Tools, tips and tricks

hoffertg's picture

Tru-color paint

I am planning on air brushing a grain elevator using Tru-color paint. The problem is that I feel like the sheen is glossier than I desire. I have a jar of Tru-color flat coat; can I add a small quantity of this to the basic paint to reduce the sheen, or do I need to air brush the model afterwards with the flat coat?

Ah-hah Moment: Better scale figure faces

Photo Bud's picture

Railroading Books - Real and Model

had a post about the Scenery book of his youth and the new found copy. I got to thinking about my books and thought I'd share them. I added the covers to Imgur and was going to share them, but thought it would be a major task with 174 of them! Instead, here is a single graphic with the thumbnails!

Decoder Buddy Test



Sue is working on growing our own LEDs on Decoder Buddys.  It seems to be working.  I don’t think they will taste as good as her tomatoes....

Robin W's picture

Aunt Minnie's Farm, from memory....

Hello to Rail Road Modeler's !!!

This picture here is a corner diorama that has survived from the previous layout, I plan on adding this into the new layout i am currently building, and designing as i go. 

Wire for grab irons

What do you use to make grab irons and similar details in HO scale? And where do you get it?

I have used .015" piano wire for some things, but I find it very stiff. I have used brass wire for brake lines. It was good for items that did not have sharp curves. If I used brass for grab irons it usually broke when I made a sharp curve. I am now using some .010" phosphor bronze ( I may try some that is a little thicker). Phosphor bronze is not quite as stiff as I would like.

very tiny screws.

well while working on a brass loco, one of the very tiny screws at the rear of the cab, just does not like having a screw driver touch it.

nothing stripped out, but the slot is not up to snuff. is there a source for these screws? and what size is this anyhow?

might be worth having a number of them as "extras" as my fat fingers have trouble holding and finding them. i just hope i do not drop one on the floor, (carpet).

yes i have a "holder/gripper" but these screws are way too small for it.

Jiffy Rerailer

Several years ago there was a discussion about retailers, specifically the Jiffy Rerailer. I gather from that discussion that Jiffy is no longer in business. I cannot find them anywhere on the web.

I am looking for a compact retailer to use in staging and before/after a lift out section as "insurance". Obviously the Atlas rerailer is readily available but it is has a high visual footprint.

Does anyone know if another manufacturer has picked up the Jiffy design?

Frustration - Painting light colors like white and yellow

Dear MRHers,

I've always enjoyed weathering, but hate painting. However, my current structure project(s) are proving to be particularly painful as they involved the color white. I find light colors (white, yellow, and some reds) are always hard to apply, particularly as I don't use an airbrush.
(Is an airbrush a magic-bullet solution for always-good paint coverage?)


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