Painting and decaling
Now is a good time to temporarily assemble all the com-
ponents of your model to make sure no modifications are
required before painting. If you are happy with everything,
disassemble the model and wash the shell, frame, and truck
side frames with a toothbrush and warm soapy water. Rinse
everything well. Once the parts are washed, be sure not to
touch them with your bare hands as the oil from your skin
could interfere with the paint. I often use my airbrush with no
53. Model ready for painting.
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Pan-Am SD45R part 2 - 8
paint to blow the water off parts before I attach them to hold-
ers for painting.
My painting holder for the shell is made from a piece of 1x4
wood and a scrap of ½” plywood. I put a couple pieces of fold-
ed-over masking tape on top of the holder to keep the shell
from sliding around.
My painting holder for locomotive frames is made from a piece
of 1x4 wood and two sheet metal screws. Originally I made
this holder for painting Athearn blue-box frames, but I have
also used it for Atlas and Proto 2000 frames by adjusting the
spacing of the screws. The side frames can be taped to a scrap
of wood or held with alligator clips. If you are using the Proto
2000 coupler boxes you can also prepare them for painting.
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54. Painting stand for shell.
MRH-Nov 2014
