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Alclad II questions
SS-74
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Vatican City
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Posted: Sunday, August 10, 2003 - 02:26 PM UTC
Okay here I am again, a treadhead in the plane land. I think it's about time that I enter the mystery land of NMF, so I got myself an F86F kit and a bottle of Polished Aluminum from Alclad II. So I need all the helps I can. So far from reading various websites, I come up with the following ideas:

1. I need to use acrylic gloss black for the alclad II Polished Aluminum
2. I need to make sure the gloss black primer is even

My questions are:

1. Can I paint over alclad II polished aluminum?
2. Can I gloss coat it, and do washes (enamel based or oil based)
3. Can I use decal solution on it? (some web said no)

Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

CRS
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California, United States
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Posted: Sunday, August 10, 2003 - 04:07 PM UTC
I've used Alclad II several times.

1. "A primer coat is recommended" (quote from bottle) Alclad II is a "hot" lacquer and to protect the plastic you should prime first. Of course you want to make sure your primer coat is even/ smooth or it will show through. I suppose black would make a good contrast I've always used gray, you can use Future if you want (again quoting from bottle).

2. Can you paint over Alclad II ? Yes. I always apply a clear coat before painting detail to protect my polishing work from tape or masking marks.

3. I guess number 2 takes care of the clear gloss coat issue. Now when washes are applied they are to the clear coat not directly on the Alclad II.

4. Same for decals and setting solutions, since I clear coat over the Alclad II everything is on the clear coat.

I have painted and applied decals directly to the Alclad II but the clear coat gives me that extra insurance that any clean up needed won't cancel out my polishing efforts.
SS-74
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Vatican City
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Posted: Monday, August 11, 2003 - 01:42 PM UTC
CRS,

Really appreciate your help. Your answer pretty much explain all the question I had. Thanks a lot.

One more question though, the instruction call for lacquer thinner to clean the air brush after spraying alclad II, I only get Tamiya and Gunze Sangyo thinner in Hong Kong, is tamiya X20A lacquer thinner?

Thanks again for your help.
TwistedFate
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Virginia, United States
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Posted: Monday, August 11, 2003 - 01:47 PM UTC
X-20A is acrylic thinner and won't put a dent in lacquer. Testors make a lacquer thinner for their Metalizers if that line is available to you.
viper29_ca
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New Brunswick, Canada
Joined: October 18, 2002
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Posted: Monday, August 11, 2003 - 01:48 PM UTC
Well I don't know anything about the Alclad paint.....but if it says you can clean with lacquer thinner.....that would be like turpentine, or maybe its called turpentoid in your nexk of the woods, or you can do what I do...and go to an automotive body work and painting place, and buy a gallon (4 litres) jug of automotive reducer....I use this to thin all of my non-acrylis paints for airbrushing...as well as cleaning the AB afterwards.

Not sure about the Tamiya thinner....thought all of Tamiya's paint products were acrylic.
SS-74
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Vatican City
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Posted: Monday, August 11, 2003 - 01:55 PM UTC
Thanks Guys. Yeah Tamiya has two lines, one is Acrylic one is enemal, so in this case, is enemal thinner the same as lacquer thinner? Sorry, I am really stupid comes to chemical stuff.
CRS
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California, United States
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Posted: Tuesday, August 12, 2003 - 02:50 AM UTC
Get Lacquer Thinner - If it doesn't say for Lacquer don't use it. Alcald II is tuff stuff if you don't clean it up properly you've got trouble.
Part-timer
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Georgia, United States
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Posted: Tuesday, August 12, 2003 - 03:27 AM UTC
Yeah, (enamel) paint thinner and laquer thinner are not the same thing. Laquer is tougher to thin/clean than acrylics or enamel. If you go to a hardware store, you should be able to pick up a large can of laquer thinner for less than $5. (Once you've got it, you can also use it to clean really, really tough deposits of other types of paints in your AB.) But use it outside, for goodness sake. The fumes.... #:-)
csch
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Buenos Aires, Argentina
Joined: December 27, 2002
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Posted: Tuesday, August 12, 2003 - 06:14 AM UTC

Quoted Text

I've used Alclad II several times.

1. "A primer coat is recommended" (quote from bottle) Alclad II is a "hot" lacquer and to protect the plastic you should prime first. Of course you want to make sure your primer coat is even/ smooth or it will show through. I suppose black would make a good contrast I've always used gray, you can use Future if you want (again quoting from bottle).

2. Can you paint over Alclad II ? Yes. I always apply a clear coat before painting detail to protect my polishing work from tape or masking marks.

3. I guess number 2 takes care of the clear gloss coat issue. Now when washes are applied they are to the clear coat not directly on the Alclad II.

4. Same for decals and setting solutions, since I clear coat over the Alclad II everything is on the clear coat.

I have painted and applied decals directly to the Alclad II but the clear coat gives me that extra insurance that any clean up needed won't cancel out my polishing efforts.


Hi crs:

Your explanation is very clear. Does the same apply to Model Master Buffing Metalizers ?
CRS
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California, United States
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Posted: Tuesday, August 12, 2003 - 08:03 AM UTC
csch - Testor's Metalizers are not as "Hot" as Alclad II, I've used them without a primer coat but the clear coating before detailing still holds true. If you've had to fill or modify where it will show primer is still a good idea. You want as smooth a finish under the Metalizer as you can get, everything even the finest sanding marks will show through.

PS - If you decide you need to thin the Metalizer it gets "Hotter" and you'd better prime first.
csch
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Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Posted: Tuesday, August 12, 2003 - 08:55 AM UTC
Thank you CRS.
CRS
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California, United States
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Posted: Tuesday, August 12, 2003 - 04:53 PM UTC
You are welcome, build on, and let's see some pics when your ready.
csch
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Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Posted: Wednesday, August 13, 2003 - 03:05 AM UTC
CRS, I just finished the paint process of my P 51D (ARII). I used MM Metalizers, Stainless Steel Buf Met for the entire aircraft, some panels with Aluminium Plate Buf Met and the panels of the exhausts with Burnt Metal Buf Met. Tonight IŽll polish the paint and then IŽll seal it with MM Sealer for Metalizers (previous to decaling). I think everything is going ok, at least it looks nice. The ARII kit surprise me with the surface detail, it has nice engraved panel lines and rivets. I replaced the wheels of the kit with ones that I found in my spare box that belonged to a Monogram kit and the pilotŽs seat with a resin one. IŽll use the decals of the Hasegawa kit, 353 FS / 354 FG Lt Col Glenn Eaglestone.
IŽll take some pics and post them here.

Regards.
CRS
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California, United States
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Posted: Wednesday, August 13, 2003 - 03:35 AM UTC
csch - Be sure to post how you polished it and with what. This is a key part of making those Metalizers look good. I'm sure others would like to know how you did it.
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