Renumbering farish coaches

[Diyceejay]

Evening all,
Having trawled through the knowledge bank, the tutorials section and youtube in general, I'm struggling to find a definitive guidance on how to renumber a Farish coach. Can anybody point me to a reliable method or advise?
Thanks

[Steven B]

The existing numbers can usually be rubbed off using a cocktail stick. A little T-Cut can help if they're particularly stubborn.

Once removed, make sure the area is clean. Apply transfers in the normal way:
Cut out the transfer you are to use. Wet the back of it with lukewarm water -  use a paint brush to bring a controlled amount of water to the transfer. Doing this rather than just dunking it in a pot of water means more adhesive will stay with the transfer. Leave for a short time to allow the transfer to free itself from the backing sheet.

Use a pair of tweezers to pick up the backing paper and using a paint brush gently push the transfer onto the model. Gently press down to remove the water - either a paint brush again or a piece of kitchen paper or plain tissue.

If you need a transfer to sit on an uneven surface (i.e. in panel lines or over beading) then Microscale Industries Micro Sol and Micro Set will help (Vallejo and Humbrol make their own equivalents).


Steven B.

[Southerngooner]

While I'd love to renumber my coaches I've decided against it as I think you will always see the raised new transfer when looking along the coach. I can't see how you can varnish a side, or part of one, on a new Farish coach without masking off all the windows, which would be a real pain. If someone can help me by showing me otherwise I'd be grateful. I also wonder if you can really see a change in number at normal viewing distances?

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for accuracy but have come to realise that what is strictly right is not always the best thing to do. Most of my kit built wagons are numbered correctly, but when I ran out of some I used other numbers, and can you see the difference once weathered etc.?

Dave

[Diyceejay]

Thanks chaps....I think I'll give it a try and see if the aesthetics are compromised before I commit to whole rakes of renumbering.
T-cut....as in the car polish?

[martyn]

Yep, VERY gently. Brasso can also be used.

If you do decide to use transfers, try Railtec-they have an almost non-existent carrier film, probably the thinnest there is. Fox aren't far behind, but I'm not sure of what they do, it may be in two parts per number.

However, I do go with Dave about renumbering-at normal viewing distances they are unnoticeable, however YOU will know they are done.

Martyn

[PaulCheffus]

While I'd love to renumber my coaches I've decided against it as I think you will always see the raised new transfer when looking along the coach. I can't see how you can varnish a side, or part of one, on a new Farish coach without masking off all the windows, which would be a real pain. If someone can help me by showing me otherwise I'd be grateful. I also wonder if you can really see a change in number at normal viewing distances?

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for accuracy but have come to realise that what is strictly right is not always the best thing to do. Most of my kit built wagons are numbered correctly, but when I ran out of some I used other numbers, and can you see the difference once weathered etc.?

Dave

Hi

Only way I have achieved this is to dismantle the coach, spray it, then put it back together.

Farish BG before the Newspaper version was available


Farish LMS brake before the BR Blue version was available and the gangway connectors have also been removed inspired by the article in the NGS journal a few years ago.


Cheers

Paul

[Southerngooner]

I did the same thing with a couple of Farish BGs which I had picked up cheaply, one in green and one in crimson and cream. I stripped them right down, repainted in maroon and relettered/numbered/lined and then varnished. That's given a good finish but I still don't see how, even with the finest transfer, that you can successfully disguise a new number.

Dave

[GScaleBruce]

I realise that this is an old(er) thread, but it covers exactly the topic I am interested in (full marks to the search function and the OP for that!). By and large, I do like my rolling stock to have unique numbers (it helps to limit my purchases, among other more obvious reasons), but given that there isn't an infinite number of blue and grey coaches with different running numbers, I thought I might try to renumber a couple.

Now, I do understand the advice offered here about whether or not one can even see the numbers, and the difficulty of getting an even, flat finish, but nevertheless a Scottish Region coach was selected as the experimental vehicle.



First job was to remove the numbers. I used a cocktail stick, moistened with a little tampo print remover which I've had for a while.



On one side it removed a smidgeon more than I'd planned.



A thin coat of gloss varnish over the affected areas followed, then the application of the Fox Southern Region BR Mk 1 coach numbers. These were then sealed with satin varnish.



I may have trimmed the transfer just a little too close to the "6" on that side! With a reasonably small, defined area to the right of the door and below the window area, I think the varnishing is pretty much imperceptible.



Much the same is true on this side, although if the light falls on it in a particular way, it can be noticed. As yet, this coach is "ex works", and it may be that a little weathering is in order. But I think I may try the same with a BSK...

[Newportnobby]

The camera makes for a cruel critic but I reckon you've done well with that

[GScaleBruce]

Encouraged by the renumbering of the SK, I've turned my attention to a Scottish Region BSK. This time, rather than using the tampo print remover, I reverted (as suggested by @Steven B ) to a cocktail stick. Rubbing hadn't worked on the SK (or I hadn't got the technique right - more likely), but on the BSK the number chipped off easily, leaving much less of a mark behind. This is the marginally more abraded side...



I also decided to try applying the transfers without a layer of gloss varnish, as the coach side seemed pretty smooth and even slightly polished after my efforts with the cocktail stick, and I figured any silvering would be minimal on such a tiny transfer.



Now to decide how best to seal it with varnish... this is becoming addictive...

[Steven B]

Now to decide how best to seal it with varnish...

Matt varnish with some weathering colours mixed in - two jobs done for the price of one?!

Steven B

[GScaleBruce]

Mini project complete. Photographed at an angle to highlight the varnish:



And on track, again in strong sunlight:



Overall, I'm very pleased with how that's turned out. Under "normal" conditions, the varnish is imperceptible.

[crewearpley40]

I agree with mick as above

You have done a stunning job there on the mk 1