Alclad questions

[Mysterion]

I think I'm finally getting the hang of this stuff. Previously, I would lay a base of black lacquer followed up by a urethane clear and then the Alclad. If I got a decent chrome look it always rubbed of WAY too easy.

This time I tried using One Shot lettering enamel as a base with the following reasoning.

Although lacquer should always "bite" into a lacquer base, you need to spray it wet enough to do so. My thinking was the dust coats really don't get a chance to grab hold of the base color. (I also think Alclad isn't really that "hot" of a lacquer, therefore not able to bite into the base.)

With One Shot being an alkyd enamel (?) the weak lacquer could bite into it better. I just shot the Alclad, and it is my best effort to date. I used two dust coats and it looks good.

Now for my question, Should I add a another coat or two to build it up and try to avoid it rubbing off? If I do this, will I lose the chrome look and wind up with a silver paint look?

How long do you wait before handling any parts painted with Alclad?

Thanks, Dave

[RatRod]

I have been using Tamiya black lacquer over Plasti-Kote black sandable primer, then I clear with Tamiya clear. Next I shoot the Alclad within an hour in a couple light coats with great results, and if your careful with assembly, no rubbing off. I know others that swear by using urethane clears, and have seen proof that black isn't always necessary under it. If you have found a new way that works for you.....GREAT!!! I do think that adding more coats of Alclad will start to dull the effect, but one never knows until you try it. It seems to on other paints.

[Starry Eyes]

Dave - It's been my experiance that the LESS Alclad you can apply the better the results .. also the least amount of air pressure to do so is also a key (in my experiences anyway) .. John is right .. to muchnof a good thing will end up looking like silver ..

[Mysterion]

Thanks guys.

I did add one more dust coat and didn't lose any of the chrome effect.

I'm glad I finally got this stuff to work, I was about to give up on it.

[modelcarfan]

I have used alclad and I learned that giving a whiff of dust on black lacquer.. or even on testors black enamel paint.. would give a great look on the parts. I usually spray lightly increasing the appearance until the effect gets to what I like. . I then let it dry and inspect the areas if they are what satisfies me ... if not, I give another whiff..

[Wardster]

Several random observations, which may benefit someone out there:

Alclad's black base almost seems to me like it's part black and part clear. I've actually let it settle, and then skimmed off the "dark clear" that's towards the top; thinned it a bit with some lacquer thinner; then shot that over other stuff, to darken the overall look of it, while retaining the metalic luster/sheen. Maybe not a trick that would get used super often -- but it's kinda nifty.

I've found that you can actually really, really thin the Alclad stuff down, even further than it already is -- something like 15 drops of alclad in a teaspoon of lacquer thinner: I usually use "steel" or "stainless steel" for this -- and shoot that mix as a "add some additional pop" coat, over other paints. Use low air pressure and put it on as dry as possible, since you're shooting pretty much straight lacquer thinner -- but it's another nifty / weird trick to keep in mind. Adds sheen, but lets you see almost everything that's under it -- including colors that are "normal". (Non-metalic paints, I mean.) From certain angles, the sheen prevents seeing a lot of what's underneath, due to the high reflectivity effect of all the metalic particles; but from other angles, the undercoats are all still there and visible. A nifty effect to have handy, at times!

I love the Alclad II range, and I keep adding new bottles I haven't tried whenever I shop for paints, but I wouldn't suggest that folks should give up on the Testors' Metalizer range of paints, either. Play with those, too! I've found that when they say they're buffable, they're not kidding! The trick to buffing them up is to use a cotton swab (Q-tip) with a paper stem. Cut it in half, lengthwise; and chuck your new "mini polishing wheel" into a moto-tool. You'll go through a lot of them, but it makes a big difference from the as-sprayed initial look. If you're going to handle the areas you're spraying, later, you may have to clear coat the Metalizer first. (Maybe a good place for trick #1, above?) I'm not saying that the Metalizer paint line will buff up as high as something like Alclad can sometimes look, at it's best -- but using the "over-thinned Alclad" trick, above, over machine-buffed Metalizers, can give some of the best of both paint's overall look. I feel it's potentially more natural-looking than either paint, alone, if/when you can combine the best features of both paint lines.

Experimentation is good! I'm not sayin' I know everything ... just throwing out some "food for thought" to encourage "playing"!