Lighting up a Polly Scale Color

Gentlemen,
I have some Milwaukee Road Polly Scale Brown / Red which I need to use to perform touch ups on factory painted O - scale Walthers Cars. The color does not match very well. So how do I go about lighting up the paint to match better. As it is. It drys very dark. So Has anyone ever added white to a color to lighting it up.
Thank you

Get an empty paint jar and try the following,with a "eye" dropper put 3-4 drops ofthe base color,then drop 1-2 drops of reefer white and mix,
then paint the mixed paint on a index card,the place it next to the model to see if the mix is a close match to the factory paint.
Add drops of reefer white to the mix as needed to get a closer match.

It might help to get a 2nd opinion from a fellow modeler on if the mixed paint looks "right"(matches)

Thank you Backshophoss.
Based on this procedure. I should be able to get a small amount of paint enough to do the touch up work.
On worst sections where I have at least large half inch to inch of no paint. I was thinking of masking it and spray painting it. Should I try to increase your same procedure in a larger ratio based on the original trial.
Thanks for the information.

When you find the right "mix" you can "double" the amount of drops of base color /white to make a larger amount.
It should be noted on the prototype since paint "fades" over time any "patching" would be seen anyway.
If a panel on a "E" or "F" unit was replaced that paint would look "better" than the surrounding panels(for example)

The only problem with doing it that way is that a color probably is going to dry a different hue or depth than it was wet so the comparison that you made when one was wet and the other dry may not know be the same. Get an airtight bottle for your mixed paint. Commit to a two or three-day process of adding whites to lighten, etc. after the paint dries (if needed). Try to apply the test to a similiar surface as the color is on that you're trying to match.

Well gentlemen,
I've tried a few different variations and I am amaze to say I found some old Oxide Red which was very close to the original color.
I just posted a related post on this because I am very confuse with the True color compared to the model.
I noticed that the old Walther O-scale cars for MILW and the new Walthers HO Scale cars are the same color configuration.
The center Stripe on the passenger car is no way a Milwaukee road Brown / Maroon. It looks more like a reddish color.
Any suggestion if any other paint better matches this stripe.
thank you

Matching to the factory paint that was done overseas(i.e. China) may drive you crazy,paint weathers over time and
exposure to the elements,which makes the "perfect match" nearly impossible.
It should be noted however,even batches of paint used on the prototype,made at the same factory can be
slightly "off".
BOTTOM LINE: Don't worry about the "nitpickers" out there,Their your models,do what you need to do
to make them look "right" to you,not them!
So what if the paint is slightly off.

Floquil/Polly Scale do their best to match RR colors,with Scalecoat a close 2nd

Hoss, you're 100 % correct ! Also, another consideration too is that you really don't want to duplicate an actual RR color most of the time. This is why; You're viewing your model indoors where there is far less lighting. Even if your model is under the lights at Foxboro Stadium at night, it's far less and a different "temperature" (hue). Bottom line, if you want a viewing experience that's comparable to viewing the actual car outdoors, you are going to have to paint it a shade or two lighter. If you were to take the same exact paint, the model would look darker indoors. I have proven this by painting a C/E Motor MBTA "tangerine", a small can of which had some remains and was about to be thrown in the dumpster, given me graciously by a MBTA shop foreman when I was a kid. It's the same paint as was on the PCC's, Trackless Trolleys, buses, etc. It looks considerably darker inside. Outside...it's perfect !

I think 3rdrail has pretty much summed it up.

The only suggestion I would add would be to do your color matching in the same light that your model will be displayed/operated under. Incandescent lights make colors appear differently than they do under fluorescent lights. Natural sunlight will make the colors appear different still.

Les

3rdrail wrote:The only problem with doing it that way is that a color probably is going to dry a different hue or depth than it was wet so the comparison that you made when one was wet and the other dry may not know be the same.

True. Color is subject to many factors:

1) ambient lighting conditions

2) color of surface underneath it (color is an ADDITIVE process)

3) your own perceptions, etc. etc.

It's nearly impossible to absolutely 100% match factory colors. Either mask off and paint an entire side, or be good with your touch-ups.