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Author Topic: Oh, it's still last century at Hornby ...  (Read 4637 times)

Norman Castle

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Oh, it's still last century at Hornby ...
« on: December 07, 2015, 12:57:24 pm »

So ... I sent an email to Hornby customer services asking what their recommendation might be to dull down gloss Humbrol enamel, and I've been favoured with a response ...

Quote
Thank you, we have received your email, this is an automated response.

If your email was regarding Airfix or Corgi spares please allow up to 28 days.

For all other enquiries we normally endeavour to reply within five working days. However we are currently experiencing longer response times for which we do apologise in advance. We are working to return to our normal service levels as quickly as possible and thank you for your patience at this time.

Please do not reply as this email was generated from an un-deliverable account.

I'm so glad I don't want Airfix or Corgi spares.
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raflaunches

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Re: Oh, it's still last century at Hornby ...
« Reply #1 on: December 07, 2015, 04:07:17 pm »

When I last emailed them for a part I lost they were pretty quick- less than 48 hours later the sprue was in the post, must be the time of the year!
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Netleyned

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Re: Oh, it's still last century at Hornby ...
« Reply #2 on: December 07, 2015, 05:02:31 pm »

Don't they do a silk or Matt in the same colour?
Most colours are done in all three mediums.


Ned
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Big Ada

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Re: Oh, it's still last century at Hornby ...
« Reply #3 on: December 07, 2015, 05:23:20 pm »

I remember my Dad painting the Kitchen once with Gloss paint and Mum put a kettle on the gas to boil and it kept boiling and that took the shine off the Gloss!.

Len.
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Norman Castle

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Re: Oh, it's still last century at Hornby ...
« Reply #4 on: December 07, 2015, 05:30:32 pm »

Don't they do a silk or Matt in the same colour?

Not in 50ml tins, Ned.  Gloss only apart from matt black (and maybe matt white).

I'm just amazed that in this day and age any firm can say "we'll get back to you in a week or so" ...
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Jonty

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Re: Oh, it's still last century at Hornby ...
« Reply #5 on: December 07, 2015, 05:39:15 pm »

  Back in the days... you could buy tubes of Humbrol Flatting Agent to mix into the gloss. And I seem to remember that you could flat off cellulose by mixing a little mineral engine oil in before spraying.

  I do wonder sometimes how all this useless information has lodged in my brain, whilst more useful stuff has simply whizzed past.
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Colin Bishop

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Re: Oh, it's still last century at Hornby ...
« Reply #6 on: December 07, 2015, 05:54:36 pm »

'I'm just amazed that in this day and age any firm can say "we'll get back to you in a week or so" ...'

It's pretty much par for the course actually. And many of them make the excuse that they are really, really busy so it might take a while to get back to you which actually means that they have run down their customers services staff to save money.

Colin
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Crossie

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Re: Oh, it's still last century at Hornby ...
« Reply #7 on: December 07, 2015, 06:09:11 pm »


 They probably get away with it because here in Britain we tend to 'not want to make a fuss' and as a result many companies show very poor customer service, unlike say, in the USA where generally companies large and small are aware that one good sale may well lead to many more. In my past extensive travels around some of the more rural parts of Britain, I found that many retailers consider themselves indispensable  and have a sort of 'take it or leave it' attitude.
      For flatting agent try your local car body shop, I cannot remember what the product that I used to scrounge was called,

                  Trevor
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Netleyned

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Re: Oh, it's still last century at Hornby ...
« Reply #8 on: December 07, 2015, 06:12:57 pm »

Where's Jones the Paint when you need him? :-))


Ned
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Norman Castle

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Re: Oh, it's still last century at Hornby ...
« Reply #9 on: December 07, 2015, 06:18:51 pm »

  Back in the days... you could buy tubes of Humbrol Flatting Agent to mix into the gloss.

Oh hurrah, somebody else remembers that!  Good stuff it was too, worked a treat.  And I reckon you could still get it in the mid-1980's.

I wonder what it was ...
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Crossie

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Re: Oh, it's still last century at Hornby ...
« Reply #10 on: December 07, 2015, 06:46:43 pm »


  NormanC, you could try this http://www.rcworld.co.uk/acatalog/Solarlac-Flatting-Agent---110ml-S_P13.html#SID=200 . It is formulated for Solarlac paint which is a synthetic resin enamel , is readily available and may well be compatible with Humbrol enamel,

    Trevor
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Stavros

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Re: Oh, it's still last century at Hornby ...
« Reply #11 on: December 07, 2015, 07:44:00 pm »

I am Here Ned but Crossie beat me to it ha ha


Dave
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cos918

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Re: Oh, it's still last century at Hornby ...
« Reply #12 on: December 07, 2015, 08:01:22 pm »

Back many years ago you got decent paint from Humbrol not like the crap they dish up nowadays . Dont wast your cash on the crap they bring in from China .


John
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Colin Bishop

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Re: Oh, it's still last century at Hornby ...
« Reply #13 on: December 07, 2015, 08:10:01 pm »

I think Humbrol is now made in the UK and I'm told that the quality has improved.

Colin
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Crossie

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Re: Oh, it's still last century at Hornby ...
« Reply #14 on: December 07, 2015, 08:19:12 pm »


  Are Humbrol also going to start making ye olde style Britfix Balsa Cement I wonder, so much better than stuff on sale now. On second thoughts they probably can't as it most likely contained something now banned by the safety elves!

                      Trevor
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grendel

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Re: Oh, it's still last century at Hornby ...
« Reply #15 on: December 07, 2015, 08:28:34 pm »

I had a similar problem with TFL for work recently phoned customer services, after 45 mins on the phone I was told to email customer services. all I wanted was a contact name. emailed customer services asking the question. got an automated reply saying they would reply in 10 working days - 10 days later almost to the minute a reply arrives, giving me a different department to contact - emailed them - yes reply says 10 days, they said no, not their department and put me back to customer services. back I go copying in all the previous emails, and yes told another 10 days, by this time I was a month and a half in real time, getting a bit cheesed off that nobody can tell me the name of the person I needed.
I took a punt, looked up the list of executives for TFL, guessed at the head of the department I needed, put his name at the front end of the standard tfl email address in the same standard format copied the email trail, and said I had been waiting a month and a half. 4 hours later I get an email from the contact I needed - the email was fielded by the top mans private secretary, who found the person I needed and got them to email me.
sometimes you just have to raise the game, but a lot of companies run the 10 working days to answer an email rule, when they then pass you from pillar to post, still applying the rule it gets beyond a joke.
Grendel
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malcolmfrary

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Re: Oh, it's still last century at Hornby ...
« Reply #16 on: December 08, 2015, 09:31:41 am »

Back many years ago you got decent paint from Humbrol not like the crap they dish up nowadays . Dont wast your cash on the crap they bring in from China .


John
This was very true 3 years ago, but a read here - http://www.humbrol.com/uk-en/about-us - and scrolling down to the last paragraph tells a story. 
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In 2012 Humbrol moved over 60% of its manufacturing back to the UK from China to improve supply, and ensure high quality standards continue to be met.  Humbrol’s well-established and most popular range of enamel paint as well as their new acrylic sprays are now produced in London and Manchester.
They might need a few more years for the stuff mixed by the local colour blind of China to work its way out of the system and I'm not sure if there is an easy way to tell one from the other.
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Arrow5

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Re: Oh, it's still last century at Hornby ...
« Reply #17 on: December 08, 2015, 10:45:55 am »

I think there is now a Union Flag on the UK produced tinlets.  I find that the Revell Matt #2 gives a good dull effect on top of gloss, no brush-marks.
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Norman Castle

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Re: Oh, it's still last century at Hornby ...
« Reply #18 on: December 08, 2015, 12:53:49 pm »

Ah.  Point noted about that Revell stuff  :-)

Ref Hornby and their bizarre approach to customer emails though, at 0740 today I emailed Ronseal to ask a technical question about their yacht varnish.  And I got a helpful reply - 3hrs 20 later!
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unbuiltnautilus

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Re: Oh, it's still last century at Hornby ...
« Reply #19 on: December 08, 2015, 06:23:36 pm »

I think there is now a Union Flag on the UK produced tinlets.  I find that the Revell Matt #2 gives a good dull effect on top of gloss, no brush-marks.

Also the UK based stuff has a wavy blue line around the front of the tin, while the older stock has a solid continuous width blue line around the entire tin.
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jarvo

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Re: Oh, it's still last century at Hornby ...
« Reply #20 on: December 08, 2015, 08:50:47 pm »

Regards matt or stin paint, years ago i was told to add a little talcum powder, it works, but only add small amounts then test it.


Mark
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