Model Boat Mayhem

Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length.
Pages: [1]   Go Down

Author Topic: Painting lights - the lenses.  (Read 3035 times)

barriew

  • Full Mayhemer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2,111
  • Location: Thaxted, Essex
Painting lights - the lenses.
« on: July 23, 2011, 07:59:33 pm »

What colour do you use to paint the lenses in the running lights on your models. I usually use white, but this is not correct is it? Similarly the red and green lights. I'm not sure that these should be bright red and green, although that's what I normally paint them. {:-{

Any suggestions anyone?

Barrie
Logged

triumphjon

  • Guest
Re: Painting lights - the lenses.
« Reply #1 on: July 23, 2011, 08:38:19 pm »

normally the navigation lights have coloured lenses , however for our modelling purposes i often colour my bulbs or leds using glass paint from the local art n craft shops !
Logged

barriew

  • Full Mayhemer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2,111
  • Location: Thaxted, Essex
Re: Painting lights - the lenses.
« Reply #2 on: July 24, 2011, 07:20:00 pm »

Sorry - I should have made it clear that I am referring to dummy lights in white metal or resin. Its quite easy if they have 'glass' lenses and bulbs/leds :-)

Barrie
Logged

Colin Bishop

  • Full Mayhemer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 12,171
  • Location: SW Surrey, UK
Re: Painting lights - the lenses.
« Reply #3 on: July 24, 2011, 07:34:11 pm »

Usually red or green for port and starboard but if the model is of a period when oil lamps were used then I think the starboard glass was blue as the oil lamp flame was yellow!

White lights are probably best rendered in silver paint.

Colin
Logged

barriew

  • Full Mayhemer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2,111
  • Location: Thaxted, Essex
Re: Painting lights - the lenses.
« Reply #4 on: July 24, 2011, 09:17:44 pm »

Thanks Colin. One of the reasons for the question is that I am building Talacre, and looking at the Model Boats photo of your build, I thought the lenses were painted black - but its a scan of an old photo so maybe that explains it. It set me wondering however, as white doesn't look right. I'll try silver and also tone down the bright red and green.

Barrie
Logged

Colin Bishop

  • Full Mayhemer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 12,171
  • Location: SW Surrey, UK
Re: Painting lights - the lenses.
« Reply #5 on: July 24, 2011, 09:33:06 pm »

Barrie,

It was all a long time ago....

Looking at the photo I think I just painted the lenses a darker shade of gloss red/green. Certainly they wouldn't have been black.

Colin
Logged

ixion

  • Guest
Re: Painting lights - the lenses.
« Reply #6 on: July 24, 2011, 09:34:10 pm »

I'll try silver and also tone down the bright red and green.

Tone down the Red and Green by mixing a little silver in with the colours.
Logged

longshanks

  • Full Mayhemer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 691
Re: Painting lights - the lenses.
« Reply #7 on: July 24, 2011, 09:58:29 pm »

Am I right in thinking at some point the side boards on port & starboard lights changed from red and green to black?

If so when?
Logged

Colin Bishop

  • Full Mayhemer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 12,171
  • Location: SW Surrey, UK
Re: Painting lights - the lenses.
« Reply #8 on: July 24, 2011, 10:00:56 pm »

Quote
Am I right in thinking at some point the side boards on port & starboard lights changed from red and green to black?

Yes, it has been discussed on here before, I think it was some time in the 1970s. Talacre would have had red and green boards.

Colin
Logged

morton

  • Shipmate
  • *
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 12
  • Location: kent
Re: Painting lights - the lenses.
« Reply #9 on: August 09, 2012, 12:08:26 pm »

hi barrie,could you please tell me what type of varnish or lacquer you used, for the dark blue hull of the cumbria,i tried a clear cellulose to a little area, and it showed crackling, it was one of the spray cans, cheers john.
Logged

essex2visuvesi

  • Full Mayhemer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 6,148
  • Location: Finland, England, Finland!
Re: Painting lights - the lenses.
« Reply #10 on: August 09, 2012, 12:33:54 pm »

A method I have used in the past is to paint the lens silver and then paint a layer of the clear coloured paints enamels from the Revell range
Logged
One By One The Penguins Steal My Sanity
Proud member of the OAM  (Order of the Armchair Modeller)
Junior member of the OGG  (Order of the Grumpy Git)
Pages: [1]   Go Up
 

Page created in 0.099 seconds with 22 queries.