Sunday, September 5, 2021

Finally!

 From time to time, I'm asked to paint brass rolling stock. Particularly O scale brass cars.
And man, there are some nice offerings out there!
So I don't mind taking on the task, except for one pesky detail. Getting the factory clear coat off.
Soaking in lacquer thinner is the way to go. Immerse the model for a day or day and the stuff floats away.
The trick is finding a sealable container, large enough for an O scale car and either metal or glass, so as to be impervious to the lacquer thinner. And sealable so that the fumes don't overwhelm the garage.
Yesterday I went to 4 different stores searching for an appropriate container to no avail.
When I got home I noticed that my neighbour was having a yard sale so I wandered over just for fun and voila, there was the answer.
A large glass vase, that may have been marketed originally for storing dry macaroni or some such with a cork plug. The plug was missing, but that was easy to solve.

As  you can see, lots of room for an O scale 40' boxcar.
It takes 2 gallons of lacquer thinner to fill.
Sealing was easy
Tinfoil and a rubber band


So that now sits in the garage and the lacquer thinner does it's magic, and I can still move around in the garage without inhaling the fumes.
I am pleased!
Just in time, there are 4 more brass cars to strip.