Tuesday Tips: Detail Holders & Truck Mask

As I mentioned yesterday, all ("all") I have left to do on the 0510 is paint the details, weather it, and put it all back together (though I may reverse those last two steps). Painting is one of those things that I always dread, but which (almost) always turns out to be fine in the end. For me, it's mostly about finding a large enough chunk of time to "work my way into it" - not to mention the fact that there's always prep involved. And cleanup.

But the actual painting is usually the easiest part of painting, especially if you have some helpful tools. Here's a couple you may not know about...

There are a LOT of details on this engine (and on the RS-1 that I plan to do next) that need to be painted before they're applied. And many of those details are TINY. So I used some old clothespins with the jaws reversed to make handy holders. Just pinch the mounting lug that doesn't need to be painted (and probably shouldn't be). I also used tried and true masking tape to hold a couple of details that didn't have anything to hang on to.

Tiny parts after painting

I also wanted to spray some Dullcote on the truck sideframes, fuel tank, and water tank prior to weathering with chalks and/or PanPastels. The Dullcote not only tones down the glossiness of these parts as they come from the factory, but it'll provide "tooth" for applying the powders. Problem is - I really didn't want to have to remove the truck sideframes since I'd already attached the brake chain guides and speed recorder details. Next time, I'll Dullcote first.

Solution: A quick mask made from cardstock:

I just placed it behind the sideframes and used a pencil to mark where I needed to cut notches to allow it to nest down nicely behind. This not only protects all the mechanical bits (motor, decoder, wires, trucks/gearing) but also keeps too much overspray from getting on the wheels. (though I will clean the wheel treads later with lacquer thinner).

Oh - I should also mention my impromptu loco cradle. I couldn't insert this mask behind the sideframes from above since the loco frame is in the way. So I had to put the mechanism on its back. But I didn't want to crush any of the delicate decoder wiring (not to mention the decoder), so I just used two scrap pieces of 2x2 and rested the frame/walkways on those as you can see above. Just be careful when you go to grab this get-up: You don't want the two 2x2s to rock in your grip and end up dropping the mech. Ask me how I know.

So far so good. Everything's now painted and Dullcoted. I think next I'll at least weather the hoods/cab while the glass windows are out (anybody know a good way to mask those if I couldn't remove them?), then probably weather everything else too while I'm at it. Then, once everything's all dry, I should be able to get it all back together. As early as tomorrow evening (in time for this week's Photo Library?)? Only time will tell...

Hope you find these tips helpful - and if you have any tips of your own, let us know in the comments!