Grab Irons and when to paint them?

[justGO]

Hey all,
I have a question as I go to paint my first N scale engines. Should I place the grab irons on the engine first and then paint them? Or... should I wait, paint the body, and then add the grab irons? I realize this has probably been covered before, and there is probably no one right way to do this, but I appreciate any advice you guys can give me. Thanks

[danraitz]

I always install grab irons before painting, except where there will be decals applied. Then I will add them after the decals have been applied.

[iomalley]

I drill #80 holes (for HO) so the grabs will be interference fit and paint them on the model, and remove any necessary for decalling, then glue them in once its ready for weathering.

Sometimes I forget to glue them, but they're not typically in the way when being handled, so they stay put for the most part.

[sbhunterca]

I usually install all the grab irons except those which would be in the way of masking or decalling. I test fit those ones before painting the body, and set them aside. I usually brush paint them while the body is drying.

Once all the decals are finished, I will install the last grab irons, then give a coat of flat finish and weather the model. Glazing is added after weathering, although sometimes I'll mask the arc of the windshield wipers and spray some grime on the windshield as a last step.

Steve Hunter

[artur]

everybody has there own method that works for them. I install all the grab irons into pre drilled holes after painting and decals then spray the model with dull coat. try both methods see which one works better for you.

[justGO]

great advice thanks guys. I have a couple diesels to paint so I will try more than one of the suggested methods. Thanks

[m a y o r 79]

Jan 29, 2015 13:20:08 GMT -5 sbhunterca said:

I usually install all the grab irons except those which would be in the way of masking or decalling. I test fit those ones before painting the body, and set them aside.

  Thats basically what I do.  I also sometimes go back and put either fresh paint, or silver, on the grabs where they would most likely to be touched ( basically in the center).  Since theyre touched more than any other parts of the engine the grime would be rubbed off there, or in the case of an older engine the paint may start wearing away to expose bare metal.

[slowfreight]

Hold off gluing grab irons during constructionand pull them half-way out when painting.



That way, you'll avoid having ghosts or shadows behind the grabs--or spraying too heavily to prevent the shadows.

If you do the #80 holes as mentioned above, when you push the grabs in to their final position the paint will scrape off the grabs to plug any hole that might be left, giving you a tight fit.

[justGO]

The grabs I would paint with a small brush yes? I was thinking since the rails on an Atlas GP40-2 come off separately I could airbrush those grabs and then I could hand paint the rest. Any brush recommendations? It seems people use an airbrush for the main body colors, what preferences do you guys have for the hand painted details? Are vents, grills, and weathering things that are normally dry brushed or airbrushed. Thanks

[jpwisc]

If they are the same color as the body, I glue them in and paint them. If they are a different color, I have a piece of styrene that I place them over, taping one leg to hold them in place. That way I get a nice smooth coat of paint when I spray them.

[m a y o r 79]

That's an interesting idea slowfreight. I'd be afraid of the grabs falling out while I was painting though and losing them. I've never really had much of a problem with ghosting paint anyway.

[justGO]

just an update, I did the white paint layer today. I think it went well, I'm not sure having never done it before. White is kind of a crummy color to start with, as I found it hard to tell how solid the color was so I am worried I painted it a little thick. I can still see all the fine detail though so maybe it's ok. I will wait a while before doing the green, probably next weekend. Looking at the masking I have to do it may make sense to remove some grabs, I'll have to experiment I guess. I did do the handrails for the GP40-2w separately. OK i'll post some pics eventually. thanks again for all the help, its a learning experience and I am gaining even more respect for the real PROs on the boards. Attempting this really makes you appreciate good work even more.