Bob

Can't help with the paint but to give you an idea about the number of parts in a loco when I built my 5" gauge 0-4-0 ST "Gemma " (to the design in EIM) I kept track of the number of individual parts and it came out to 1970. Since then I have added a few more bits and pieces.

John

Hi Bob,

I'm based in the USA and, although none of the paints mentioned in Chris Vine's book are available here, I followed his advice regarding preparation, techniques, and so-forth and found them to be absolutely invaluable. In my opinion it's one of the best reference books of any kind because everything is written with first-hand knowledge and bitter experience and the information is largely universal.

To your specific question, I use the the most commonly-available brand of paints which are in stock at every big-box hardware store in the country. These paints, branded "Rustoleum", are generally looked down-upon by model engineers in the USA but I have found that, with the right technique and patience (Chris Vine's book again) the results can be excellent.

I use rattle-can etch primer as a base for everything, followed by oil-based enamels for large parts and rattle-can paints for the smaller parts such as nuts, bolts, brackets, valves etc. I spray the oil-based enamels by diluting with mineral spirits and use an HVLP gun fed from a large compressor through a water separator.

Practice is vital with whatever paint you use and there are definitely do's and don'ts with the paints I use as with any other paint. Unfortunately the only real way of discovering those do's and don'ts is to get some paint and try it out. That's perhaps one reason to start with the most readily-available paints – you can easily get it and try it.

I have never regretted using these commonly-available off-the-shelf paints for the following reasons:

1. Identical colors are available in both rattle-can and enamel format, hence I can use whichever type best suits the job in hand.

2. The paint colors are 100% consistent from can-to-can and tin-to-tin.

3. The paints are readily available everywhere, and over time.

I painted my chassis over 10 years ago and have just finished painting the rest of the engine – I buy the same paint today that I used for the chassis and there is no-way of telling what was painted when.

Everything in the below picture was painted with the oil-based enamels and was painted about 10 years ago, however the picture was taken last year (apologies for the dust on the endcap).

Best regards

Steve