Painting the FUD Rapid Prototype Models

[damrr]

  Any insights out there as to what type of paints to use and not to use on these new Rapid Prototype Models.
The one I have is the Barnheart Loder in N Scale in the FUD which is pretty cool.
This is a great new tool to get the odd piece of equipment that is not was available otherwise.

[bbussey]

The EX2000 material (FUD) is more of a plastic than a resin, so any of the normal railroad paints should work fine.  I've used enamels without incident.

[randgust]

Have the same thing, wondering the same thing.

I've heard lots of reports of leftover wax, surface problems, etc. and see none of it....  but I haven't tried to put paint to it yet.

What an extraordinary development.   The winch parts on this thing are just unbelievable.

[Philip H]

I let pretty much any of my FUD parts soak between 4 and 8 hours in Bestine, then clean with a stiff old toothbrush.  That pretty much takes all the wax.  Then a coat of Pollyscale primer, and off to the races.

[bbussey]

I don't even take a toothbrush to the models.  Bestine doesn't harm the EX2000 plastic, so the soaking time is discretionary.  I fully submerge my parts for at least a day or two, then pull them out and watch them air-dry in about 30 seconds.  If wax is still present, back in the soup for another day.

[randgust]

I never heard of the stuff (bestine) and was completely stunned when my local office supply store pulled it off of the shelf of the crafts dept.

Huh.   Well, thanks guys.   This is what forums are for!

[robert3985]

Being a graphic artist of the old school (y'know...REAL paper and pens and inks? Or should I say "analog"?) I've been aware of Bestine since 1968.  We used to run lettering through a waxer, then cut the paper and position it on the illustration board...and burnish it.  If we got it placed wrong, up it would come to be laid down correctly.  The wax left a residue on the paper and we used Bestine to instantly dissolve it.

I've used it for prepping models for painting for decades...it gets rid of wax, oils, fingerprints, and then almost instantly evaporates...and it never has affected ANY plastic I've been painting.

It works very well with FUD resin models.  When the wax is totally gone, the FUD model turns a frosty white...no translucency.  I also soak my parts for a day or so before painting.

Remember, your FUD part is ultraviolet sensitive.  Don't leave them out in light for a long time before painting or they'll go ultra-brittle and fragile.  It's like they partially de-bond.

I have used both acrylics applied with an airbrush and enamels sprayed out of a little can on my FUD models.  Both work well.  I am assuming that lacquer will also work well, but I have not tried any Scalecoat or Floquil on anything yet.

Cheers!
Bob Gilmore

[damrr]

 Thanks guy's for the interesting info.
I think it would be neat if somewhere there could be a post or thread on the what you can do and not to do with these new model making materals for the model railroader.

I think we need a special section on this forum for info and discussion's about this new system of modelmaking and info from other model railroaders on what they are doing with this new technology.

[bbussey]

There have been a number of FUD / ProJet threads over the past year or so, in this forum in particular because of how the fineness of detail relates to N scale.  You can find them through the site search link at the top of the page.

As a visual refresher, here is a picture of EX2000-rendered models with the residue wax and after a two-day soaking in Bestine:

[DKS]

Being a graphic artist of the old school (y'know...REAL paper and pens and inks? Or should I say "analog"?) I've been aware of Bestine since 1968.  We used to run lettering through a waxer, then cut the paper and position it on the illustration board...and burnish it.  If we got it placed wrong, up it would come to be laid down correctly.  The wax left a residue on the paper and we used Bestine to instantly dissolve it.

I've used it for prepping models for painting for decades...it gets rid of wax, oils, fingerprints, and then almost instantly evaporates...and it never has affected ANY plastic I've been painting.

It works very well with FUD resin models.  When the wax is totally gone, the FUD model turns a frosty white...no translucency.  I also soak my parts for a day or so before painting.

FWIW, ditto here. Been an old school graphic artist since about 1970. Have literally gone through dozens of gallons of heptane (Bestine) since them, and I would never be without a steady supply even today. In addition to being perfect for painting prep, as Robert says, it's also 10X better than Goo-Gone at doing the things Goo-Gone was made to do, like remove pesky UPC stickers and such. I also use it to clean locomotive mechanisms, as it does a great job removing old dry grease and other residues. You can soak a mechanism in it, motor and all, with no harm; a few swipes with an old toothbrush, and it looks like new.

As for painting FUD, as others have said, anything you'd ordinarily use on a plastic model is fine. A light coat of primer is recommended before applying a topcoat.

[hnipper]

Guys:

The chemical name for Bestine is "heptane" and if you go to the Bestine website, you can take a look at the MSDS.

http://papercement.com/msds_bestine.pdf

This stuff is flammable. The fumes can ignite from a spark. Best use small quantities in a well ventilated space or outdoors. If you use it to soak something, best put a lid on it! I would not use it in a furnace room, or around a gas dryer, for example.

I am sure that this stuff is very safe as long as you follow label directions, but be careful out there!

Henry
(a chemist since 1960, I teach toxicology in a medical school)

[bbussey]

Yup.  Been discussing this topic here for the past year or so.  Bestine is heptane.  It is flammable.  It evaporates extremely fast so you have to cover it by default, and leaves no residue.  As mentioned up-thread and previously, heptane was used for decades in the printing industry.  As with any solvent, it should be handled appropriately.

[ljudice]

One data point:  I idiotically left a couple of FUD parts in a bath of Scalecoat Washaway - for 2 days.

I was expecting them to be just plain dissolved - but no - absolutely no damage or distortion.

[peteski]

That resin is tough. See my experiments in https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=25950.msg263119#msg263119