Painting Brass

Personally, I'd go for Brass every time, much easier to keep corrosion at bay, you can solder to it much easier, it machines and takes a thread better.

Painting is a matter of preparation, and there are lots of specialist primers that can be used to give a good base for painting.

Peter

PS: Found a new handwheel for the fine quill feed on the Bridgie M head, needs the centre boring out, but I bought it from RS to put on the head and never got around to it....

Drop me your work address off-list and I'll post it to you.

I think there is no problem painting brass if an etch primer is used as the first coat and the instructions for the etch primer followed to the letter. Not that I am pushing their product but Precision Paint Enamels have a very good primer and paint choice and I have used them for years on all my models and so far (touching whatever looks like wood in the vicinity) non of the non ferrous parts have shed any paint. The oldest model is now 20 years .... OK so its looked after and does not go rallying ......

I thought I'd be clever and make a Princess Marina tender from steel. In spite of coats of paint and bitumen on the inside it still rusted. The outside seams always seemed to be weeping rust. I made a new brass one. Paint has held on without special primer. It only seems to be the hot bits that need the special primer.

regards

Dave Burrage

Sounds like the British Leyland car of the same name.

Cliff Coggin.

An excellent brass primer is one of the de-rusting fluids most of us have around the place. Don't use those so-called "combined rust remover & primer", but just one of the simple, gel ones. The proprietary primers are only an acid etch. There are many who claim that a very light first spraying of aerosol grey primer will do the job and prevent subsequent layers peeling off. IMHO making sure the brass surface is totally clean and free of oil is the most important part.