Painted Scaley Track

[wixwacing]

Archive topic


Howdy Folks,

With x-mas break about to start and a pocket full of good intentions I am hoping to start building my track.

I prefer non-magnet racing but have a few cars that are magnet specific, so in a moment of clarity or madness I thought of building a scalex track and painting it to match the performance of painted board , hopfully acheiving the best of both worlds.

I would appreciate any feedback if anyone has experience with painted plastic , whether it will work at all or even general feedback as this track will probably be used by local club racers.

Regards Paul




Hi Paul
Don`t know much about it, but the U.S racers seem really big on painting plastic track. heres a link to a thread on that exact subject.

slotcarillustrated.com/po...tric+track

Happy painting & a Merry Xmas.
cheers
Jordan

<hr>


Hi Paul

I remember racing on a painted Scalextric track on the northside several years ago. This was the classic 'Plexitrack' and I can't remember too much about it so it may not have been that memorable. One of the pluses of a board track painted surface is firstly that the track surface is smooth, allowing suitable tyres to hook up. Secondly, the paint allows rubber to adhere to it much like you have seen already. Neither of these will happen with the old plexitrack which is heavily pimpled, so I suspect you might have to use the newer 'sport' track to get the simulation closer??


Phil





I would be interested to know how this goes.
The US sites such as the RMS site tend to talk about Latex paints (whereas I am only familiar with acrylics or enamels} or brands that have never been sold in Oz.
Apparently using the wrong paints on plastic track can either leave You with a short lived peeling finish or at worst track that is damaged/melted.
On the upside it certainly looks better than black especially when darker patches and cracks are added.


DesloTed

[yankfaraway]

Let me clear up something muddy first. What we call latex paint is in fact, acrylic latex. That will answer a few questions, I think. Also, when painting plastic track, what determines the safety of the material is the amount of vinyl in the track. The old Riggens/Revell track was 100% styrene, and could be painted with the same precautions as any plastic model, but Scaley Sport track of today, by example, has a great deal of vinyl in it. Assuming the track is going to stay in place, not flexed being moved once it has been mounted initially, you could take the chance painting with a material that hardens after drying-- I haven't tried that. What I did was paint the track with what is called "dye" here in the states. It isn't dye, of course. It is a spray-on vinylized paint for dashboard pads, armrests, etc. on the interior of cars, and it dries to a nice satin sheen, just about right for traction and looking prototypical. Be careful! Its a clumsy spray, with fairly large particles that shrink down and adhere to the material upon drying. For some compounds of track material, you may want to use a "barrier" coat of gray primer, but whatever the spray can says is the way to go. Add cracks and patches with a permanent marker or a feather dipped in permanent ink, dragged along the line. Good luck!