To varnish or not to varnish

[Anglo Anglia]

To varnish or not to varnish, that is the question.

I have a rake of Hornby LNER teak coaches, that, to be honest look dull and unrealistic and I have a decision, do I sell them on and put the sales money towards the expensive version, or do I experiment with a varnish of some description and risk ruining a coach. Being very new to Hornby Forum it’s possible that this topic has been debated and discussed previously howeve, I would appreciate any advice albeit from your experience and knowledge o this subject.

[Chrissaf]

I can't say I recall this exact query being discussed before. But whilst you wait for a reply, perhaps you would spend a few minutes reviewing the TIPs in the TIP page link below:

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TIP: As a newbie poster on the forum, just be aware that the 'Blue Button with the White Arrow' is not a 'Reply to this post' button. If you want to reply to any of the posts, scroll down and write your reply in the reply text box at the bottom of the page and click the Green 'Reply' button.

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See also – further TIPs on how to get the best user experience from this forum.

https://www.hornby.com/uk-en/forum/tips-on-using-the-forum/

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[JJ73]

Hiya & welcome to the Forum!!!

Why don't you use 1 of the Carriages as a 'test Carriage' & just varnish 1 side & see what it looks like & if your please with the result then carry on, if not just sell the rest on.

[ColinB]

I suppose the way I look at it is are the ones you got worth are not really worth anything as Hornby don't charge that much for brand new Railroad versions, so you might as well try. I have exactly the same coaches and unless you are lucky selling four of them will buy you one new one. I added lights and put people in mine, so they are not so dull. 

[atom3624]

I find varnish / lacquer is generally quite viscous, and it's difficult to get a smooth, even finish, yet avoid runs or hazing.

 

Just this last week, I've had a few Humbrol gloss varnish rattle cans lying around I thought I'd try as application seems to be temperature related and the last few days have been quite hot.

Result? Perfect.

 

Obviously with a spray gun, you can use thinners, but this can also lessen the effect.

 

I've sprayed my Britannia (late model), Oliver Cromwell, Flying Scotsman (as currently preserved) and Clan Line - all absolutely spot on. It's given them a sheen / gloss rather than full on super shiny gloss.

 

As JJ mentioned, if there's an older coach worth less, then test on that before touching the more expensive stuff.

I normally prefer to cover / mask off windows, so cleaning and preparation could take quite a while.

 

Al.

[Bulleidboy]

I recall someone using a "light" woodstain on the Hornby teak coaches. I know there not wood, but the finish was very good. You might need to experiment. There are a number of Youtube videos on this subject - 

[Wizard Trains]

Hiya!

From my reading varnishing/adding a satin or gloss finish sadly seems to bring many criticisms. However, I am with you on this - it started for me when I stood next to Mallard and the Duchess of Hamilton at the NRM, I wanted a bit of that for myself. I started by having these loco's finished in gloss by TMC (Model Centre) and they do a wonderful job, although prices for applying this finish have gone up and can get quite expensive. In the end I have purchased an air brush and practised on some cheap rolling stock bought second hand for the purpose. My model railway isn’t an investment so I just please myself.

[LCDR]

I thought that there was a previous discussion about this -

It may be worth while looking here -

https://www.hornby.com/uk-en/forum/the-colour-of-model-teak-coaches-yuck-/

[Jimbo1707820979]

I've had quite good results with Windsor and Newton Galeria varnishes. Fine brush applied. Not too expensive.

[Anglo Anglia]

Thanks to all for your responses, they are very much appreciated, I now feel more confident to experiment on the least perfect coach and see how it goes, probably opting to spray.