Photo Etched Brass Kits

The instructions which come with the photo etched brass kits usually suggest that painting be done as the kit is assembled. However, Z scale parts can be very small and hard to hold while they are being painted. Your fingers stay cleaner and it is easier to paint the individual pieces while they are still attached to the brass sheet. 

In some cases, painting before assembly can cause problems. I sometimes have trouble visualizing how certain pieces will look when folded into their proper shape.  As a result, something that I might have thought would be on the outside, and so should be painted a specific color, ends up on the inside and need not be painted, or should have been painted a different color. And vise versa. So give the instruction sheet a good look before you begin painting!

I have found that enamel paints work better than acrylics on the brass, at least if you prefer to paint before assembly.  The acrylic paint does not adhere to the brass as well as the enamel, so it scratches or rubs off very easily

I am beginning to think that some sort of primer coat might be a good idea, although I am not sure yet what would be the best color for the primer. It might depend on what it is that goes on over it . The suggested color for the exterior of the Micro Structures Train Station was Floquil brand "Signal Red." I used Testors "Dark Red" and found that, even after three or four coats, the metallic nature of the brass showed through the paint.  I found that Testors "Beret Green" also took on a metallic tone when applied to the brass. Some of the Testors paints were more opaque, so this was not a problem in all cases.

Regardless of your painting technique, at some point each piece of the kit must be removed from the sheet. I have found that an X-Acto knife works well for cutting each piece from the sprue which holds it to the sheet. The "needle file" set that I picked up at Hobby Town USA in Monroe contained a half-moon shaped file that works very well for removing the little pieces of sprue that invariably remain attached to your kit part. I hold the brass piece between two fingers, close to the sprue. Then I use the rounded side of the file to remove most of the sprue. After this, I use the flat side to smooth the edge.  

Be careful with the sprue - cut ends are very sharp and the hole they poke in your finger can remain sore for some time. Also be careful that you don't loose small pieces of sprue. You don't want to step on them later, so hold one end down while you cut the other loose, then put the little piece of metal into some sort of temporary trash receptacle to be thrown out later. The tiny pieces of wire-like brass can be difficult to pick up. I found that if I lick the end of a finger, the little pieces can be picked up simply by touching them.

I use Hobby Town USA extra thick Maxi-Cure cyanoacrylate glue to stick pieces together.