P5se Camelback’s EOY Challenge

[P5se Camelback]

After sitting in Lacquer Thinner overnight, a soft brass brush, a handful of Q-Tips and a pair of Nitrile gloves removed almost all but the most stubborn bits of paint, and those came off with some coaxing with a soft brass brush in a Dremel tool. Those areas looked so good, the whole casting got the treatment.

The wheel sets are presenting a bit more resistance to being stripped of their paint. Since I’m still not totally sure of the material used for the axles, I am not soaking them, but rather “painting” the lacquer thinner on and scrubbing with a Q-Tip. I tried the magnet trick, but even after stripping one wheel to find it to be brass, the magnet was still attracted to it … (?) Checking for resistance with a multi-meter revealed no help … or even any reading … (?) I’m confused … but proceeding as if the lacquer thinner will destroy irreplaceable parts.

The results of the day’s travail are illustrated by the following …











So … my worst fears have been confirmed … under the horrendous paint is a low-quality vintage die cast nightmare, surface-wise for sure and to some extent, detail-wise. What initially appeared to be a moonlit walk on the beach is starting to look more like a blind date with Alfred E. Newman’s sister! I think I have my work cut out for me here!

The surface of the casting will never pass muster as it is … properly applied paint will not hide that hideous surface of the casting. It will have to be primed and worked over with some Squadron Green Putty. A few of the cast-on details will also need to be “fixed” or totally replaced. But what the hey! I am now being reminded why this thing has been sitting in a box for forty-five years … it’s going to require a some work (and a couple of modeling skills I didn’t even know existed back when I was a teenager!)

Tomorrow there will necessarily be a road trip … up I-75 for and hour and a half or so to the “LHS” in Sarasota to get a few items … a tube of Squadron Green Putty (the people at the local RC helicopter-oriented hobby shop never heard of it,) a Cal-Scale brake set and some much needed paint. I’m sure I’ll find a few other things that I “need,” too … I haven’t actually been in a model railroad hobby shop in a couple years, so … I’d better take my credit card with me!