Budd Smooth-side Domes from Lowell Smith

[hegstad1]

Thank you!  I can get Tamiya at my "local" (50 miles...) hobby shop.  I'll pick some up next visit.

The fun part might be masking the rest of the roof!

(I'm getting a lot of "503 Service unavailable" errors tonight.  Refreshing the page usually clears it, but sometimes it takes a few tries.  Up-votes are also very slow to take.)

Spray it from the inside.

[nickelplate759]

..
The fun part might be masking the rest of the roof!
...

If you can't remove the dome glass, try painting the inside of the roof with the green glaze.

[Sokramiketes]

The best color rendition comes from a mix of clear blue and clear green.  About 50/50.  That solex glass was in that range.  (Comment only helps if airbrushing... no one has a matching spray that I know of.)

The other non-airbrush possibilities include lighting filter gels on the inside.  Or at one time there was a perfect Craft Keeper folder that had the right color.  But that was back in like 2004 I wrote about tinting domes that way in NSR.

[Point353]

I can get Tamiya at my "local" (50 miles...) hobby shop.  I'll pick some up next visit.

If you don't want to (wait to) make the 100-mile round trip, you could, for example, order directly from Tamiya, from Amazon, or from HobbyLinc, which is the shop selling via Amazon.

[peteski]

https://www.tamiyausa.com/shop/spray-ps-polycarbonate/ps-44-translucent-green/

In me experience paints for polycarbonate RC car bodies have rather hot solvent.  This same color should be available in their standard TS (polystyrene-safe) spray paint line.  It  is also available in safe X series acrylic paints line (along with transparent blue), and those can be mixed into an appropriate turquoise color which then can be airbrushed in a nice thin layer  inside or outside of the plastic "glass".

[Point353]

In me experience paints for polycarbonate RC car bodies have rather hot solvent.  This same color should be available in their standard TS (polystyrene-safe) spray paint line.  It  is also available in safe X series acrylic paints line (along with transparent blue), and those can be mixed into an appropriate turquoise color which then can be airbrushed in a nice thin layer  inside or outside of the plastic "glass".

The OP doesn't have an airbrush.

Not seeing any other options for a transparent/clear green spray can paint from Tamiya:
https://www.tamiyausa.com/search/page/all/?q=green

[peteski]

The OP doesn't have an airbrush.

Not seeing any other options for a transparent/clear green spray can paint from Tamiya:
https://www.tamiyausa.com/search/page/all/?q=green

You're right.  There are clear red and clear orange in the TS spray line. I must have assumed that since those are available, clear green and blue were also available (like they are in their X acrylic line). My bad.    As we have been discussing this in https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=59624.0, Tamiya seems to make some unusual choices in their color availability.

If it was me I would first try testing the polycarbonate spray on some small area of the "glass" which will not be visible.

[nickelplate759]

re-reading, I see that the domes that need tinting are Kato.  These do have removable glass, but if I recall correctly have window frames printed on the outside - so applying tint on the inside is still the way to go.

[Point353]

You're right.  There are clear red and clear orange in the TS spray line. I must have assumed that since those are available, clear green and blue were also available (like they are in their X acrylic line). My bad.    As we have been discussing this in https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=59624.0, Tamiya seems to make some unusual choices in their color availability.

If it was me I would first try testing the polycarbonate spray on some small area of the "glass" which will not be visible.

TS clear blue comes in a spray can and seems to be readily available at online dealers.
https://www.tamiyausa.com/shop/spray-ts-plastics/ts-72-clear-blue/


 

[peteski]

TS clear blue comes in a spray can and seems to be readily available at online dealers.
https://www.tamiyausa.com/shop/spray-ts-plastics/ts-72-clear-blue/

But no clear green. Ok.

[Point353]

But no clear green. Ok.

Might it be worth attempting to convince the OP to acquire an airbrush?

Paasche has this beginner's kit, which is available from Amazon for about $26.
All it needs is a can of compressed air - likely sufficient to tint those dome car windows.
That would afford much more flexibility in choosing paint types and colors.

https://www.paascheairbrush.com/product/4927
https://www.amazon.com/Paasche-EZ-STARTER-Single-Beginner-Airbrush/dp/B0007D2F8U

[nkalanaga]

Thank you, everybody!

No point buying an airbrush, no more painting than I do.  And what I spray paint HAS to be painted outside.   Even old Floquil brush paints are used outdoors.  We have allergies!

I'm going to paint from the inside, but will still mask everything else, to protect from any overspray.

The few times I tried I couldn't get Kato's dome glass out.  Possibly if I used enough force, but no point breaking anything. So, I'll paint it that way.

I've used the PS paints on styrene with no problems.  In fact, I've never thought about the difference between them, the TS, and the AS paints.  They all seem to work the same for me.

I have a bunch of old ConCor domes, no longer needed, so I'm going to try painting them first.  If it works, great.  If not I haven't lost anything except the cost of the paint.

I wonder if light coats of clear green over/under clear blue would give the correct blue-green color?

[peteski]

I wonder if light coats of clear green over/under clear blue would give the correct blue-green color?

In my experience in spray-can and airbrushing painting, misting light coats of paint results in rough pebbly surface. Paint needs to be applied wet (read: thick) enough to self-level into smooth surface.  And pebbly surface will make those transparent windows look like privacy glass.

[Sokramiketes]

If I were attempting this with the spray cans, I'd shoot a good layer of clear gloss first, and apply the blue and green in mists while the clear is still wet.

That's what I do to lighten the Smoke spray cans over silver, for stainless steel.  It takes away the pebbly nature that Peteski is referencing.  And I'd only try it with the well-atomized Tamiya spray cans. 

[nkalanaga]

Both good suggestions.  Thank you!

Or I could follow Amtrak 9461 (ex-GN) - I have a picture of it and the dome glass is the same color as the Platinum Mist body.  Weird.