Looking for B-50 restoration tips

[G10N]

I picked up a British B-50 awhile back that had been painted in sloppy silver. I don't have any experience in any kind of stripping or painting... do any of you know if there's a way to restore it to its original paint underneath or is it best to Remove everything and start from scratch with a new coat?

[BWBrown]

Hi -
The model should be light sea gray when finished. You won't be able to remove the silver and get down to the original finish because it was just a thin coat to start with. You will end up with bare wood in some areas no matter how careful you are. Your best bet is probably to sand it some to remove surface blemishes and then repaint it over the silver. Just use MicroMask or something similar in order to mask off the little black/red label from the manufacturer if you want to preserve it. If you use tape you risk peeling off parts of the label. On the label you will see E.B.B., which initials stand for Earnshaw Bros. & Booth. They made your model. The other piece of information on the label is the RAF identification number, which is 52/832. The Royal Navy used a different nomenclature for their models.

Let me know if you have other questions. Good luck! -- Bryan

[ramseyd]

I got lazy and let Bryan answer first, but totally agree with his recommendation to sand, etc. I would probably sand it enough (somewhere) that I could see the original paint color. I do not have one like this, but some of the EBB models are the green-ish gray color and some are black. You can certify that this one was originally the light sea gray (pretty sure this one was, but . . .) , and then can try to match any repaint to that color. I have found it hard to find a perfect match for the light sea gray, and had to experiment some when I was adding a missing vertical tail and did not want to disturb the rest of the model. Of course, I was dealing with an aged model that probably had faded some from its original color. Highly recommend you work to keep the EBB sticker. From a collector's standpoint, I will pay extra for an original label attached. Last, plenty of caution while sanding. Although easily repaired, parts do come loose or break. Be sure to take a photo and post once you finish! Good luck on your efforts!

[BWBrown]

Two additional comments/suggestions:

Paul - Wooden airplane models usually use a lot of putty at the seams, particularly to create a faired curve. Strippers can also remove the putty, thus making restoration more difficult.

Dennis - I often find myself trying to match paints, particularly for ship models from the 1920's and 1930's. There is an entire color range of acrylics available in 2-oz. bottles used by artists. These are made by companies like Apple Barrel Colors, Craftsmart, and Americana. They have virtually every hue imaginable. They are available in craft supply stores for $2-4/bottle. Since we go to a lot of garage sales, I started picking these up whenever I saw them and they were cheap. I probably have 200 bottles now, and they cost me only $10 in total. A lot of the time I can match a color right out of the bottle. The sheen may vary, but that's fixable with some clear satin or matte. In the cases where I need something a bit unusual I mix and match and spread the samples out to dry. With 5 minutes work I can then literally watch paint dry for the next 30 minutes or so. It's a rush! To refinish large panels like a stabilizer, I use an air brush. For small parts I just use a water-color brush. So far, it's worked well for me.

Bryan

[G10N]

Thanks for the great tips and advice! I'm a bit nervous to start the project, but looking forward to the challenge.
I'll post some pictures when complete, but it may be a bit before any progress is made.