No, not Martin or Charlie Sheen…
I’m looking for something to kill the sheen on painted styrene. Krylon Matte helps a bit but it still doesn’t have a truly flat finish.
As long as you are not planning to leave the train out in the weather, dullcote works.
This will be out in the weather. I’m experimenting with plastic in place of real wood for structure details where I don’t want worry about it rotting away after a few years. But getting plastic to really look like wood is a pain, mainly due to the unnatural sheen.
BTW, I’m using Floquil paints.
I’ve also tried something called “Dead Flat” from the makers of Rustall, but the result doesn’t live up to the name.
I definitely would NOT use floquil outdoors if it’s going to stay. Go to Krylon and use their ultra flat paints. Or, if it’s buildings etc, just paint them with flat exterior latex house paint.
Warren Mumpower said:Hmm. Floquil won't hold up outdoors? That sucks. Unfortunately Krylon only makes spray paints (and in very limited colors), nothing suitable for realistic detail work.
I definitely would NOT use floquil outdoors if it's going to stay. Go to Krylon and use their ultra flat paints.
Warren Mumpower said:I've been using thinned latex paint for actual wooden structures. Haven't tried it on plastic yet. Didn't think it would stick. (And then there's the whole "1-quart minimum" issue.)
Or, if it's buildings etc, just paint them with flat exterior latex house paint.
Floquil is most definitely not UV stable, and will fade in very short order. I used their “rail brown” to weather some aluminum rail once. Within a year, the side exposed to the sun turned a rather unnatural shade of olive green. That was in Rochester, where the sun doesn’t shine. I’d hesitate to think how quickly the Colorado sun would fade it. Our newspapers will turn yellow by noon if we don’t bring them in. Whatever paint you use, try washing over the paint with a very dilute black paint after the base coat is dry. This will bring out the shadows and details rather nicely, and dull the sheen of the building in the process. I use craft acrylics for this, and they seem to hold up quite nicely. For buildings, I’d also recommend the flat exterior latex route, or even satin finish will work. It sticks quite well to plastic, provided it’s clean. The 1 quart minimum really isn’t that big of a deal when you consider you’d need probably two cans of Floquil spray paint at $7/can to do a building, or who knows how many 1 ounce bottles at $3/bottle. $15 for a quart (cheaper if you get it on sale) is really pretty good, especially if you’ve got “official” colors for your railroad structures. A quart will do quite a few buildings. Once the buildings are outside for a few months, the dirt and dust will dull the buildings a bit as well.
This station was painted with the satin exterior paint we used on our front door. Coincidentally, it’s quite close to the color used on EBT stations. (Really, it was coincidence!) This was brushed on, but I’ve also used an airbrush to apply it. It’s quite thick, so it needs to be thinned about 40/60 for the airbrush. I think I thinned it a bit (about 20%?) to brush it. It’s not terribly scientific, I just dip the brush in water, then dip it in the paint to get a workable consistency. Then I washed it with the dilute black paint as mentioned above. Later, K
Kevin Strong said:Drat. That's exactly the problem I was hoping to avoid. I'm beginning to see why realistic structural modeling is so rare in this hobby, when you can't even find decent paints suitable for outdoor use.
Floquil is most definitely not UV stable, and will fade in very short order. I used their "rail brown" to weather some aluminum rail once. Within a year, the side exposed to the sun turned a rather unnatural shade of olive green.
It would be a lot easier if paint manufacturers would specify whether or not paints are UV stable. At least then you could tell what not to use without ruining a good model.
Kevin Strong said:All the craft acrylics I've tried have ended up horribly faded and discolored after a short time in the sun, which is why I was trying the Floquil stuff.
Whatever paint you use, try washing over the paint with a very dilute black paint after the base coat is dry. This will bring out the shadows and details rather nicely, and dull the sheen of the building in the process. I use craft acrylics for this, and they seem to hold up quite nicely.
Kevin Strong said:If it was just one color, 1-quart quantities would be fine. But I'm trying to simulate the look of real wood, which requires several shades. And that's just wood -- other materials will need will need a whole range of colors.
The 1 quart minimum really isn't that big of a deal when you consider you'd need probably two cans of Floquil spray paint at $7/can to do a building, or who knows how many 1 ounce bottles at $3/bottle. $15 for a quart (cheaper if you get it on sale) is really pretty good, especially if you've got "official" colors for your railroad structures. A quart will do quite a few buildings. Once the buildings are outside for a few months, the dirt and dust will dull the buildings a bit as well.
But I guess if latex house paints are the only viable solution, I’ll just have to bite the bullet and buy a whole range of colors.
Thanks Kevin and Warren for the info and suggestions!
You decide ! This AC station was painted with Floquil paint , then sprayed with Dullcoat , 9 years of 24/7/365 , OUTSIDE !
The freight station in the background was also finished the same way . They look like weathered RR buildings to me .
To some degree it depends on where you live and what exposure they get. I’ve seen those buildings in their original colors not last 3 months outside.
I’ve had good luck with Behlen’s “Dead Flat” in spraycans. It really is flat! You do have to shake it well. So far it’s been compatible with all the paints I use and hasn’t harmed any materials. Of course you should always test any new covering on an unseen place first. It dries quickly too. I haven’t yet tried it over decals but it hasn’t harmed vinyl lettering.
It is available from Woodworker’s Supply 1-800-645-9292 Catalog Number 934-154
$7.59 ea. or $7.09 ea. for 4 or more, $6.79 ea. for 12 or more.