Paint for structures

What type of paint do you use for painting brass buildings?
Also, where can I purchase the paint?
What type of paint do you use for wooden laser kits also?
Thanks to all in advance.

I'd like to know about how to paint brass as well.

However, I have painted a few laser cut wood structures and use inexpensive, flat sheen, water-based paint from the craft store. There are many colours to choose from, and mixing colours to get the shade you want is easy to do. I use some form of palette (a lid from a plastic container is good) to put a bit of paint on and always thin it with a bit of water to get a smoother finish. I also apply at least two coats, allowing time for drying between coats. If you haven't painted small things before, practice on the leftover bits from your laser kit until you're confident you can apply the paint evenly.

Brass buildings require preparation for successful painting. First, it's important to plan ahead how it will be painted, because this will affect how it's built. It's usually more convenient if the building is not completely assembled first; often it's better to complete sub-assemblies, paint them, and then do the final assembly.

The first step is to thoroughly clean the parts. I use rubbing alcohol to make sure all residues are removed, including and especially oils from skin. Next, I soak the sub-assemblies in white vinegar for several minutes. This gives the surface a microscopic tooth to help hold the paint better. Here I'm soaking a part in white vinegar:



Then I spray it with a primer paint. Here I have a wall subassembly on a block of foamcore ready to spray.



An airbrush is highly recommended, but not having one, I've had to make do, and I've found that automotive primers work quite well, as they adhere well and leave a nice smooth, flat finish. You can buy primers and other spray paints from almost anywhere, including home improvement stores, hardware stores, automotive stores, or Walmart-type stores. For finish colors, I use the cheapest flat spray enamel paints you can buy--oddly, the cheaper, the better, because the cheaper paints are thinner and go on more smoothly than name-brand paints like Krylon or Rustoleum. It's always best to apply several light coats, instead of one heavy one.

There are a variety of primer colors from which to choose, many of which (like ruddy reds) are perfectly suitable as the final finish for things like brick, in which case you're ready for detail painting and weathering right after priming. For this building, ruddy primer serves as the base color for brick; the bottom half was masked off and sprayed white:



I use a variety of paints for detail work. Often I switch to water-based paints so that the detail paint does not dissolve the primer or base coat. I'll use Floquil or Polly Scale, applied with small brushes. This is how the building looked after I applied a white wash for brick mortar (thinned antique white), did the detail painting around the windows, and weathered the white wood area with a very light India ink wash:



For brass kits or parts that simulate wooden structures, I start with a light grey primer, followed by the finish color. Sometimes I like to simulate an aged, faded finish, and instead of painting the final color, I'll tint the grey primer with powdered chalk or a thin wash. Here I used ruddy primer for the brick, and light grey primer for the soffit, which is stained with an India ink wash:



The nice thing about brass structures is that, if you mess up with the finishing, you can simply soak it in paint stripper and start over. However, this can be a little tricky for buildings that are assembled with cyanoacrylate (CA, or Crazy Glue), because if there is acetone in the solvent, the bonds will all give out. Since I always solder my brass kits, I can strip them without concern--which I have done, more times than I care to admit. It took three or four tries to get the station right:





As for laser-cut wood kits, I know many modelers have good success with water-based paints, but I avoid using anything water-based on wood, as I have had some warping issues. My preference for wood structures is to spray them with light grey primer, followed by the finish color, just like brass. I will also use the powdered chalk trick for a faded look. This building was sprayed with light grey primer, then tinted with powdered chalk for a faded cream-yellow finish color:



On rare occasion you can create a great effect with one simple step. For the farmhouse, I wanted the look of aged, faded white paint. So, without priming the wood, I simply sprayed the building lightly with flat white paint. After three or four light coats, I achieved just the look I wanted.



I used the same technique for this tractor shed, except that I went lighter on the paint, and also applied a very light dusting of powdered chalk afterwards for weathering.



One other trick I use on wood kits is to tint the wood with permanent colored markers, like Sharpies. However, this only works in certain cases. The problem is that laser cutting literally burns the wood, which leaves the edges of parts dark brown or black. This can sometimes create an effective look, but not always. It's OK for things like old barns or decrepit shacks, but not for other things like houses or stores. That's why I prefer to prime wood structures first, to get rid of all the dark burned edges.

This barn was tinted with a dark red Sharpie, then weathered with lighter red powdered chalk:



I have lots of tips and tricks for assembling and finishing structures of all kinds at my website: jamesriverbranch.net/

David makes a good point about not assembling the entire structure before painting it. For instance, I will assemble walls and paint them, then assemble the roof and paint it. Additional details, such as railings and such, are painted separately. Once everything is painted, it gets assembled. I try to keep some of the custom mixed paint on hand to do touch ups.



David, I have a question. I bought an assembled unpainted plastic building (Neuschwanstein Castle with a gazillion pieces) that's held together with CA. I've been able to gently pry some of the pieces apart, but would like to dis-assemble the entire building so I can paint it easier. Do you have any tips that would help me dissolve the CA but not harm the plastic?

Beverly56 wrote:

I bought an assembled unpainted plastic building (Neuschwanstein Castle with a gazillion pieces) that's held together with CA. I've been able to gently pry some of the pieces apart, but would like to dis-assemble the entire building so I can paint it easier. Do you have any tips that would help me dissolve the CA but not harm the plastic?

Sorry, the only solvent that's effective on CA (acetone) also eats plastic for breakfast. And CA only releases after being saturated and soaked with it, so it's not like you can apply just a little solvent along the joints. I'm afraid you're going to have to hunker down and paint this one by hand.

xj700 wrote:

What type of paint do you use for painting brass buildings?
Also, where can I purchase the paint?
What type of paint do you use for wooden laser kits also?
Thanks to all in advance.

First, a layer of primer coming from a spray can, then my good old Humbrol paints for aircraft plastic kits. I've not an huge experience with that, only my Micronart girder bridges but I'm satisfied with the result.

Dom