pin stripe detailing tape

[Flatrat]

I have repainted two diesels and applied mircroscaledecals to model my Western Maryland diesel engines from the early 50's. Overall they look pretty prototypical.

Applying decals in N scale I have now learned is a very frustrating affair and I'm not easily deterred from such detail work but i'm glad i purchased several sheets of decals to give me enough decals to be succesful. Solavaset has laid the fireballs, etc. down nicely over louvers, etc.

The pinstripes however are quite simply, not applicable, no matter how many times I attempt it. It's like trying to manipulate a hair with tweezers and a fine paint brush and it's just not possible to my skills. Are there any companies that make fine pinstripe tape that anyone can recommend? I would still like to attempt to add the proper mustard gold pinstripes that would complete my models.

Thanks,
Scott

[SkipGear]

Pinstriping can be done with decals. It just takes patients and practice.



Actually, the blue band between the stainless and the gray is painted so that is an option also. The white line on the locos below are painted also...

[Flatrat]

"Pinstriping can be done with decals. It just takes patients and practice."

I'm not a Doctor so I don't have any "patients" {Hah! just kidding. I know what you meant}

The pinstripes that i got from microscale decals are so fine that I just couldn't lift them from the water to the engine without them becoming a mangled mess no matter what method i could employ.

Your pinstriping is phenomenal!

I can't imagine how i could mask and paint the stripes for Western Maryland engines from the 50's. i was wondering if anybody made really thin pin stripe tape. the stripes would be hard to model in HO but in N...forget it!!

The stripes are so thin I may just have to admit defeat and be happy with the decals as they are sans stripes. Absolutely no way to do them with a fine brush. Maybe i should've decided to model WM in the 60's when they went to the different paint scheme. [laugh!]

[peteski]

The pinstripes that i got from microscale decals are so fine that I just couldn't lift them from the water to the engine without them becoming a mangled mess no matter what method i could employ.

Aha!  Your technique is the problem!
When you have long and thin pinstripes, you don't let them float in the water.  You get the paper wet but pull them out (and hold the paper with tweezers) while waiting for the decal to loosen up. Also puddle some water in the area on the model where the pinstripe is to be applied. Once you test that the pinstripe moves on the backing paper, you then take the paper and place at the starting position of the pinstripe on the model. Then using a brush gently start sliding the end of the pinstripe onto the model Once you have the end of the pinstripe on the model, hold it with a brush then start sliding the backing paper from underneath the pinstripe.  Then if the pinstripe is not in the right location, puddle some more water on the model then gently coax it using a brush.

At least, that is how I apply long-thin decals. Or even other decals. I don't float any decals in the water (especially Microscale as those are very thin and will usually curl around the brush when picked up).  Sometimes you need 3 hands to do this. That is why I use all sorts of holding devices to hold the model's body steady while I use my both hands to apply decal (as described above).

[SkipGear]

Your decal technique is the problem. Never dip decals in water. I lay them on a damp paper towel and let them soak up the water they need. Once they have soaked enough to release from the paper, pickup paper and all, and place it in the area of the model you need the stripe. Use the tip of an Xacto or tweezers to hold one end of the stripe decal and then carefully slide the paper out from under it, pulling from the opposite end. The stripe will lay down straight easy this way. From there it is just a little fine tuning up and down to straighten out wiggles if they show.

The finest tape I have seen is 1/64 but it does not come in any railroady colors. If you are doing black, white, red or yellow, you may be OK. It is pinstriping for 1/24 model cars and ends up being much thicker (standing out from the body) that i would be comfortable with in N scale.

Edit - Looks like Petski and I are of the same mind....

[peteski]

Edit - Looks like Petski and I are of the same mind....

Mind?  What mind?   

I think we use our technique because it works.    Personally I was never a fan of the "float decal on water" technique.  It just didn't seem right to me. I tried it and I didn't like it either.

[Flatrat]

You guys are maniacs! C'mon over to my house and I'll spring for steaks and beer if you can put stripes on my engines!!!!

I've been working in 1:20 and 1:29 for the last few years. I didn't even know where my magnifying glass was until i started to futz with n scale again [laugh!]

Seriously, thanks, I'll try both of your techniques regarding dampening the decals in the future, but especially with my RS-3, the Western Maryland had some crazy curves with their pinstripes around the logo and near the cab at both the front and back and on the front and tail ends of the hoods. If I could upload the stripe design for a 1950's WM Rs-3 you might have some more sympathy for my plight [Laugh!!]

The F7 has a bit less complex striping so your technique may work with that engine.

[SkipGear]

You mean this?....



I would assume any decal set would come with the loop pinstripe as part of the sheet. Free-handing that would be a challenge in any scale.

The Microscale set comes with the curved pinstripes on the sheet....

http://www.microscale.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=60-1005&Category_Code=WM&Product_Count=13

[Flatrat]

That's the beast. the stripes around the logo on the front and back end are easy compared to the the curves up over the hood in front and back of the cab.

WM from the 1940's to the 1950's...it seemed like a good idea at the time. I mean, the engines are all semi-gloss black......what could be hard about that?

[peteski]

IN such cases I actually cut the single decal into multiple pieces, then apply each piece individually, lining them up as I go along.
For that engine I would make the long horizontal stripes separate, then I would also cut the U-shape on the front at the bottom of the U.  I would first apply the U parts to the nose then the horizontal stripes. I suspect that the decal stripes are already in two pieces, separated at the bottom of the U.  I don't think that Microscale would be cruel enough to make that pinstripe a single piece from end to end!   

[randgust]

I carefully read what you guys said and there's not much to add.   ATSF for my era is hip-deep in pinstripes and I've decalled every loco I own.

Lots of Microscale yellow stripes over the years on the dark blue bodies, and both yellow and black stripes on the passenger units.

I agree with everything you've said, I'll add a couple minor points.  One is that the water puddle on the locomotive receiving the decal is critical.  If you have to, drip on a little more to refloat it.  That 'usually' lets the decal straighten itself back out.  Two is that you pull water out from underneath using a damp piece of tissue, slowly, and as it comes down you do the final straightening with a paintbrush, tweezers, whatever. 

Only do one stripe at a time and let it dry before moving to the next.  Nothing is more frustrating that getting one on right and accidentally moving it while you're on the next piece.  Take your time.

The other nightmare with Microscale stripes is having them shatter as they age (on the paper) so that they go into little shards coming off the wet decal paper.  That's what the decal film solution is for.   If your decals aren't fresh, then I highly recommend putting a quick coat of this on the stripes, let it dry a couple hours, then cut the stripes.   Better safe than sorry.     You may still have them come off in pieces, but they won't be microscopic shards.

That's my paint, not IM's.  IM's is too blue for me.   The 'ultimate test' of both straight stripes and straight brass handrails is an SD45-2.



I've done two of these now, using the Microscale 1" white stripes rather than the stock Amtrak Phase 1 stripes. 



That's one miserable scheme to decal.  The technique on the center stripe is that I decal it right across the windows, let it dry, then clip the centers, then hit it with solvaset to shrink it back.