Painting Kadee Couplers


Greg@mnrr

Greg@mnrr

Section Hand
I'm looking for your input on painting Kadee couplers. I have painted them in various ways and I know there's a lot of information on the different ways to paint the couplers and to keep them working properly after painting.

I was thinking of using Monroe's Rust wash and the sealing with DullCote....? Or, air brushing a bunch of the them with thinner acyclic rust or roof brown.

Any suggestions.

Greg

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Greg@mnrr said:
I'm looking for your input on painting Kadee couplers. I have painted them in various ways and I know there's a lot of information on the different ways to paint the couplers and to keep them working properly after painting.

I was thinking of using Monroe's Rust wash and the sealing with DullCote....? Or, air brushing a bunch of the them with thinner acyclic rust or roof brown.

Any suggestions.

Greg

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I apply a drop of light oil to the pin and watch it wick down. Then I brush paint with Vallejo or Reaper Miniatures dark rust color. After the paint dries I work the knuckle to make sure it’s free. It works for me.
 
Been airbrushing them with Floquil paint and DulCoat for years.

Forgot to add the picture. OOPS ;)

100_4891.JPG
 
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NP2626 said:
I use water thinned Acrylic Rust paint with a brush, haven't had any problems in over 30 years! Never used Dull Coat after, as it seems like a waste of time and Dull Coat.
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Mark - I do the same - it works for me.

MHinLA said:
In the RED photo, if you squint your eyes real deep it looks like a chocolate-chocolate chip cookie, or fast food burger meat.....:eek:
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Now there's a different perspective.
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Jerome - that's a good score on the Floquil buy out :)
 
I'll stump them once again. I primarily use Scalecoat II paints, though I do, now, occasionally, use Vallejo acrylics. Scalecoat paints, both I and II, are solvent based and perform absolutely beautifully. Then again, I'm the guy with 12 airbrushes, piped in filtered, dried air from a 150 psi 40 gallon compressor, and an exterior vented paint booth with an explosion proof exhaust fan. Yes, painting is one of the most enjoyable aspects of the hobby for me.

PS: Scalecoat is alive and well and now living in Nashua, New Hampshire DBA Minuteman Models.
 
Okay, I have a couple of questions...

1) What is the best way to remove paint from Kadee couplers? I brush painted a bunch with Model Master Rust, straight out of the bottle -- with the now-predictable result that I gummed up the works and have turned them into non-working couplers. I need to strip the paint off and re-paint them properly -- and am looking for the "best" way to clean that too-thick paint off. Comments, please...

2) Espeefan -- you mentioned a small drop of light oil. What do you use -- Labelle, 3-in-1 Oil, WD-40, or what? And then -- do you apply that drop on where the pin is visible on the very top of the coupler? (If I understood your directions, that IS where you apply it -- but I want to make sure I'm doing it right this time!)

Thanks in advance for your replies!

Regards,
Tom
 
tomstockton said:
Okay, I have a couple of questions...

1) What is the best way to remove paint from Kadee couplers? I brush painted a bunch with Model Master Rust, straight out of the bottle -- with the now-predictable result that I gummed up the works and have turned them into non-working couplers. I need to strip the paint off and re-paint them properly -- and am looking for the "best" way to clean that too-thick paint off. Comments, please...

2) Espeefan -- you mentioned a small drop of light oil. What do you use -- Labelle, 3-in-1 Oil, WD-40, or what? And then -- do you apply that drop on where the pin is visible on the very top of the coupler? (If I understood your directions, that IS where you apply it -- but I want to make sure I'm doing it right this time!)

Thanks in advance for your replies!

Regards,
Tom
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1: Soak in lacquer thinner for an hour or so, or overnight. Clean with an old toothbrush.

2: I use the lighter Labelle 108 applied at the top if the pin. It's thin enough you can watch it wick in. If you want to kick it up a notch, after applying the paint, dip the coupler in rust colored AIM weathering powder or equivalent for texture. Use the trip pin to work the knuckle after it dries to make sure everything is still moving. Re-lube if necessary. After everything is dry, I remove the trip pin with a Dremel cutoff wheel.
 
Espeefan,

More questions -- how do you paint the couplers (hand brush or airbrush?) and do you thin your paint down, possibly all the way to a wash or leave it nearly full strength? And the spring on the side of the coupler -- do you paint that, or leave it unpainted?

I want to get it right this time! :)

Thank you.

Regards,
Tom
 
Like Alan, I use LaBelle #108 on the post. I mostly hand paint keeping the paint out of the moving parts. I do not clip mine because I use magnets in some hard to reach places. The spring eventually tarnishes and I don't paint them. I do apply a very small drop of Super Glue to the post to keep it from disappearing.
 
Tom Stockton, I don't use oil and I use a brush to paint my couplers. I have a bottle of Acrylic Rust colored paint that I thinned down with water, about half and half and this is what I brush on. Sometimes the "Works" of the coupler does get a little sticky, if this happens, I work the coupler by hand until it loosens up. I really don't think there is a "RIGHT" way to do this as we all have our own ways of doing it that works for us. I use a #2 pencil to rub on the faces where the two couplers would mate, to make this location on the coupler slippery and graphite powder in the coupler box to get the coupler so it easily centers. It's really not Rocket Surgery!
 
tomstockton said:
Espeefan,

More questions -- how do you paint the couplers (hand brush or airbrush?) and do you thin your paint down, possibly all the way to a wash or leave it nearly full strength? And the spring on the side of the coupler -- do you paint that, or leave it unpainted?

I want to get it right this time! :)

Thank you.

Regards,
Tom
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OK Tom, so as you've seen, everyone has their own take on doing this. I'm going to quote Tolkien here and say "Advice is a dangerous gift, even from the wise to the wise.", but here goes. ;)

I use Reaper Miniatures or Vallejo rust colors. I've had slightly better results with reaper Miniatures, as it's a latex, not vinyl based like Vallejo. Vallejo paints will turn shiny if you work them after painting, like I do when I brush on AI washes or add chalk, and we don't want sheen on our weathered surfaces.

I brush paint directly from the bottle, full strength. No airbrush, though you could try it. I don't mass produce weathered couplers, I usually do them a pair at a time on the car, as it's part of my prep for putting a new car in service (that's another subject!) Oil the post, brush paint with a small brush, and I do keep the brush out of the hinge and just on the outer surfaces and inside the knuckle. I do paint the spring. Then I dip it into the weathering powder. Like Mark says, sometimes they do get a little sticky and you have to work the knuckle by hand to free it up. You might want to try his method, mine, and anyone else's and see what works best for you. I always tell people that what I do works for me, you may find a way that works better for you. There are multiple ways to do this and all of them are right for the guys using them. :)

If you or anyone else is interested in Reaper Miniatures paints, you can see them here (color chart. I favor the earth color for rust, but YMMV!) They are marketed to figures modelers, but they have a ton of colors we can use. their brushing characteristics are similar to Vallejo. They load up in the brush nicely, go a long way, and clean up with water. (no expensive Vallejo thinner!)

https://www.reapermini.com/paints/master-series-paints-core-colors
 
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