A different Ixion Fowler...

[flexible_coupling]

I've just picked up my own Ixion Fowler loco today, and a gorgeous little thing it is. It almost seems a pity to have brought it directly home and taken it to pieces, in lieu of a scaleseven conversion (as Mr Overseer has previously succeeded in doing) and some modest modification and repainting.

The small list of alterations that I'm presently considering are - given this is an unlined green version;
- Removal of the headlamp and associated little LED board - this may be re-added in a different location - but for the time being, I'll just leave lamps alone.
- Removal of the top-of-bonnet handrail and the one across the radiator, and careful filling of the holes (along with the hole left by the headlamp)
- Addition of some form of foot-board/step at the front (each side) of the loco, and potentially an additional handrail (again - each side) to match
- Repaint - using the 'salt' masking technique - into an eventually fairly beaten light blue colour with a number of rusty patches... simulating a loco well into the last years of its' life, where it hasn't received the love it deserves. Sandboxes will be flat black as the chassis presently is; coupling rods/cranks/wheel rims will be similarly treated
- Cab floor to be painted to represent old wooden boards, and other cab fittings to be painted and weathered accordingly

Future steps include DCC sound installation, Lincs couplings (presuming that's the route I end up following) and some form of dim cab lighting, if I don't also spring for a "late retrofit" electric lighting front-and-back. Given this is something I'd be imagining running in the early 70's (probably well past its' use-by date!!), it seems sensible that some form of proper running lights would end up on there.

I had considered - after taking everything apart - trying to 'lower' the bonnet (moving the PCB and modifying the whole cradle over the motor mount) by cutting it down and re-gluing it... but the volume of work involved for what would end up being a botched, freelance effort just didn't seem at-all worthwhile! The primarily-paint-based modifications will be pretty easy going - and should give me a nice and unique looking loco that will surely prompt further industrial modelling responses from me!

 

[flexible_coupling]

Steps in place - I did make it a little wider than I should have and it's a very fine tolerance around the travel of the cranks - but it'll look the business when paint and grime is everywhere....

 

[flexible_coupling]

Filler work having been completed, everything was masked up carefully last night and is presently drying in a coat of red oxide primer. It'll sit for a day or so, then the application of salt-masking can take place ahead of top-coating - Tamiya (aerosol) TS-10 'French Blue'. I'm aiming for a worn yet relatively 'clean' old paint finish above the running board... see how that plays out!

 

[Simon]

I'm looking forward to seeing this develop, great to see someone buy something new and shiny and immediately pull it apart to slightly re-arrange it!

I also like your livery ideas, that shade of blue is a favourite of mine and will look very good on a faded looking model.

Simon

 

[flexible_coupling]

Good and bad news...

Good news is that I've visited Mr Overseer today to pick up replacement rims to allow relatively-straightforward S7 conversion of the chassis. Those steps seem fairly straightforward - just hoping I can harness the requisite patience to make a good effort of it. I may sit down and (hand) paint the footplate/frame this evening.

Bad news is, after figuring out the 'salt masking' technique*, I excitedly went down to apply the first coat of blue paint. Utter anarchy has ensued.... I'm calming down as a second coat may cure the ills of a few (cleaned-up) runs and spots where paint coverage has inexplicably crept away from raised edges. If I was working on a pristine paint finish, I'd be distraught at this point, but the flaws may actually work to my advantage. We'll see how it pans out after everything dries and the second coat is applied tomorrow.

*I really hope that I actually did 'figure it out' and not just..... make a complete hash of everything! That being said.... application of paint stripper is not the worst result...

 

[Osgood]

Is this simply a plastic surface / paint compatibility issue? The plastic mouldings almost seem like they have a film on them.

Would a flat priming coat have prevented the problem?

Tony (desperately hoping to learn from others' pioneering trials and tribulations before painting his own Fowler...)

 

[flexible_coupling]

Is this simply a plastic surface / paint compatibility issue? The plastic mouldings almost seem like they have a film on them.

Would a flat priming coat have prevented the problem?

Tony (desperately hoping to learn from others' pioneering trials and tribulations before painting his own Fowler...)

It did have a neat, even flat coat of (Tamiya) Red Oxide. I'm honestly not sure what went wrong... there is a chance that it was a poor mix in the can of the blue. The choice of the red oxide primer was to mimic rust poking through around bumps and scrapes - hence the salt masking. I'll have another look in a few hours when the first coat has dried properly and consider it all further...

 

[Osgood]

Ah yes - post # 3. You can get some idea of my attention span can't you? I got evicted from the back of the class and there was nowhere else to go but the front row. Sorry!

It is just the effect you describe that has put me off using rattle cans, and I'm sure it isn't down to me not shaking long enough to mix contents properly. I am now very wary of ruining something by showing it a can.

 

[flexible_coupling]

If you have access to airbrush facilities (via a friend if necessary) - use them..... I've used a large cardboard box atop a rubbish bin in the alley below my apartment (to strange looks from neighbours!) in lieu of any kind of "proper" facility.

 

[Osgood]

I do have a compressor and airbrush still waiting to be unpacked (then I have to learn how to use the equipment).

My can issues giving same effect as your blue coat stem in the main I think from impatience - applying too much in one coat rather than a multitude of thin applications. I don't know why it is such a difficult hurdle to get over! Also some do not give good atomisation.

 

[flexible_coupling]

I have a sneaky suspicion that an element in the mix is the whole 'saline' salt/water application to offer the peeling-paint weathering. As the paint's dried, there are some patches that are perfect, and some bits that are less so (but where a second coat ought to forgive the sins)... wouldn't be surprised if saline residue invisible to the eye was playing havoc.

Next time, I'll use maskol and a skewer tip and spot it on - then 'scrub' it off in a similar fashion as the salt-masking recommends.... avoid that possible risk. I really wish I'd tested this all on something else before going for the loco.......

 

[oldravendale]

I have a sneaky suspicion that an element in the mix is the whole 'saline' salt/water application to offer the peeling-paint weathering.

Can you refer me to any comments or, indeed, techniques about the "salt masking" process. I don't think it's one I've heard of before.

Brian

 

[flexible_coupling]

Can you refer me to any comments or, indeed, techniques about the "salt masking" process. I don't think it's one I've heard of before.

Brian

Someone on rmweb used it extremely well on a wagon - I used this article as a reference;

http://www.scalemodelguide.com/painting-weathering/weathering/apply-realistic-paint-chips-salt/

I fear that somewhere along the line, I got the 'science' wrong... we'll see in the next few days after (fingers tightly crossed!) another, far better coat of blue gets on everything above the footplate...

 

[oldravendale]

Thanks indeed for that. It'll give me some light reading!

B

 

[Simon]

And you could always add colour modulation to the mix

John Dale 1/32 48DS built and painted by Chris in the States, discussed on Steve Cook's excellent thread hopefully he'll finish the critter off one of these years...

Simon

 

[flexible_coupling]

That's a similar aesthetic to what I was aiming for, but with black below the footplate-line and more pronounced 'flaked paint'. Old paintwork, but generally "clean"... I sense I may accidentally achieve a little bit of that effect in the course of this paint-job! Cute little loco.... things like that give already easily-distracted folk like me bad ideas about even-larger scale modelling....

This evening, I brush-painted the footplate/frame with Humbrol matt black (first coat) - the great thing is that, after the 2nd coat goes on, the red-oxide undercoat will organically sneak through in little spots from general handling of the loco in time, simulating little spots where rust has snuck through. It's an unusual positive to take!

Toying with the idea of applying the BUNYIP name-plates to the loco... if only so I don't feel bad about such nice etchings not being put to use!

 

[flexible_coupling]

Now - this is very tentative (and why I'm only putting one pic up from the "good" side)... and the lighting is pretty awful so it looks extremely shiny. The 'undamaged' paint is a lot flatter. Some parts are a lot closer to the effect I was aiming for (rear of the cab is spot-on), some bits will need some TLC to get the way I want. The overall colour is great - perhaps the tiniest bit darker than I'd imagined - but I'm very happy with the progress...

Edit: At arms length and in less intense lighting (as opposed to the strong white LED from the magnifier lamp which the photo above is taken under), the areas where the paint was legitimately applied badly from the rattle-can is far less obvious and the whole net result is very pleasing. I need to apply another coat or two of matt black to the roof and touch up in a few spots on the frame, and make up a very dilute black wash to apply in a few spots, and I'll get it somewhere for some glamour shots.....

 

[Simon]

Apologies if you are working from real life, in which case everything that follows is nonsense, but I'd go with the roof and foot plating painted in body colour rather than black. Probably the wheels and frames too but then very let down into earth tones by weathering.

I think that is more typical of actual practice on industrial locos, but I stand to be shot down in flames as others prove otherwise!

I do like the colour though and look forward to the next instalment.

Simon

 

[flexible_coupling]

Difficult to get decent natural light at present!! Not sure how well this shows the success on the rear of the cab - this is exactly what I wanted to get out of the paint finish. Just a dash of a very thin grime wash and I'll be happy with it. Other parts of the body still have trapped bits of salt that I'm carefully removing to complete the picture. Some spots around the loco will have deliberately applied grime to cover my sins... feels like it's going to come together fine though.

I was very uncertain as to whether to paint the roof in the same blue or not..... I was fairly comfortable with the contrast of the black footplate (as the original green sported - just with green on the vertical edging along the sides).... but the conundrum was real! Given the scare I had with the paint finish, I'm relieved to have taken the route I have. I choose to believe that the roof was repaired at some stage as the drips from various overhead piping at the factory it works at posed a hazard to the electrical gubbins inside the cab... hence the wearing black paint on the roof (brush painting with bog-standard Humbrol matt black actually seems to suit quite well!).

 

[SimonT]

There is an alternative to the salt method that has come from the military modelers and is the dog's wotsits. AK Ineractive make Worn Effects Acrylic Fluid (I believe there is an enamel as well). It is designed to replace the salt (Mil people call it the Hairspray technique) technique and offers further possibilities in that when you rub the top paint off you can take as much off as you want to give the effect of thinning paint. The method is well described on the jar label and in more depth in The Weathering Magazine; well worth a read. AK products are on the Interweb or from Hobby Holidays in the UK.

It does look rather good in blue.

Simon