Milw paints and non RR colour sources

[TinyTurner]

Hunting around for Milw colour paints I found a great post here on a VO1000
https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=53136.msg727723#msg727723
but I could not spot what black was used.  As Tamiya is specified it looks like X1 flat back. Can anyone clarify?

Secondly, I can follow directions but I'm a long way off of formulation of blends just yet and all the well known American brands are unavailable or discontinued.  I can easily get mig ammo, Tamiya, games workshop and the like, so I wondered if there is a colour chart out there somewhere for all RR colour reference. 

I will eventually get into detailing/weathering with fades and washes as my artisan skills increase and apparently that can make a difference as to the colour used beneath.  Should it all get lock down with some sort of clear coat?

[Mark5]

Some info here: https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=54616.0

[robert3985]

Do you have a problem using tru-color paints?

I've become a big fan of them since I've done several projects on plastic shells recently.

Instructions for their use is sparse, and I didn't like the advice their website gives since I'm a long-time airbrush artist and their recommended air pressure I thought was too high, and not thinning the paint seemed counter-intuitive since it's quite thick in the bottle.

So, I use Paasche VL airbrushes in three different tip sizes, and I thin the tru-color paint 1/3 with tru-color thinner (don't use anything but their thinner), and spray at between 15 and 20 psi.

I practiced using white plastic spoons to get the pressure and distance correct, and the finish on my Kato shells was flawless...not hiding detail and flawlessly shiny for easy decal application.

I haven't had to mask anything yet, but the paint dries very quickly and I'm sure it would cure quickly using a hair drier (on medium heat) or a dehydrator...which I am going to get as soon as I figure out which one would be best for curing paint on N-scale models.

Clean-up is easy using plain old Acetone...but don't use it to thin the paint as it flashes off too quickly and your paint finish will suffer.

To seal the decals I am using tru-color paint TCP-014 Satin because of its drying speed, but I've also used Tamiya Color TS-79 Semi Gloss Clear in a rattle-can, which I let cure for 24 hours.

Tru-color paints not only has Railroad Colors, but has various military colors, weathering colors, automotive colors, brushable paints and some rattle-can paints, as well as other painting accessories.

Go to their website here: https://trucolorpaint.com/ for color charts and other information.

I highly recommend them for plastic (I haven't used these paints yet on brass...I still have enough Scalecoat II UP paint to last a while).

Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore

[wazzou]

Don’t take this the wrong way, but I find it amusing we’re concerned about “black” paint colors and not the correct Orange.

[robert3985]

Hunting around for Milw colour paints I found a great post here on a VO1000
https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=53136.msg727723#msg727723
but I could not spot what black was used.  As Tamiya is specified it looks like X1 flat back. Can anyone clarify?

Secondly, I can follow directions but I'm a long way off of formulation of blends just yet and all the well known American brands are unavailable or discontinued.  I can easily get mig ammo, Tamiya, games workshop and the like, so I wondered if there is a colour chart out there somewhere for all RR colour reference. 

I will eventually get into detailing/weathering with fades and washes as my artisan skills increase and apparently that can make a difference as to the colour used beneath.  Should it all get lock down with some sort of clear coat?

Looking at the rest of Lucas' post, it looks as if the model was factory painted, but didn't have the step "fillets" so the he ordered "filleted" undecorated cabs from Atlas, sent them and the factory painted engine to Bryn, who then color-matched the unpainted cab to the stock Atlas paint on the rest of the model using a "custom mix" of Tamiya paints.

Also, the black and the orange in the first few photos has been faded, weathered and sealed, so it isn't like any paint straight out of the bottle.

If you don't have a factory painted version and need to paint the whole engine, I would strip it in 91% IPA if it's not undecorated, detail it out first, then paint it using true-color paints...spraying true-color paint TCP-111 Milwaukee Road Orange overall first, then use their "TCP-010 Black" for the black...then detail paint it also using TC paints, then decal it, and seal it with a true-color paint flat or semi-gloss coat...then weather it to your liking and seal it with another coat of true-color paint TCP-017 Flat.  I wouldn't use flat colors as the first coat because a flat finish is not decal-friendly.  Starting with a glossy paint eliminates one coat of clear, (fewer coats is good) and greatly enhances decal application.

For the chassis/fuel tank/trucks, I'd use true-color paint TCP-433 Matte Black since no decaling is necessary.

I've been very happy with true-color paints as you can probably tell, and very happy with their renditions of UP colors, and SP Depot colors...so, I am assuming their Milwaukee Road colors are just as accurate.

Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore

[keeper]

As I understand it, it is more the availablity of colours outside the US or Canada.

It is difficult for me as well to get the paint I want or very expensive.
E.g. Tru-color paint is available in Austria - but only automobile colours - or England - very expensive because of the Brexit (tax and all).

[milw12]

Hey that looks familiar!

Robert correctly summarized the process. I'll try not to repeat myself as it's in the original thread, but after @Bryn color matched the cab to the factory hood he shot a fine satin clear coat over the whole thing. I used a series of oil fades and pin washes- there may have been a second application of satin after the oil fade cured and the pin wash but I can't remember. After the oils cured I matte coated the shell and used various Pan Pastels to dust the model, then another clear coat and a final powdering.

So not only is the black faded by oils, the powders are having an effect too.

Note that there would be three "shades" of black, the top of the locomotive, the oily/grunge walkways and the underframe/chassis. Everything below the sill is brush painted acrylics, Vallejo Model Color Black-Grey, worked over with various washes and drybrushes. And of course, matte coat and powders.

I wouldn't sweat a base orange too much? The factory Atlas VO has a "unique" hue compared to the rest of my collection. And the orange was notorious for fading so if you're planning on weathering anyway the exact base shouldn't matter.

Glad you've found inspiration from one of my projects! It wouldn't have been possible without Bryn's excellent guidance. As for the VO, it's still hauling revenue miles in my basement, still one of the best (and favorite) locomotives I own.

Lucas

[Roger Holmes]

I have used Tamiya rattle can semi-gloss black for a factory new paint job.  It looks good with Atlas, Intermountain and BLI factory black's sheen.