08-20-2010, 09:50 PM
Geez, thanks for the kind words, guys. :oops: That's enough of a lift to get me back to work after the football game is over. 
For me, the brush marks are as dependent on the paint as they are on anything I can do to prevent them.
The main reason for brush painting in this case is the fact that those "company colours" are in long-discontinued Polly S. I've since found suitable replacements in Polly Scale, but for some time, I very stingily guarded my limited supply - that's one of the main reasons that only stations, towers, and crossing shanties (the "public" face of the railroad) get that treatment. Things such as section houses, handcar sheds, water towers, etc. are all in plain old boxcar red.
The Polly S colours used are very forgiving as far as brush marks are concerned, and it dries so quickly that I could paint the three shanties continuously in each colour until I had decent coverage - two coats for the green and three for each grey. The small areas with clapboard or board & batten detail also help to hide any brush strokes.
I find Polly Scale pretty decent in hiding brush marks, and it also covers better than Polly S. Solvent-based paints such as Floquil can be difficult to brush on plastic, as the solvent "attacks" the plastic almost immediately. I find small areas are easy enough - one pass and leave it. If it needs touch-up, let it cure for a day or two before trying. A good quality brush is a big help, too - check art supply stores. Get natural bristle brushes for use with solvent-based paints and man-made bristles for water-based paints and expect to pay anywhere from $5.00 to $10.00 or more apiece for good brushes - well-cared for, they'll last for years. Last, don't over-work the paint - unless it's extremely fast-drying, most paint will level itself to some degree.
Kevin, the cutting mat was picked up (you're right - cheap) on a visit with my artist daughter to an art supply store. I have never used it as a cutting mat, though, preferring to work on a sheet of glass for most small jobs like this. With the store's name right-side-up, there are inch increments along the bottom and the left side, with centimeters along the other two edges. Made in Taiwan, by the way. While Canada is officially metric, in my opinion it's a puny set of measurements for a country this big - it's no more impressive to say Canada is 5514 kilometers from coast-to-coast than to call it 3426 miles, and at least I have a sense of a mile - a kilometer on the highway is gone while I change the station on the radio. When I'm not using a scale rule, I measure in inches, feet, and miles, calculate my car's mileage (is there such a thing as kilometerage?) in miles per gallon (Imperial gallon) and consider it a nice day if it's over 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
And you are correct in your observation about this being a relatively simple scratchbuild - both this and the even simpler "outhouse" kit-build are aimed primarily at those modellers who might like to try scratchbuilding but are for some reason intimidated by the prospect. Other than measuring to ensure these buildings will fit on their assigned plots, there's not a great deal of precision work here - none of the buildings will fit on the floor of the others, and none of the roofs will fit on any other than the one for which it was built - shoemaker local carpenters following the railroad's "standard plan", with each builder's personal stamp on the end product.
Wayne
For me, the brush marks are as dependent on the paint as they are on anything I can do to prevent them.
The main reason for brush painting in this case is the fact that those "company colours" are in long-discontinued Polly S. I've since found suitable replacements in Polly Scale, but for some time, I very stingily guarded my limited supply - that's one of the main reasons that only stations, towers, and crossing shanties (the "public" face of the railroad) get that treatment. Things such as section houses, handcar sheds, water towers, etc. are all in plain old boxcar red.The Polly S colours used are very forgiving as far as brush marks are concerned, and it dries so quickly that I could paint the three shanties continuously in each colour until I had decent coverage - two coats for the green and three for each grey. The small areas with clapboard or board & batten detail also help to hide any brush strokes.
I find Polly Scale pretty decent in hiding brush marks, and it also covers better than Polly S. Solvent-based paints such as Floquil can be difficult to brush on plastic, as the solvent "attacks" the plastic almost immediately. I find small areas are easy enough - one pass and leave it. If it needs touch-up, let it cure for a day or two before trying. A good quality brush is a big help, too - check art supply stores. Get natural bristle brushes for use with solvent-based paints and man-made bristles for water-based paints and expect to pay anywhere from $5.00 to $10.00 or more apiece for good brushes - well-cared for, they'll last for years. Last, don't over-work the paint - unless it's extremely fast-drying, most paint will level itself to some degree.
Kevin, the cutting mat was picked up (you're right - cheap)
on a visit with my artist daughter to an art supply store. I have never used it as a cutting mat, though, preferring to work on a sheet of glass for most small jobs like this. With the store's name right-side-up, there are inch increments along the bottom and the left side, with centimeters along the other two edges. Made in Taiwan, by the way. While Canada is officially metric, in my opinion it's a puny set of measurements for a country this big - it's no more impressive to say Canada is 5514 kilometers from coast-to-coast than to call it 3426 miles, and at least I have a sense of a mile - a kilometer on the highway is gone while I change the station on the radio. When I'm not using a scale rule, I measure in inches, feet, and miles, calculate my car's mileage (is there such a thing as kilometerage?) in miles per gallon (Imperial gallon) and consider it a nice day if it's over 80 degrees Fahrenheit.And you are correct in your observation about this being a relatively simple scratchbuild - both this and the even simpler "outhouse" kit-build are aimed primarily at those modellers who might like to try scratchbuilding but are for some reason intimidated by the prospect. Other than measuring to ensure these buildings will fit on their assigned plots, there's not a great deal of precision work here - none of the buildings will fit on the floor of the others, and none of the roofs will fit on any other than the one for which it was built - shoemaker local carpenters following the railroad's "standard plan", with each builder's personal stamp on the end product.
Wayne