# Painting Track



## Scafremon (Dec 11, 2006)

I started test painting some track, trying to get an asphalt look to it.

I'm using cheap gray primer from Walmart, which adheres well to the track. For the top coat I am using River Rock paint - a popular paint for 1/32 layouts. It has sand in it which gives it a rouch texture. I'm thinning the paint 1:1 with water, and putting on 2 coats, as it is easier to control the thickness this way.

One nice thing about the paint is that you can scuff it up with your finger nails, and it looks even more realistic.


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## Crimnick (May 28, 2006)

Keep us updated please...I've been considering it....

I found a medium grey MAGNETIC chalkboard paint at the depot I been dying to try out to see how it adhears...but it would need to be sponge painted on...

I hear the river rock greatly improves the performance of the stock tires on the 32's....I hope you see the same improvements

But I'm really leary of any kind of texture on my track as it will be in our club racing rotation and I would hate for a run on my track to tear up out sili-sponge tires...And none of the other club tracks are painted.....I dont want my track to require a wildly different set up....

So I might save the painting for my other intended project with my old tyco track...I want to build a crash fest like RUSCAR but in four lanes...

I read the portugal track had been spray painted grey...then sprayed lightly black to give it that really cool pavement look...

http://www.f1specialties.com/main/racetrack/turns345.html

I really love the effect...

Try a test of this look too please... :thumbsup:


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## Scafremon (Dec 11, 2006)

Crimnick said:


> I read the portugal track had been spray painted grey...then sprayed lightly black to give it that really cool pavement look...


Just from looking at the gray spray-painted primer coats, I can tell that spraying a light coat of black over it would look very cool. But spray painting is a dirty process, and you would really want to spray your track after assembly, so that the colors flow between pieces. 

One thing I tried on a piece was using a fine-tip sharpie, and drawing some cracks in between coats. Since the paint is so thin, the crack lines are visible, in a weathered sort of way. Could do the same I imagine with some white pain pens, and have some dull lane lines on the track.

The surface is definately rough - about that of fine sand paper. I'm sure it is going to have some type of affect on tires, and how cars slide, just not sure yet. Keep a TJet in it's slot at higher speeds? - maybe. Scratch it up real good if it flips and slides on it's body? - most likely.

There is a lot I am unsure of in doing this, but I am going to press onward with it, and see how it pans out.


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## twolff (May 11, 2007)

The grey of the River Rock paint looks great in the photos. Though I'm also concerned about what it would do to the bodies too. On the up side it could make JL T-Jet tires useable.


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## roadrner (Jul 21, 1999)

twolff said:


> The grey of the River Rock paint looks great in the photos. Though I'm also concerned about what it would do to the bodies too. On the up side it could make JL T-Jet tires useable.


 
Would definitely take it's toll on the finish. Just gives you more opportunities for custom work.  rr


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## Scafremon (Dec 11, 2006)

Maybe my slot buds will do a better job of staying in their slots, knowing there could be a price to pay for crashing. 

Of course, that only works if I get them to go buy their own cars.


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## Scafremon (Dec 11, 2006)

I made a small oval - half with track painted with the river rock, and half just primer. The AW TJet and XTraction could definately take the river rock corner faster then the primer corner. I also took this opportunity to test the flooring underlayment, and it does provide a level of sound deadening. 

Cleaning the paint from the top of the rails almost made me scrap the whole idea. I tried various methods (razor blade, xacto knife, small flat-blade screwdriver, emory board, etc), and all were painstakingly slow, and with varying results. A small slip with any tool would gouge the paint. 

I'd previously tried a sanding block, but the un-eveness of the rail height would have the block sanding the track in some areas. I came back to this idea after trying all the others, and decided this was the best method for me. The areas where the sand paper rubs the track have (so far) not taken off the paint completely, but have rather given it a worn look, of a different shade of gray.


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## rudykizuty (Aug 16, 2007)

Any thoughts on how the cars perform on primer versus the bare track? Better, worse, same?


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## Scafremon (Dec 11, 2006)

I didn't do that comparison, but I think the difference, if any, would be marginal. Of course, a seasoned racer might find the change drastic.


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## toomanyhobbies (Mar 27, 2005)

Scafremon said:


> Cleaning the paint from the top of the rails almost made me scrap the whole idea.



Have you tried a sharpening stone? I've used one to clean the rails when they get too oxidized. Worked well and could do 2 lanes at a time. 

Question about your table? Is it made from hollow doors butted together with dowels? Also, with the casters, how would you keep the table from moving when you need to? (racing with marshalls.) 

Sorry for the off topic Q's.

Thanks,
Dominic


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## Grandcheapskate (Jan 5, 2006)

Scafremon said:


> Cleaning the paint from the top of the rails almost made me scrap the whole idea. I tried various methods (razor blade, xacto knife, small flat-blade screwdriver, emory board, etc), and all were painstakingly slow, and with varying results. A small slip with any tool would gouge the paint.


 A neat little tool came with Matchbox track. It has a metal blade like a flat head screwdriver with a flat handle. It's only about 2 inches top to bottom and the metal blade is wide enough to cover both rails of standard track; remember that Matchbox track has closer rails. However, for your purposes, I doubt it would be any better than some of the items you've already tried.

Would masking the rails before painting be an option?

Joe


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## Scafremon (Dec 11, 2006)

I'm not sure if a sharpening stone would work any better then the sandpaper block. The problem is the inconsistent height of the rails. On some pieces, you can barely feel a rail sticking above the plastic, while on others the rail height is predominant. Over the nexy few evenings I will start sanding the rails, and will advise what I encounter. 

The table is (4) hollow core doors. I did not dowel them together, although that would be a very cool way to do it. For now, I just used some sheet metal butt-straps to hold the doors to each other. I have put rubber feet under the castors to keep the assembly from moving around. I added the castors because I know there will be occassions when I will want to move the table around, such as to change the light bulb in the fixture above the table.

I can't envision an easy way to mask the rails before painting, but if you have an idea for that, it might be a better way to go. One thing I did notice is that cleaning the connections between tracks has been made fairly easy, because I had used a grease on these connections before they were assembled on my last track. A quick swipe with a razor blade cleans these points quite easily.


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## SCJ (Jul 15, 1999)

Our current track is painted flat black (see below) with plain old spray can automotive primer....looks great, much more realistic and shows a more realisic "wear pattern" in the corners. As for cleaning off the rails, a straight edged piece of mild steel was used to scrape the rails (Two at a time) and a sanding block as touch up to account for rail height differences.












As for your track, I have raced on a track that was coated in textured (sand) style paint.......nothing personal, but I HATED IT (even went home early that night). It looks great, is more realistic and as stated works much better if you use the rubber stock type tires most slot cars come with............However, in our opinion, the cons far out way the pros, as when you wreck (not that any of us ever do that) it absolutely KILLS a paint job (commercial or personal) and tears the heck out of silicone tires (some more then others) but particularly the expensive silicone coated sponge type. As a side note, I would also think that over time, the silicone or rubber would build up in the "textured" area and may be hard to remove (silicone especially).


JMHO


-------------------------
www.SlotCarJohnnies.com


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## Scafremon (Dec 11, 2006)

I appreciate the opinions SCJ.


If the stock rubber tires that come on the cars are the best compound for the textured track, then I agree that is a benefit, and it would be a waste of money to replace them with silicone or silicone-sponge, if doing so resulted in poor performance. (Hopefully replacement rubber tires are available, and are not more costly then other types, if this track wears them out dramatically).


As for a car getting scratched up after a wreck, I’m not real concerned about that. True, I could see myself bummed for a second or two after crashing and getting a scratch on a nicely painted car, but I think that would be followed with an “Oh Well”, and then start racing again. I also think that with the track taking up less then 50% of the table area, and with the remaining area landscaped and textured itself, there are many opportunities to scratch up a car’s paint, even on a non-textured track. 


In regards to tire build-up on the track, if that happens, I hope I can see it, as I think that would enhance the look of the track.


I’m surprised that club racers would be against a track surface that is different from the norm, and require a different car set-up. I thought that was part of the appeal – to test-n-tune their car to the track. 


One thing that became apparent to me as soon as I sprayed that first light coat of primer on the track, was that the track itself now became a part of the landscaping. Many opportunities for customizing the look of the track had now become available. Basically, I am using this paint for the visual nature of it, including the visual aspect of the texture. If the cars run slightly better on it, or slightly worse, that’s ok with me. I don’t see it as adversely affecting the amount of enjoyment the track will bring.

But, time will tell, and I reserve the right to change my opinion once I actually get this track built and I am racing on it.


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## Grandcheapskate (Jan 5, 2006)

Scafremon said:


> I can't envision an easy way to mask the rails before painting, but if you have an idea for that, it might be a better way to go. One thing I did notice is that cleaning the connections between tracks has been made fairly easy, because I had used a grease on these connections before they were assembled on my last track. A quick swipe with a razor blade cleans these points quite easily.


 So, what about using that grease (or vasoline) on the rails prior to painting? Would that prevent paint from sticking to the rails; or at least not sticking as well? Just a thought.

Joe


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## fastlap (Nov 11, 2007)

Grandcheapskate said:


> So, what about using that grease (or vasoline) on the rails prior to painting? Would that prevent paint from sticking to the rails; or at least not sticking as well? Just a thought.
> 
> Joe


Easier yet....buy a 24 pack of Crayola crayons and run the waxy crayon down each rail. It is very easy to clean/wipe the paint from the rails as it lifts off with the crayon wax. You will need to practice this a couple times to get the hang of it.


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## Crimnick (May 28, 2006)

fastlap said:


> Easier yet....buy a 24 pack of Crayola crayons and run the waxy crayon down each rail. It is very easy to clean/wipe the paint from the rails as it lifts off with the crayon wax. You will need to practice this a couple times to get the hang of it.


BRILLIANT! :thumbsup:


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## Scafremon (Dec 11, 2006)

fastlap said:


> Easier yet....buy a 24 pack of Crayola crayons and run the waxy crayon down each rail. It is very easy to clean/wipe the paint from the rails as it lifts off with the crayon wax. You will need to practice this a couple times to get the hang of it.


You're making me cry!

That sounds like a great idea!


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## Scafremon (Dec 11, 2006)

I finally started cleaning the rails, and it isn't as bad as I was anticipating (though I do still like the crayon idea). I used a sanding sponge, and for the most part, one pass back and forth was enough to clean all four rails. Some spot sanding on low spots, and that was all it took. Did 100+ pieces in about 45 minutes.

The sponge also removed some of the sand, smoothing the track a tad, and nicely marring the surface.

The color in the attached pics is all wrong, but you can kind of see the difference between a sanded and unsanded track piece.


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## bobhch (Apr 22, 2007)

Scaf,

Have always liked the way Faller gray track looks....love what you have done with your track. Looking good man!

Bob...zilla


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## Scafremon (Dec 11, 2006)

Thanks Bob.

Except for about a dozen new track pieces that I recently received (ordered from BRS Hobbies - thanks Brian!), the paint process is done. Cleaning the top part of the rails, which I thought would be the time-consuming part, was actually about the easiest step. Dragging sand paper through the slots took some time, as did cleaning the rail connections. Not tough work, just time consuming. 

Overall I am very happy with the results, except for two small things, both stemming from the fact that I was re-using track from my old layout.

The countersunk holes that I spackled are still slightly visable, even after primer and a couple thinned coats of paint. 

I can still see some color from the lane striping I did with the paint pens, down on the inside of the slots. Some more agressive sanding should remove them, but for now I am going to let it slide.


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## Grandcheapskate (Jan 5, 2006)

fastlap said:


> Easier yet....buy a 24 pack of Crayola crayons and run the waxy crayon down each rail. It is very easy to clean/wipe the paint from the rails as it lifts off with the crayon wax. You will need to practice this a couple times to get the hang of it.


 OH....Bravo!!!! Give that man a cigar! I would think you'd also want to put it on the rail tabs. Cleaning those has to be harder than cleaning the rail tops.

You might also try putting something in the slot prior to painting to stop paint from going there. Maybe weed whacker string? Or maybe the slats from those cheap plastic blinds. Just pull it out before the paint dries.

Joe


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## Franko (Mar 16, 2005)

Wooah!!! Don't work that hard. A blade from a box cutter easily scrapes the paint off the contact rails a la Greg Braun at hoslotcarracing.com, worked for me.


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## Scafremon (Dec 11, 2006)

Franko said:


> Wooah!!! Don't work that hard. A blade from a box cutter easily scrapes the paint off the contact rails a la Greg Braun at hoslotcarracing.com, worked for me.


Actually, Greg suggests using a small blade screwdriver.


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## Franko (Mar 16, 2005)

well touche'. A box cutter worked for me. :tongue:


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## micyou03 (Apr 8, 2003)

Without even reading any of this, I discovered yesterday that running the edge razor blade scraper over the rails of old track will usually clean the rails in one pass and revive the track.


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## 1976Cordoba (Sep 20, 2000)

micyou03 said:


> Without even reading any of this, I discovered yesterday that running the edge razor blade scraper over the rails of old track will usually clean the rails in one pass and revive the track.


Anytime I've painted track I just used a straight razor blade and set it across the rails. You can do both rails at once and if you do it a couple hours after painting before the paint has hardened completely the paint will come off pretty easy.


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## Scafremon (Dec 11, 2006)

To be honest, I agree with you guys, in that a razor blade does remove the paint from the rails quite easily.

The problem that I experienced with this method was that whenever the pair of rails are not at the same exact height above the track, the razor blade is no longer parallel to the track surface. When one rail dipped, so did the edge of the blade, gouging the the paint from the track surface.

With the sanding sponge, I could do all 4 rails at once, and it would compress enough to clean all rails in most instances. Some low rails required a seperate pass on them alone. Granted, the sanding sponge would still make contact with the track surface, but instead of gouging like the blade did, it would only scuff the surface. This was acceptable to me. But if someone did not want the track surface scuffed, the sanding sponge may not be the way to go, and the razor blade or small blade screwdriver might work better, with a very slow and controlled touch.


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## gonegonzo (Jan 18, 2006)

I am prepping some track to paint as this post reads on.

Lightly sanding it first, I'm actually pleased with the dull scuffed look the sanded track offers.

Although I'll probably paint it, I'm still pondering not.

GoneGonzo


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## Scafremon (Dec 11, 2006)

I agree gonzo. As soon as you do anything to the track itself, you open up another whole area to do something visually different with a layout.


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## Dslot (Sep 2, 2007)

Scafremon said:


> ...whenever the pair of rails are not at the same exact height above the track, the razor blade is no longer parallel to the track surface. When one rail dipped, so did the edge of the blade, gouging the the paint from the track surface.


When I have any sort of scraping, ridge-removing, etc. to do with the X-acto chisel type blades, I use a grinding wheel or cutoff disk in a motor tool to grind rounded corners at the ends of the blade. Only takes a second and greatly reduces gouging. 

As long as you've got the motor tool out, you might cut off or grind back some of the excess width of the blade. I'd think that would pretty much solve the gouging problem with razor blades or similar tools.
-- D


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## Scafremon (Dec 11, 2006)

Gotta love making custom tools for specific tasks! I had thought about trimming a razor blade down to near-rail width, but didn't even think of rounding the corners. 

I still think that if scuffing isn't a problem, then the sanding sponge is the way to go. But if your desired finish is to be unscathed, then a tool like you have suggessted, and the crayola treatment, sound like the way to go so far.


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