# Track painting and issues with turnouts...



## p51 (Nov 12, 2015)

I recently spray-painted all the track on my On30 layout (something I had never done before). I was so focused on overspray hitting the walls and fascia, I totally didn't even think of masking off the turnout points.
I'm using ME On30 turnouts (and two Peco curved HO ones) and when I was done, I slapped myself in the forehead that I should have masked the points because - as you guessed- some of them now really don't want to move much now by the blue points I mounted underneath, until you move each of them back and forth a couple of times to free them. Later, you must repeat the process.
So, I need to remove some of the paint of course. I was thinking of using a buffing wheel on my dremel tool between the rails, but I guess I should probably try to get into the tight space between the points and the insides of the rails too? How would I do that in such a tight space?
Or would it be easier to use some paint remover with a q-tip? What kind of paint remover would work best on something like that?
Someone here must have had to deal with this, and if so, how'd _you_ fix it?


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

I would get in there with some paint thinner or stripper. What kind of paint is it, and how long has it been hardening in there?


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## Lemonhawk (Sep 24, 2013)

I took the turnouts outdoors and cleaned them with MEK and Q-tips, then soap and water. I have not come up with a good way to mask the rail before I paint again yet. I want to mask the rail to do the ties, then I'll to a little rusting of the rail keeping away from the movable parts of the turnout.


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## mesenteria (Oct 29, 2015)

Acetone, lacquer thinner, 600 grit sand-paper...they'll all work. As for masking the rail tops, try painting them with a thin layer, no drips, of vegetable oil. This must be done carefully, no drips...yes I said it again...maybe with a clean dish towel you have to use that is not sopping with oil. When your paint is dry on the rail webs, just run a paper towel or another clean cloth towel over the rail tops to clean off most of the oil, then clean with isopropyl alcohol.


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## Lemonhawk (Sep 24, 2013)

Since I am building this layout to test what works and what doesn't I've learned a lot! I store all the ideas then as I progress to scenery I'll give them a try. Turnouts are a problem as its not just the rails that you need to clean, its the whole points mechanism that can get stuck. My first try on the turnouts was to just spray paint the whole thing before installation, but I did not like the result, hence the MEK and Q tips. Painting after installation with masking seems possible. I have at least 2 more turnouts to build and I may try some different ways to paint the ties before the install. Spraying does not seem to be the answer so I may just manually brush them.


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## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

It's not really difficult to brush paint the rails. Be a little sloppy
with it so some of the color gets on the ties, especially if you
are 'rust' weathering. Keep a rag handy to wipe the rail heads as you
go.

Don


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

I have had great success masking the points and moving parts of turnouts with very small pieces of masking tape (I use a straight edge and hobby knife). For the tops of the rails, I just let the paint harden for about 10 minutes, then run a Bright Boy over it. Strips the paint right off. I'm using acrylics; solvent based may need a little more time to cure.


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## p51 (Nov 12, 2015)

I can't remove the turnouts without a great deal of work as they're soldered into place against all the other rails and with feeder wires. If I'm going to remove a turnout, it'll only be to replace it.
I used Krylon paint, which went on the last week of February, then I was gone from the house for a week.
I sanded the inside of the points with very fine sandpaper and that seemed to get some results. I'll be repeating that process over time.


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## Shdwdrgn (Dec 23, 2014)

MEK as a paint remover??? Isn't MEK just a stronger version of using acetone for welding plastic together?


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## p51 (Nov 12, 2015)

What's a good plastic-friendly non-conductive paint remover?
My wife suggested using some on a small paint brush for the spaces between the points and outer rails. Doesn't sound like a bad idea as I'd also use something to wipe up afterward there.
I wonder how far into the ties under the points I should sand/clean to ensure better movement?
Man, this is one of those, _slap yourself in the forehead and wonder why you didn't think of that_ kind of things... 
:smilie_auslachen:


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## mesenteria (Oct 29, 2015)

Try Windex, Goo Gone, or an abrasive paper with very fine grit. Personally, I'd try the Goo Gone, let it soak for maybe 20 minutes, scrape with the dull end of a wooden toothpick, and then lightly buff the inside face of the points rail with 600 grit paper. Finish with the isopropyl alcohol.


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## p51 (Nov 12, 2015)

I love Goo Gone, as I use it for all kinds of household uses, but does it really do anything for dried paint? I had no idea it was _that_ good.


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## mesenteria (Oct 29, 2015)

I don't know of anything that works on acrylic paints except for scraping/sanding, but something like Goo Gone might...might...work to make your removal a bit easier. If it were lacquer/oil paints, any solvent would work...paint thinner, turpentine, Goof Off, acetone, varsol, maybe MEK (? never tried it), and maybe even some sodium hydroxide, say in Easy Off oven cleaner or paint stripper, or in that spray to get the creosote off the pyro-ceramic glass on your wood stove or barbeque.


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## Shdwdrgn (Dec 23, 2014)

91% alcohol will strip dried acrylic craft paints in a couple hours. I use it to clean up cars after I practice my weathering.


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## p51 (Nov 12, 2015)

I used some buffing sandpaper lover the weekend and it worked to a degree, going to do that again a few times.

Another odd thing was the paint apparently caused an odd surface on the insides of a few rails, especially on curves. The front trucks of my ten-wheelers sounded like they were grinding through those (20" minimum) curves, and I thought I'd somehow damaged the pilot trucks on each when I removed them for track painting.
So, some sandpaper to the upper inside edges of the curves where that was an issue after painting seems to have resolved the issue. I didn't expect that before I'd started.
I bought one of those rust paint markers from Woodland Scenics, doing touchup work to outsides of rails, alignment rails in turnouts and anywhere I missed with the spray paint (like where I'd masked off the last 3 turnouts once I realized I needed to do so). It actually worked pretty well. With a small layout, it doesn't take long to work over any missed spots.


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