Millie as Prince?

RuneK · Post by **RuneK** » Thu Feb 26, 2015 4:12 pm

I'm watching my bog standard Millie, and wonder if there is any problems related if I want to make it into a Ffestiniog "Prince"?
Will the heat from the burner be a problem for the closed tank?
Can I use car paint and primer from aerosol cans?
Have somebody here tried this conversion? I have found a picture of what looks like it, but it could have a Bertie underneath. I don't know.
Where do you get brass material for DIY projects?

JMORG · Post by **JMORG** » Thu Feb 26, 2015 5:02 pm

Bertie is a better option because it has a shorter wheel base which is closer to Princes scale wheel base.
Have a look on Lightlines website, Geoff actually used a Bertie to make a Prince!

RuneK · Post by **RuneK** » Thu Feb 26, 2015 5:36 pm

Ok, I thought wheelbases were the same on Bertie and Millie. Anyway, maybe I should start with a little more simple project for my first attempt on ruining a Roundhose loco.

JMORG · Post by **JMORG** » Thu Feb 26, 2015 6:26 pm

http://www.lightline16mm.com/prince.html
The bodywork for bertie is easy to take off, so adding a new bodywork shouldn't be much of a problem.

RuneK · Post by **RuneK** » Thu Feb 26, 2015 8:04 pm

There it was! Thank you for the link.

Big Jim · Post by **Big Jim** » Fri Feb 27, 2015 9:42 pm

Rattle can paint will be fine, use an etch primer on brass, I might be tempted to use enamel spray for anything that will get very hot particularly if use a pot boiler as your base loco.

If you want to paint it red be aware that red can be quite a thin colour (it doesn't cover very well) and you may need more than a couple of coats.

Use good sprays from a motor factor or even Halfords, random tins from the local market or pound shop can be difficult to colour match later on. Believe it or not there are many different shades of Black!

MDLR · Post by **MDLR** » Fri Feb 27, 2015 10:22 pm

Big Jim:108597 wrote:If you want to paint it red be aware that red can be quite a thin colour (it doesn't cover very well) and you may need more than a couple of coats.

I always use white primer if I'm going to paint something red or yellow (my last tin of yellow was 'orribly thin) and it does help to get a better colour more quickly.

RuneK · Post by **RuneK** » Fri Feb 27, 2015 10:32 pm

Found a local supplier of materials.
I am quite familiar with painting steel and aluminium, but brass is new territory to me. A good carpaint with a quality primer should do I guess. Thanks for the advice.

Keith S · Post by **Keith S** » Sat Feb 28, 2015 12:19 am

For brass you can get "etching primer" which is meant to help the paint stick. Normal auto paint might not stick to the brass without it, although I had good results etching the surface of brass parts in muriatic acid before priming with regular metal primer.

dougrail · Post by **dougrail** » Sat Feb 28, 2015 12:38 am

Beware of brass.

I used Plastikote 'Super' primer and 'Super acrylic paint on a custom tender I had built. Smooth, convincing paint job. However very delicate,The primer had not bonded to the metal at all. What it had created was a 'skin' made up of the dried primer and then the paint - an elasticlike skin which although tight on the metal, was very easy to peel off like rubber or skin as it had not actually clung to the metal.

Rattlecan wise, U-POL Acid Etch No.8 primer [plus goggles and a respirator with an A2 filter] are your best bet.

Big Jim · Post by **Big Jim** » Sat Feb 28, 2015 1:38 pm

You might like to try roughening the surface up with a scotch-brite pad or wet and dry first.

I have found some brass sheet sold with a coating on it that needed a good wipe with thinners before painting/soldering.

Andrew · Post by **Andrew** » Sat Feb 28, 2015 10:48 pm

I got as far as laying a 16mm drawing of an FR England over the top of the drawing of Bertie's working bits, available from the RH website, and it's remarkably close, as long as you allow the boiler to fill the saddle tank - as Bertie's does. I think you could achieve a scale height if you allowed the upper part of the front of the cylinders to project up through the running plate under where the sand boxes are, but I think the real thing has a square-ish protusion there anyway. And if you go for a "large" England, rather than Prince, then the wheels aren't too far off...

It was an exciting daydream, but I'm afraid although I possess a Bertie I lack the metalworking skills to make it anything more than that for now. I might just add a tender and some sandboxes to my Bertie and paint it lined FR maroon...

Good luck with whatever project you decide on,

Andrew.

Alan P · Post by **Alan P** » Sun Mar 01, 2015 8:28 am

I also would recommend U-POL Acid Etch No.8 primer, works well on brass and stainlesss. You can also buy it from Hafords.

GardenRail · Post by **GardenRail** » Wed Mar 04, 2015 8:20 am

RuneK:108570 wrote:I'm watching my bog standard Millie, and wonder if there is any problems related if I want to make it into a Ffestiniog "Prince"?
Will the heat from the burner be a problem for the closed tank?
Can I use car paint and primer from aerosol cans?
Have somebody here tried this conversion? I have found a picture of what looks like it, but it could have a Bertie underneath. I don't know.
Where do you get brass material for DIY projects?

Bit difficult given that Millie is a potboiler. This, I suspect is why the conversion was done on Bertie

RuneK · Post by **RuneK** » Wed Mar 04, 2015 12:26 pm

I have looked more closely at it, and abondoned the thought of this convertion. However...

Joe · Post by **Joe** » Thu Jun 04, 2015 4:17 pm

any idea how hes made the smokebox for that prince loco?
cheers
Joe

bessytractor · Post by **bessytractor** » Fri Jun 05, 2015 7:26 am

If you want really indestructible paint, get a cheap electric oven, spray some enamel on and bake. The problem with car aerosols is they are usually acrylic which hates heat. Upol acid 8 is super stuff

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Millie as Prince?

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