How-To Use
 FauxToys Wraps

FauxToys Wraps for Box-Bodied Cars, including
BOXCARS,
REFRIGERATOR CARS,
TENDERS, and
MOST PASSENGER and
SPECIAL DUTY CARS.

These wraps are designed to fit the Marx® 6" tin box-bodied cars.

Fauxtoys recommends the common black #551 'boxcar-bodied' or 'wagontop' tender, since the black roof looks good with any color scheme, but any Marx® 6" boxcar, stockcar, or refrigerator car can be used.

Tender wraps can also use the 3551 notch-front tender, and are applied in the same manner.

Most FauxToys wraps can be mounted permanently on refinished and low-value cars, or temporarily on valued cars or for use as interchangeable wraps.

Protecting the Wraps (Optional Step) - FauxToys wraps are reasonably tough and water-resistant. However pressing on the wrap with wet hands may leave permanent fingerprints in the gloss surface. Two coats of common paste wax will give increased protection to the surface. See Details.

	Cut Out Wraps - Cut out all paper parts. You can use scissors, or a hobby-knife and metal straightedge.
	Darken the Edges - Working from behind, darken the edges with a black marker or a marker of the color the edge will be bordering.

Pre-curve the Edges (Important) - Note that the ends of Marx® 6" cars have an apron which extends below the line of the sides. The wraps also have an apron. Gently roll the wrap between the fingers until there is a curve from about 1/2" endward of the notch where the apron ends to 1/4" sideward of the notch. Continue to roll more tightly until the wrap takes and holds a curve of sharper than 90°.

For PERMANENT MOUNTING on cars of no collector value, continue reading.
Or go down to TEMPORARY MOUNTING for valued cars.

Doors and Guides - If the car has sliding doors, remove doors and guides and discard. Bend the assembly tabs just enough to remove the body from the frame. Overbending can cause tabs to break. Working with Tabs . Then remove the doors and guides from inside the body. Reassemble body and frame.

Clean or Repaint car roof and frame, if necessary. Cleaning and Painting Tips .

Cut, Darken and Precurve the Wrap - See General Instructions above.

Prepare the Wrap
Put a strips of double-stick tape on the BACK of the wrap along the top and bottom edges of the sides, but do not run tape into the rolled curve. Add strips of tape at the vertical edges of the end panels.

Apply the Wrap - Be sure your hands are clean and dry. Carefuly align the bottom of the wrap with the lower edge of the car body, just above the frame, making sure the end-point of the apron on the wrap is aligned with the end-point of the apron on the car. Press down the car side and the end with the FauxToys copyright notice. Let the other end wave free, for the moment.

Repeat the process for the wrap on the other side of the car, again making sure that the apron ends line up. Press down the side and the copyright-notice-end to stick them to the car.

Start with your fingers and on the side near the free end, and smooth the wrap around the curve, ending by pressing it down to overlap the copyright notice from the other side. Repeat for the other free end.

Most FauxToys wraps can be applied temporarily to valued cars, with no gluing or other damage to the car. This is done by using double-sided tape to stick the wrap ends to each other, creating a sleeve that can slide off the car from the top. You may need to press the roof curves inward slightly, if the roof interferes with removal. Temporary mounting also lets you use the same car body for several different wraps.

Doors and Guides (Valued Cars) - 3-D doors and guides interfere with temporary mounting, so for valued cars, use only on the simpler boxcar bodies with the doors printed right on the car.

Doors and Guides (Junk Cars or Common Cars) - If the car has sliding doors, remove doors and guides and discard. Bend the assembly tabs just enough to remove the body from the frame. Overbending can cause tabs to break. Working with Tabs . Then remove the doors and guides from inside the body. Reassemble body and frame.

(Junk Cars) Clean or Repaint car roof and frame, if necessary. Cleaning and Painting Tips. Reassemble car, if necessary.

(All Cars)
Prepare the Wrap
For temporary mounting, DO NOT use glue or tape to stick the paper parts to the car body. Use glue or tape ONLY to attach the paper parts to one another.
Start by placing a vertical strip of double-stick tape on the back of each wrap at the edge of the non-copyright end panel.

Apply the Wrap - Be sure your hands are dry. Hold the car tightly between the two wraps, with the lower edges of the wraps running along the lower edges of the car body, just above the frame. Be sure the apron edges are correctly lined up.

With the other hand, smooth the wrap around the end of the car, with the copyright end on the bottom and the tape-charged end above it. Press down on the overlapping end to stick it solidly to the underlying (copyright) end.
With the apron ends lined up, smooth the wrap toward the other end of the car, to make sure it is as tight as possible, then press down the remaining tape-charged end over the copyright notice of the underlying end.

The wrap will now form a sleeve, which can be slid on and off the car (If the roof pieces overhang the ends and prevent removal of the wrap, gently push them in a bit). Or the wrap can be removed by pulling up one of the taped ends. Use a fresh piece of tape to reapply.

Some cars come with hatches or other add-on paper details.

Usually these have too small a surface area for double-sided tape to hold, especially on curved surfaces. They must be applied with adhesive, and therefore are for permanent application only.

Do not use hatches or other details on valued cars.

Adhesives - A single drop of super-glue in the center of the hatch seems to work well. Larger pieces may need more. Avoid water-based adhesives. Tweezers help to avoid smearing the glue.

Cut Out and Darken Edges as for the main wrap.

Pre-curve the hatch to go on the area planned. Test fit. When the curve is right, place a drop of super-glue on the back of the hatch and put the hatch in place. Tweezers help to avoid smearing the glue.

REFRIGERATOR CARS have one ice hatch at each corner of the car's roof. The hinges face forward and back toward the center of the car. Some refrigerator cars did not have ice hatches.

PICKLE-VAT CARS have a hatch over each vat. The hinges face the centerline of the roof.

WEDGE TENDERS use a round-end strip for the raised panel on the tender side.