Model Train Journal

I'm working on an unpainted Challenger as some of you know. I've remove the lacquer coating in the areas I'm soldering and want to recoat them.
So any suggestions on small quantities of clear lacquer to brush on and protect the brass from turning/corroding/discoloring or should I just use clear coat? So far, I've only soldered in areas that don't show, but will soon be soldering all over the model and protecting it will be important, as I may leave it in natural brass.

I got a PM from a member with the suggestion of DEFT lacquer, which is used as a clear coat on wood. This would work but comes in quantities larger than my needs, so it got me thinking and I started doing some searches.

The fact is you can still get small bottles of brush on (or air brush) lacquer like Alclad II (in colors and clear)and Testers top coat (dull and gloss) and they are 100% lacquer.

The question came up did the Japanese and Koreans use lacquer to protect the natural brass finish on unpainted models. I know very early on some Japanese builders used brass colored paint to hide solder joints, while others let solder joints be seen.

up148 wrote:......The question came up did the Japanese and Koreans use lacquer to protect the natural brass finish on unpainted models. I know very early on some Japanese builders used brass colored paint to hide solder joints, while others let solder joints be seen.

Yeah Butch, applied to keep the bare brass sheets, plate, castings, joints etc. from oxidizing and
discoloring. I've painted a number of NIB USH, Precision, Ajin etc. (all at least 25 plus years old over the past ten years) that still had rather pristine shiny metal surfaces thanks to those nice factory clear coats. Some though, but not all, had developed a darker "metal-mustard" color too. Martin posted some time back here that certain clear coats, (specifically Testors as I recall) yellow with age.
I've never noticed any metallic paint on old brass hiding solder joints but maybe I just never encountered it or wasn't paying attention.

As an aside , the late Eddie Chambers, a prolific and excellent multi-scale custom builder and painter who did a lot of "factory" jobs for Ed Duddy and others, told me when I was first getting into this in the early nineties that those clean factory clear coats, if evenly applied, did not require priming if you blew a good (well mixed as in "not too 'hot' ") coating.
But I can also tell you my experiments with that theory yielded mixed results at best back then. I pretty much stick with using auto-grade primer these days, especially on customer jobs, as a fail safe since my time, that is when I can get off my butt, is more valuable accordingly.

I didn't know about Testors yellowing Pete.........which is a bummer since I bought some yesterday. But, might take longer than I'll be worried about it to happen. I remember reading about using the factory clear coats as a primer, but never had any experience with it.

IIRC, the only models that I've seen spray painted with brass colored paints were HO and seen at a train swap meet back in the late 80's or early *90's. I was doing HO then and I believe the models were built in the 1950's or maybe the 60's. I can't remember the builder or importer but they were long gone by that time. The dealer told me a few of the Japanese builder did that back in the day to cover up poor solder. I have to admit, they looked good, but very early brass models with limited detailing.