Repainting & Modifying Aristo (NOT USAT) B Units

[trammayo]

The title refers to my previous thread requesting info on what I thought I'd bought (USA Trains FA-1 units) but turned out to be Aristocraft!

Anyway following a "Wanted" posting asking if anybody had a matching B unit, two members offered these items below;-

Top photo from Lordraglan and the lower one from ebaymike.

The UP Unit is complete whilst the lower is minus electrical stuff like motor blocks, etc.

I would like to repaint both units into a matching livery (D&RGW) - one unit for each FA-1. As I would like to be able to use one on my trailer layout (all R1s - inc reverse curves!), I thought the Sante Fe unit would suit my purpose admirably. It will be non-motored and the couplings will be truck mounted.

One major difference between the FA-1s and these two B units is the mesh panels. On the latter, the mesh is printed on clear plastic whilst the former has injection moulded mesh panels! Cannot repaint the UP panels so I'm thinking that the aluminium mesh used for car body repairs might do - although the mesh is diamond shape as opposed to the square appearance of the printed or moulded panels.

Messed about with some primer (for metal) paint yesterday and painted a piece of plastic as a test swatch....



I don't think it's a million miles out and, hopefully I will spray it on.

So, which to convert first? Well that was a no-brainer. The Santa Fe one was already stripped down (or nearly was). I removed all the components that were still onn the body .....



... and then I took a more detailed look at the bottom red/yellow/black stripes. The red and black ones may have been tampo printed as the paint thickness is minimal. However, the yellow is a thick layer of paint - and very hard too.

I tried solvent, carefully brushed on but it had little effect. I tried brushing some brake fluid on and leaving it for an hour. No colour came off on the wiping rag so I thought that was a futile exercise. In the end, I'm using a small woodcarving chisel as a scraper, and then sanding smooth....



This going to take some time. I've got to be careful to presrve the rivet detail. When the finish is acceptable, I'll give it a coat of grey primer. The Rio Grande livery is silver at the bottom. More later (I hope).

 

[Henri]

Two things to try: Oven cleaner and nail polish remover...

 

[trammayo]

Two things to try: Oven cleaner and nail polish remover...

Thanks Henri - at least I know where the oven cleaner is!

 

[David1226]

Thanks Henri - at least I know where the oven cleaner is!

GIve us a kiss and I'll tell you where to find the nail polish remover.....

David

 

[trammayo]

So oven cleaner (foaming type) didn't work so it was back to abrasives and pareing away. I used one of the fine grit sponges sliced up to rub down with. Tedious is an understatement and I have to admit that I gave up with still some red paint on.



I tried grey acrylic primer but it didn't cover properly so I wiped it off straight away and used solvent to further clean up. Leaving it to dry off, I thought about the clear plastic primer. This went on OK (sigh of relief) so I left it to dry off and harden.

I then used the grey primer again as a base for the silver spray. After an elapse of time, the task of applying the paints worked. Not the finest job - the paint scraping also scraped the plastic - but from a short distance away it doesn't show. It is a narrow strip anyway (which helps).





The task of masking up took about an hour. I did inside and out - although I will be spraying from the outside I did not want the yellow (ish) paint to blow through to the inside and 'contaminate' areas that I wished to retain as silver. The strange blob of light showing on the images is, I believe, sunlight!







The clear primer is now drying OK. Before I load up the airbrush to do the yellow, I'm going to do a test on a piece of plastic again - I don't want Murphy's Law to supervene and become a QED on how not to use different paints!

The two proprietary primers used .....



More to follow (I hope) after paint testing - and assuming the pigments in the yellow don't block up the airbrush!

 

[trammayo]

Well my last sentence (above) proved a little prophetical! Main reason is that I had many interuptions and the paint was drying in the airbrush noxxle. So I gave it another blast over this morning ...



However, that didn't cut the mustard! So I thought I'd give it a coat of clear lacquer - it would 'wet' the matt paint and hopefully darken it a little. As I was going to apply lining tape after the re-paint, I thought gloss would be best. So a 20 mile round trip and anothe blast over, followed by removal of the masking tape .....





So that was a lot better. The end bulkhead inserts had been glossed over yesterday but the clear varnish did react with paint before curing. As only the door portion will be seen (if at all) then it would have to do.

All these inserts have three square apertures, with relief text, for the switches (smoke unit, motors, lights) even if switches are not fitted from new! Anyway I put a strip of masking tape on the back to stop any bleed through. In the end, I left the tape on and sprayed it silver to match the rest of the back...



The porthole style door windows had brass coloured bezels so I had to try and silver them....



The exhaust pod was black but, the one on the A unit was silver. So now B is similar to A - or will be when the paint cures....



Yesterday afternoon I picked up the 2mm black lining tape from the post office. It was cheaper to get it delivered from the UK and collect it than it would have been to go to Halfords....



I will have a slight problem with this. On the A (and the B) units, there is a rivetted horizontal bead seperating the lower three stripes from the fourth (above the bead). The bottom three are the same spacing as on the roll of twin line tape. So I'm going to have to make a liear cut seperating a length of tape to apply numbers three and four stripes! Just hope I can keep it straight.

Meanwhile, I have painted the bellows cooridor connections black. So it's coming together.

 

[trammayo]

Managed to apply the pin stripe tapes this afternoon. They don't stick too well to the paint - may need to warm them up a little to help. Also will need to varnish over I think.





Whilst the mustard colour has a slight shade variance to the A units, it's near enough I think. And besides, I haven't any more clues left as to how to alter it!





Also exhaust unit silvered but may need a little bit of a shine to match the rest of the roof.



Now I need to get on making the non-motored trucks I suppose.

 

[beavercreek]

Excellent job Mick. The final varnish will definitely help the stripes to remain stuck.
I used white lining trim for a couple of steamers that I had made into Rio Grande jobbies and it wasn't until I sprayed them with the final Testors Dulcote that the lining stayed put in the difficult areas.

 

[trammayo]

Excellent job Mick. The final varnish will definitely help the stripes to remain stuck.
I used white lining trim for a couple of steamers that I had made into Rio Grande jobbies and it wasn't until I sprayed them with the final Testors Dulcote that the lining stayed put in the difficult areas.

Thanks for the reassurance Mike - the paint pigment is very coarse (and so is the finished surface) so was a little worried!

 

[Rhinochugger]

MMmmm... I think, when I come to the point of painting my next loco..........

I'll send it over to you, Mick

 

[daveyb]

looks fa'b

 

[daveyb]

looks fa'b

 

[trammayo]

Thanks for the vote of confidence! To be honest, it has been quite a frustrating job (and still is). At least I'm learning by my mistakes (I think). Now on with the trucks and the wheel diameter is causing me a headache!

 

[trammayo]

The truck side frames are of the original type that picked up power from the axle journals. Not being a philistine, I thought I'd leave them as pictured below in case I ever acquire a power unit or two when I give up with the trailer layout...



The suspension is obvious of course but, given that they might ground with a slight smaller wheel diameter, I'll have to abandon my original thoughts of running the axles in the bearings.

I measured the wheel diameter on the A Unit ....



As I am using some repaired Aristo wheelsets from freight or coach stock ....



.....I measured these too....



The trouble with these wheelsets is that the 'axle' and wheel is cast in one piece. This pic shows the three parts - so I could not retain the truck pick-ups and wait for a possible short circuit ...



The problem with the aristo wheel set up is that the two castings rely on being joined together by a moulded plastic sleeve. Because the axle stubs are a tight (interference) fit, the plastic does split over time ...



It needs the plastic for insulation if you use track power - so it needs to be repaired. I have used wire wound around the offending sleeve in the past but, this time, I wondered if there was a neater way.

Looking around, I espied a part coil of 8mm Table W copper pipe. Trying the sleeve in the pipe showed that the plastic was a fraction smaller in diameter than the bore of the tube. However, using a normal tube cutter, the cutting wheel compresses the line of the cut and forms an internal burr.

With the aid of rat-tail file, the copper 'rings' were made to fit (but not too tightly otherwise the plastic could not expand)....



And here's one I did earlier ...



The R/H ring is what I sawed off the pipe to test the possibilities - waste not ......

So with the wheels sorted (the copper rings were treated to a felt tip marker pen), I show my attempt at putting some lettering on. I did not have the correct font (should have serrifs) nor did I have any black letters. So the old felt tip marker pen was used to get my black lettering ...

This is what's left after removing the letters


And on the B unit. The brass grab rails have also seen the flourish of the marker pen!



Not perfect, but it will do I suppose!

 

[beavercreek]

Great stuff Mick!

 

[ebay mike]

Are those rub on letters Mick?. Have you lacquered them yet? What size are they? I can look in the "garage" to see if I have anything suitable. Do you need numbers too?

 

[Rhinochugger]

The truck side frames are of the original type that picked up power from the axle journals. Not being a philistine, I thought I'd leave them as pictured below in case I ever acquire a power unit or two when I give up with the trailer layout...

Wheels and wheel diameter is a PITA in this scale.

In the past, I have bought non insulated 32mm gauge wheelsets of the desired diameter, cut the axles in half, and glued them into some plastic tube (wedged full of epoxy adhesive) and set them to 45mm gauge.

 

[trammayo]

Are those rub on letters Mick?. Have you lacquered them yet? What size are they? I can look in the "garage" to see if I have anything suitable. Do you need numbers too?

Hi Mike - they are vinyls at 3mm (the only ones I had near suitable) and no I haven't lacquered them yet. The A units have 2008 under the D&RGW whilst there is the larger 6009 (white on a black background - which isn't needed for the B). I presume the 2008 is year of manufacture?

 

[trammayo]

"Wheels and wheel diameter is a PITA in this scale.

In the past, I have bought non insulated 32mm gauge wheelsets of the desired diameter, cut the axles in half, and glued them into some plastic tube (wedged full of epoxy adhesive) and set them to 45mm gauge."

Yes, you're right about that!

I never gave a thought to resin as a tube filler. The wheels I'm using came off some coaches I 'restored' and I did use some plastic tubing (out of some hand-wash liquid bottles) but thought it wasn't rigid enough for this project. Your idea would have solved the problem!

Anyway, after lunch, I went back into the shed and had another look at the truck frames. I'm now going to modify the axle boxes (not irretrievably) so the frames will sit a little higher OR I need to buy some larger wheelsets! Now seeing how the bits fit together, the more common insulated wheel types will suffice.



The gutter sections will provide the material for new replacement "inside" axlebox parts.



I have some brass tube to make the correct size bearings - the above components will be kept safe.



The slot normally points vertically upwards, I'm thinking that if I turn them 180 degrees (I know that the box lids will be upside down, but what the heck!). I can achieve some clearance.

And after that little deconstructing exercise, I went to the County Clinic for an eye test (I really have a problem with close-up work or reading)!

 

[ebay mike]

Hi Mike - they are vinyls at 3mm (the only ones I had near suitable) and no I haven't lacquered them yet. The A units have 2008 under the D&RGW whilst there is the larger 6009 (white on a black background - which isn't needed for the B). I presume the 2008 is year of manufacture?

Hi Mick. I'm at my daughter's in Hampshire at the moment. I found my folder with all the Blic and Normatyoe rub on lettering in yesterday. When I get back I'll take some pix and PM them to you. If there's anything any good I'll post them direct if you let me have your address. No charge, but don't let it get about - I have my reputation to maintain!!!