayed them black with the sides

Easy to weather too!

[exciecoachbuilder]

17 hours ago, murphaph said:

I had a change of heart in the end and sprayed them black with the sides

Hi Murph, all C.I.E / Irish Rail carriages and vans that had a black roof, were painted in gloss black paint. Never Matt black or grey, the only Matt black I can remember being used on carriages, was the window frames on the commuter railcars ( sparrows etc) when the new liveries were introduced in the early 2000's. 

Paul.

[Noel]

19 hours ago, Barl said:

I was trying to find a photo of the roof I had seen before when scratch-building a Dutch Van but of course I couldn't find it anywhere! 

From what I can remember the roof was black but a more matt black then the sides so a very dark grey would probably look similar to a matt black.

By coincidence I was just flicking through my copy of 'Irish Railway Rambler' I found in a box of stuff from home and on Page 86 and Page 88 there's pictures of Dutch Vans and they certainly look matt black - being behind a loco a lot of the time would probably make them black over time anyway I suppose! 

Looking really good Philip. The IR/IE ones had black roof, the green RPSI ones had the grey roof. I made a big boo-boo when doing mine last year. Forgot to properly wash the resin body before priming and look what happened when I started to remove the masking tape. (eek). Stripped it back and started again. Oh well you live and learn.  

Which kit is your rebuilt dutch van? SF, IFM or DcKits?

 

Opps!

Edited March 8, 2022 by Noel

[murphaph]

It's the DC Kits one Noel. I distinctly remembered reading your posts about that so I washed them in Isopropyl alcohol and gave the primer coat a good scratch with a toothpick when it was dry to make sure it had taken properly before I started masking etc so I'm sure you saved me from making that mistake as I doubt I would have considered it. Probably would have given them a quick wipe to degrease them but I wouldn't have completely submerged and really washed them. Need to do the transfers next, when I get a chance. Busy digging holes outside this week lol:

I would recommend using a grey primer on these resin models. It's kind of hard to see where you have primed when the primer is almost the same colour as the bare resin, which was the case with these. I used white and it was a bit of a pain.

 

[Noel]

5 hours ago, murphaph said:

It's the DC Kits one Noel. I distinctly remembered reading your posts about that so I washed them in Isopropyl alcohol and gave the primer coat a good scratch with a toothpick when it was dry to make sure it had taken properly before I started masking etc so I'm sure you saved me from making that mistake as I doubt I would have considered it. Probably would have given them a quick wipe to degrease them but I wouldn't have completely submerged and really washed them. Need to do the transfers next, when I get a chance. Busy digging holes outside this week lol:

I would recommend using a grey primer on these resin models. It's kind of hard to see where you have primed when the primer is almost the same colour as the bare resin, which was the case with these. I used white and it was a bit of a pain.

 

You aced the white lining. Sharp as a needle. 

[Dempsey]

15 hours ago, murphaph said:

It's the DC Kits one Noel. I distinctly remembered reading your posts about that so I washed them in Isopropyl alcohol and gave the primer coat a good scratch with a toothpick when it was dry to make sure it had taken properly before I started masking etc so I'm sure you saved me from making that mistake as I doubt I would have considered it. Probably would have given them a quick wipe to degrease them but I wouldn't have completely submerged and really washed them. Need to do the transfers next, when I get a chance. Busy digging holes outside this week lol:

I would recommend using a grey primer on these resin models. It's kind of hard to see where you have primed when the primer is almost the same colour as the bare resin, which was the case with these. I used white and it was a bit of a pain.

 

Brilliant result. 

[murphaph]

Transfers applied. A mix of SSM and Railtec.

 

[murphaph]

On 4/3/2022 at 1:33 PM, Georgeconna said:

Try sticking them in the sunshine for a bit, For Yellowing transfers it usually helps.

So I wanted to perform an experiment and put one in the window and leave the other one as a control. I think it's clear how well your suggestion worked George:

It should be noted I placed the truck in its case and put it in the kitchen window. Our house is triple glazed so that's 4 layers between the sun and the transfers. I suspect placing it in direct sunlight would be even more effective. It's hard to tell it's working until you compare it to a control by the way. I wasn't certain anything was changing.

I will now place both trucks out on the patio in just their display cases for a couple of days. It's relatively warm and dry here at the moment. I have the rest of those transfers (for a pair of containers) stuck to the inside of the kitchen window and they are slowly bleaching too. Cheers George!

[RedRich]

Nice work. It's a decent kit, just a shame that they used a MK1 gangway connecter instead of a MK111.

I think George Dent built the prototype that the kits were cast from.

Rich

[Niles]

On 11/3/2022 at 4:18 PM, murphaph said:

Transfers applied. A mix of SSM and Railtec.

 

Class job, almost too nice given the state the real ones ended up towards the end. 

[murphaph]

2 hours ago, RedRich said:

Nice work. It's a decent kit, just a shame that they used a MK1 gangway connecter instead of a MK111.

I think George Dent built the prototype that the kits were cast from.

Rich

Yeah that's correct. He has three blog entries about them. I intend adding corridor connections to one end of them at some stage also.

[Georgeconna]

11 hours ago, murphaph said:

So I wanted to perform an experiment and put one in the window and leave the other one as a control. I think it's clear how well your suggestion worked George:

It should be noted I placed the truck in its case and put it in the kitchen window. Our house is triple glazed so that's 4 layers between the sun and the transfers. I suspect placing it in direct sunlight would be even more effective. It's hard to tell it's working until you compare it to a control by the way. I wasn't certain anything was changing.

I will now place both trucks out on the patio in just their display cases for a couple of days. It's relatively warm and dry here at the moment. I have the rest of those transfers (for a pair of containers) stuck to the inside of the kitchen window and they are slowly bleaching too. Cheers George!

Nice one!! Only if we had some Sun here!!

[murphaph]

Former 086 to become 111 ca. 1995.

Sanding down the top mould line.

 

[popeye]

I wouldn't have the Easter eggs to do that. 

[murphaph]

086 has been joined by 088, also ex-ST. Both models were stripped down to bare plastic after an initial attempt to feather the edges of the paint lines before priming was less than satisfactory. You could still see a shadow under a vertical light source and as these models may well be lit from above I wasn't happy with that and after experimenting on 086 above, 088 went into the dip to remove the primer and factory paint underneath and also bring it back to bare plastic.

Stripping was done in 99.99% IPA. Afterwards rinsed in soapy water and then sprayed off with distilled water through the airbrush, just to be sure everything was neutralised. Probably overkill but these aren't my locos  oh and the mould lines around the cabs were sanded out while I was at it.

After drying overnight, the primer was applied from a rattle can (buffer shanks were masked up first). I had one can of Vallejo Hobby Paint left and decided this would be a suitable application as I wouldn't have too much waste and detail is maintained due to the finer pigments compared to automotive sprays, allegedly. I already decided not to buy any more aerosol paints, including primers, simply because you waste so much as you have to keep 20cm away from the subject and most of the spray goes to waste like that. I guess I could have depressurised the can and decanted the contents off for use in an airbrush but I'm too lazy for all that so I sprayed it from the can.

A couple of hours later I began applying the final colours, working from light to dark. The colours were matched as closely as possible to my MM0112. The yellow is Vallejo 71.135 Chrome Yellow from the Air range. The red is RAL 3013 Tomato Red from Oesling Modellbau. Both paints are water based acrylics.

The yellow warning panel as well as the buffer bosses will be reverse masked before the blue is applied. The centre grab irons on the cabs were removed to make it easier for the masking tape to sit flat. I will have to make up custom masks, approximating the curve radius of the corners.

[popeye]

So far so good. 

That stuff really cleans the paint off.