Over the decades I've painted more than 4,500 brass model trains for people around the world, hobby shops from coast to coast, brass importers, presidents of America's Class 1 Railroads, and even the likes of locomotive builders EMD and GE. While working as the Research Specialist for Overland Models during the high-point of brass model production in Korea, I was invited to teach painting to the production managers and set up the factory paint shop for Ajin Precision in Seoul, South Korea. That was way back in 1986-87. My first student was Mr. Se Ho Jang, a production manger who went on to create his own brass model factory that you might be familiar with—BOO-RIM Precision Co., Inc.
(CLICK HERE to visit my Flickr site to see and read how brass models were made in Korea during the 1980s and 1990s. This was the highpoint of Korean brass model production.)
Brass model repairs are our specialty, and thanks to the many workers at Ajin whom I worked with side by side, they taught me how to solder while I taught them how to paint. Quite an equitable trade in my estimation. Today, I use a variety of traditional soldering sticks and stations, resistance soldering units ranging from 100 WATTS to 1,100 WATTS, and a micro-torch. My soldering acumen is expert level and THAT is precisely what's required to make pro-level repairs to finely crafted brass model trains. Making soldering repairs to fully assembled models is FAR more difficult than anything factory workers encountered when making the models in the first place. But thanks to seeing how they were made, it's relatively simple for me now to make decisions on what can and cannot be repaired. Rest assured, I truly enjoy performing soldering repairs to make just about any brass model BETTER than factory new.
When I retired from train service on BNSF in 2017, I created this business so that I could get back to my brass model roots. Since that time, the vast majority of my business has been brass model train repairs; not painting. As much as I enjoyed doing special paint jobs for people, dramatic changes in the quality of paints, decals, and chemicals I use to do that part of the work, has changed too much for my liking. Producing pro-level paint jobs these days (equal to or better than today's best factory paint work) is now much more complicated and time consuming than ever before. While changes to paints and decals makes matching old work difficult, the bigger issue is the extra time involved to do the work. That drives up costs. So much so, that on January 1, 2024, I shut down the painting side of my business. NOT the repairs; just the painting. I continue to provide consulting services to others wanting to learn to paint better. Please keep that in mind as you work to increase your own capabilities when working on brass model trains. Pro level advice can dramatically shorten your learning curve.
Today, my artistry is almost exclusively brass repairs, while also doing grit-blasting and chemical cleaning, touching up factory painted models that I've repaired, and a bit of proto-realistic weathering as well. I do keep tabs on other fellows who still want to do custom painting, and as many of you already know, when the fit is right I can provide referrals to other painters if I know what your specific needs are. As I move into my 66th year on earth, I thought it was worth mentioning that even when you love what you do for a living, sometimes change is necessary to keep pace with the marketplace. Going forward, if you need brass models repaired or need them to run better, smoother, more quietly—then I'm likely your best resource for that kind of work. If you need brass models painted, I should be able to provide a referral, after we chat about the work that is required. I won't provide blind referrals because the other artists are just as busy in their shops, as I am in mine. And just like me, there's always work I know they won't take on. The lines for these kinds of professional services can be long, because there are that many people requesting these services. Patience is a virtue, and a requirement.
These days, DCC installers are in the highest demand. While I do set up brass models to properly accept DCC components (without bending or breaking any parts and without ruining the factory paint jobs), I've always outsourced the actual component installations to several very capable electronics wizards known to me. The key here is in matching the right pro installer to the project at hand. It needs to be done carefully to protect the value of your brass models. And since many installers have very little experience repairing brass models, it pays to know that my set up helps to make their work easier and less stressful on the model being modified. Specialization really does make for the finest outputs across the repair, painting, weathering and DCC installation disciplines. Each requires a unique skillset and attention to detail. So each of us specializes to keep the quality of our output consistently high.
Thank you for visiting my website today. I look forward to working with you when the time is right. Cheers!
