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Gabriel! Good progress! That engine is really super, what did you use for that metallic base coat? I haven't found any metallic paint that doesn't look "flaky" seen close up, that engine really looks metal!
Thanks,
Magnus, for your prize!
I use nothing else but good old
Alclad II. But I cannot stress enough how important the technique is!
I was experiencing lately a lot with metallic paints because, same as you, I hate the metallic flake - It basically ruined the looks on my last MiG-15! Here few of my finds:
- applying a gloss black base it's a must; the glossier the black, the shinier the "metal";
- I apply
Alclad immediately after the black (just a small break to clean the airbrush and to change paints in the cup). In this way, the metallic paint fuses better with the undercoat and the tendency of "powdering up" diminishes;
- I try to apply the metallic paint from as close as I can without having runs, at low pressure (18-20 psi), from a single pass (maximum two passes). Any subsequent pass will give the powdery effect;
- however, it this last thing happens, you might try to fix it after drying by lightly buffing the
Alclad with a q-tip. Here below an example where I went too heavy and I buffed the part afterwards:
If you are after a mirror like finish, I would suggest a hefty clear coat between gloss black and metallic paint (I normally use polyurethane clear), followed by another solid coat of clear. The exhaust pipe on this example is painted in the manner described above:
Final note: not always works as it should
, depending on the pigment used by the manufacturer, as seen below:
The preparation and application went perfectly, but still a little grainy effect is visible.
The best results I have achieved with
Alclad Polished aluminum, Alclad Airframe aluminum and
Alclad Chrome.
I hope this helps.
Cheers!
Gabriel
