Passenger Car Metalizing-Stainless Steel Look with Alclad 2

Hi Crew I've been experimenting with Alclad for 4 years and have maintained a dialogue with Mr. Tony Hipp of Alclad. I hope this will be helpful

Please note that this procedure is different in that it will not get you the "NICKEL PLATED" appearances of brass cars that we've seen since the 1970s. Gray colored base coats help avoid that. IMHO, the appearance will be more prototypical and similar to that of the beautiful HO California Zephyr cars from Broadway Limited (minus the yellow hue) that hit the market a couple of years ago.

The two Budds below were metalized with Alclad 2 Chrome, and lightly weathered. However, a different base color was applied to each car. Amazing what a difference the foundation makes! I was made aware that there have been ongoing "web" arguments with how the sheens of Budd, Pullman Standard, and ACF appear. The answer is that it's varied due to age, care/neglect, weather, etc. Add to that, photos in books/magazines are often edited. In some photos, Post WWII Budd and PS cars look almost "white", yet in some other shots the sheen appears quite dark.

But instead of making this issue an ongoing argument, let's keep it simple. We've basically seen 3 camps regarding stainless steel passenger car sheens:
1. Modelers that prefer the "worn, whitish-gray look" that so many corrugated passenger cars had just before Amtrak.
2. Modelers that prefer the beautiful darker stainless steel sheen that many "well taken care of" corrugated cars had when new. Railroads, such as the Santa Fe, Southern, Burlington, and SCL still had right up until Amtrak's formation.
3. Modelers that want a mix of both.

However, based on my experiments, I respectfully suggest that anyone can have both by using the base colors I've experimented with below.

1) Walthers Budd Diner refinished and decaled into the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad scheme. Diner name: St. Petersburgh (ex-ACL). Base foundation color underneath Alclad 2 #ALC-107: NEW YORK CENTRAL DARK GRAY.

Indoor:

Outdoor:

OK, now here's a photo of a prototype SCL passenger train with Budd cars: (photographer: Martin K O'Toole)

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Weather worn effect:

2) Rivarossi Budd Coach metalized and decaled into Seaboard Coast Line Railroad scheme. Coach prototype number: 5211 (ex-Seaboard Air Line). Base foundation color underneath Alclad 2 #ALC-107: NEW YORK CENTRAL LIGHT GRAY.

Outdoor Photos:
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Here is the updated procedure that I've been working with for metalizing plastic shells:

I no longer use black for a foundation base color, as in the past: Based on my experimenting, I now use either New York Central Dark Gray (deep sheen effect) or New York Central Light Gray (faded sheen effect).

1. After paint stripping your shells, wash them thoroughly in soapy water. Scrub gently with a soft toothbrush. Dawn or Ivory Liquid soaps work very well and leave no residue.

2. Make sure the surface is SMOOTH and doesn't feel slippery. It's preferable not to scuff the surface unless absolutely necessary. If so, "very lightly" scuff the surface in a horizontal direction with either a 3M gray scotch pad (available at most Home Depots)or 3M 1500 grit wet/dry sandpaper.

3. Mask off the interior walls and all window openings. Final clean the surface with wax/grease remover.

4. Air brush needle size should be either medium or fine. Apply 1 to 2 thin coats of high gloss gray paint to the exterior. For Scale Coat paint, Mix 1 part thinner to 1 part paint (50/50). Air Pressure for Scale Coat 2 set at 20-25 psi. Practice applying the gray on scrap styrene or junker rolling stock first. The key here is that the final finish appear very smooth and slick. If you're using an acrylic, apply 1 to 2 gloss coats of clear. Allow the finish to cure thoroughly. With SC-II, I now give it 3 to 4 days. For acrylics, it's good to play it safe and wait at least one week.

5. Alclad II Chrome step: Airbrush needle size: FINE works best! I no longer recommend "medium" as in the past. (for Paasche, fine would be a #1 needle) Air pressure: between 12psi and 15psi. The fan width should be very narrow. Air brush distance to shell: 1 to 2 inches. Stroke Speed: medium speed. Not slow, not fast.

5a.Lightly spray each of the sides and roof in long strokes, as if you were using a slim paint brush. Do not dump it on! If you missed a spot, don't worry. Catch it on the next coat. After your first coat, wait 10 minutes. Yes, it looks transparent-dark gray, don't worry, that's normal. Wait 10 minutes. Remember, if you dump it on, you'll be gritting your teeth. (yes, ask me how I know!).

5b. Apply your 2nd Alclad coat, same technique as above. Make sure you get into the little crevices around the diaphrams (I don't bother removing mine). After you finish this 2nd coat, WALK AWAY from the shell and don't look at if for at least 15 minutes. Come back and check it out. If it's still a bit dark, apply a 3rd thin coat of the Alclad. You'll likely be smiling when you finish. Don't worry if it looks too shiny. If a 4th coat is needed, apply it with a slightly faster stroke.

6. Wait 1 to 2 days. Apply even coat of acrylic based Gloss Clear coat. This will tone the shine down slightly. If using solvent based clear, wait at least 3 days. For clears I prefer acrylics.

7. Apply your decals. You can use Microset normally to move decals into postion, however, apply the Microsol lightly around the decal edges.

8. Now for your "sheen effect": Apply another thin coat of gloss clear to seal your decals. Your model's finish should be similar to my Walther's finish.

8a. Decision time. If you want your cars finish to appear more "aged" then add another coat of gloss clear, and so forth until you get the weathered sheen desired. Don't over do it or you'll wind up with a finish that looks similar to a floquil silver .

However, before toning down the sheen too much, check photos of the prototypes. The Santa Fe, Atlantic Coast Line, Southern, and CB&Q did a nice job of maintaining their streamlined cars' overall appearances like these prototype shots of the SCL Silver Comet just before the Amtrak era.

The reason I now suggest that gloss gray colored base coats be used instead of gloss jet black is is due to the research I've performed regarding Budd, Pullman Standard, and ACF streamliners which can drive passenger car modelers crazy sometimes.

As was pointed out by modeler/photographer CMarchand, if you look at a lot of the publicity photos of streamliners dating from the 1940s-late 50s, the streamlined cars almost always looked perfectly uniform, either very light or very dark due to lighting conditions and photo editing. But then, look at the photos taken from railfans and one will notice that even when brand new the corrugated streamlined cars from the "Big 3" varied with ACF being the "whitest", Pullman Standard the darkest with a slight bluish hue, and Budd right in between. This was confirmed by passenger car expert, James Langston (who works for CSX as a manager). So this was not just a case of photo film quality or camera lens filters, as many of us had thought. I pointed this out on other forums, and now some of those passenger car modelers are doing their research as well and some of them are giving this method a try.

I started experimenting with a variety of dark and light gray tones and discovered that I was able to more closely match the varying finishes on the prototypes; from "well taken care of" like the Canadian's VIA Budd cars, to the extremely worn out appearance of a car "almost ready for the scrapper". My preference, of course, is the polished appearance of SCL's cars. SCL maintained their high quality service right up until the end.


One thing I forgot to mention is that for those that state that the effects may be too shiny:


THEN, I usually point out prototype photos like these:





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Check out the YOU TUBE link below. I tip my hat to the Canadians for taking such good care of their Budd cars.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlX2RF9UWQ0

I'm thinking about finishing a 3rd Avenue Railway streetcar in the natural aluminum that car #555 was left in. Silver spray paint just looks like paint so I've been looking for a finish like this. Is this commonly available at hobby shops or online? I was thinking that auto and aircraft modelers might be onto good techniques for chrome-type finishes.

AntonioFP45 wrote:Hi Crew I've been experimenting with Alclad for 4 years and have maintained a dialogue with Mr. Tony Hipp of Alclad. I hope this will be helpful

Thanks for sharing this! Excellent work... Always like to see new techniques, and I've been hearing about this Alclad stuff for a while...

-otto-

very nice work, thanks for sharing. Ive read about this stuff, definately interested in trying it.

very interesting too, that it seems the various builders used different steels. there are literally hundreds of different stainless alloys.

Here's the manufacturer's "Where To Buy" page http://www.alclad2.com/buy.html

I'm also an Alclad II convert

here are some of my Alclad models-

green_elite_cab wrote:I'm also an Alclad II convert
here are some of my Alclad models

Are those SETPA cars the IHP Silverliner IV? When did they finally come out?

Sir Ray wrote:

green_elite_cab wrote:I'm also an Alclad II convert
here are some of my Alclad models

Are those SETPA cars the IHP Silverliner IV? When did they finally come out?

They've been out in the Express Version since the spring i think. I got mine in either july or early august. Also, the SEPTA store now supposedly has Silverliner IVs and Vs RTR. I'll check for sure on sunday (if they're open) since i'll be on the farewell to the Silverliner II trip.

Does anyone know where i can get a lot of Alclad at a good price?

I have 4 married pairs of Arrow IIIs, Plus another three Arrow III married pairs, and two silverliner IIIs on the way (i'm hitting the jackpot of IHP MUs)

Seconding that. I have some IMW MARC Kawasaki bilevels (two models, one defective shell to which I made some repairs and is now waiting for parts for completion, and more coming when money allows), thirteen old Bachmann Amfleet bodies, two Walthers Amfleet IIs, and a Walthers Budd diner that I'd like to give the Alclad treatment to over time. It would be nice to figure out where to get the stuff in large quantities as it goes fast and I can only seem to find it online with sellers who have pretty high shipping.

Also, wow, CAB. That Stemman pantograph looks excellent so far. Bravo.

Mirai Zikasu wrote:Seconding that. I have some IMW MARC Kawasaki bilevels (two models, one defective shell to which I made some repairs and is now waiting for parts for completion, and more coming when money allows), thirteen old Bachmann Amfleet bodies, two Walthers Amfleet IIs, and a Walthers Budd diner that I'd like to give the Alclad treatment to over time. It would be nice to figure out where to get the stuff in large quantities as it goes fast and I can only seem to find it online with sellers who have pretty high shipping.

Also, wow, CAB. That Stemman pantograph looks excellent so far. Bravo.

Thats actually an old picture, I still don't have springs, and i just realized my "stop bar" idea might need to be tweaked. if the pantograph lowers, its becomes less stable. the bars rely on the pantograph being about the standard catenary height.... back to the drawing board.

I know some local hobby shops that will stock it, but its not always readily available. I know another that always has a few bottles in stock but they're WAY up in Avenel, NJ.

Below is the short-lived IMW Nippon-Shyro Metra Gallery Cars.

My first successful Alclad 2 application. Unfortunately the finish wasn't the critical problem...



I'm not sure what the next Alclad 2 application will be if there will be on in the future. If I get up enough motivation to invest in NJT arrow cars, they would be the next likely candidate. At one point I was considering re-doing my M7A models and giving them an Alclad 2 finish. That has not seen much movement.

I definitely do not plan on doing any Amtrak equipment unless I decided to do/re-do cab car conversions.

jaystreetcrr wrote:I'm thinking about finishing a 3rd Avenue Railway streetcar in the natural aluminum that car #555 was left in. Silver spray paint just looks like paint so I've been looking for a finish like this. Is this commonly available at hobby shops or online? I was thinking that auto and aircraft modelers might be onto good techniques for chrome-type finishes.

Sorry I took so long to respond. You have a choice in aluminum finishes: Alclad Aluminum #101, DurAluminum #102, Dark Aluminum #103, and White Aluminum #106.

Guys, as a reminder one factor that is important in order to get nice, realistic results is that your base color be as smooooooooooth as possible. Rough base color will result in a rough finish. If your base color has a rough texture to it, go ahead and take the extra time to wetsand it smooth. 3M Wet/Dry paper ranging from 400 grit to 2000 grit is good to keep handy.

But to avoid the hassle of sanding excess orange peel or a dry finish, practice laying your basecoat. That's why it's good to have some "junker" boxcar or loco shells handy (Tyco, Bachmann, LifeLike ) that you can pick up cheap at a flea market. Another item that's excellent to practice on is plastic compact disc (CD) cases. I discovered that many people and businesses throw these things away left and right.

Green_Elite_Cab,

I haven't seen any place that sells Alclad in bulk, even on ebay. Keep in mind though that as a modeler gets used to spraying Alclad and refines his/her techniques, modelers wind up using less of it so one bottle will cover quite a bit. With a fine needle in a quality airbrush and 12 to 15 psi at the airbrush tip one I sprayed 4 HO 85ft passenger car shells and sill had Alclad Chrome leftover in the bottle. When I started, I barely covered two shells, so it just takes patience and practice.

AntonioFP45 wrote:

jaystreetcrr wrote:I'm thinking about finishing a 3rd Avenue Railway streetcar in the natural aluminum that car #555 was left in. Silver spray paint just looks like paint so I've been looking for a finish like this. Is this commonly available at hobby shops or online? I was thinking that auto and aircraft modelers might be onto good techniques for chrome-type finishes.

Sorry I took so long to respond. You have a choice in aluminum finishes: Alclad Aluminum #101, DurAluminum #102, Dark Aluminum #103, and White Aluminum #106.

I just saw a new flavor today, Polished Aluminum. It looks like a good match for cars like NJ transit's Bi-levels, which are shiny, but not Arrow III shiny. it looks like it might work, i'll have to order some and test it.

Guys, as a reminder one factor that is important in order to get nice, realistic results is that your base color be as smooooooooooth as possible. Rough base color will result in a rough finish. If your base color has a rough texture to it, go ahead and take the extra time to wetsand it smooth. 3M Wet/Dry paper ranging from 400 grit to 2000 grit is good to keep handy.

DUST IS THE ENEMY! IF ONLY I COULD STOP THE DUST! I just got started alclading my Silverliner III EMUs, and already, DUST! i put them in boxes to dry where they'd be shielded, but it wasn't enough. A wet sponge seems to have gotten most off, but there is no way to tell until you begin putting the chrome on.

But to avoid the hassle of sanding excess orange peel or a dry finish, practice laying your basecoat. That's why it's good to have some "junker" boxcar or loco shells handy (Tyco, Bachmann, LifeLike ) that you can pick up cheap at a flea market. Another item that's excellent to practice on is plastic compact disc (CD) cases. I discovered that many people and businesses throw these things away left and right.

Don't for get though, this can be used to your advantage. Case in point, Sometimes the window bands on EMUs like Arrow IIIs and such appear to be duller than the fluted regions around it. putting a different base coat below can change it that slight amount so that it looks different.

Green_Elite_Cab,

I haven't seen any place that sells Alclad in bulk, even on ebay. Keep in mind though that as a modeler gets used to spraying Alclad and refines his/her techniques, modelers wind up using less of it so one bottle will cover quite a bit. With a fine needle in a quality airbrush and 12 to 15 psi at the airbrush tip one I sprayed 4 HO 85ft passenger car shells and sill had Alclad Chrome leftover in the bottle. When I started, I barely covered two shells, so it just takes patience and practice.

Yeah, i'm learning that the hard way. I have a hobby shop that can get me any alclad i want in 2 days, but the airbrush problem is bad. I'm stuck with a "big" needle right now, as my other to got bent. I gotta dig up part numbers for it. I know my Airbrush is a Crescendo 175, but i need to find the fine quality needle you speak of for it.

You're right on the amount of paint, i've definitely been using less. that Silverliner IV didn't use much at all.

Badger 175 Crescendo

Tip-Fine ~ Item Number: BDG 41-003

http://www.tcpglobal.com/airbrushdepot/ ... BDG+41-003