# Alclad and Alclad 2



## sethndaddy (Dec 4, 2004)

I want to do some bumpers in alclad, so I went to the hobbystore and found theres a bunch of different ones. Can someone tell me what number I should get?
I like the way Tom from ho models (that resin guy in Arizona) does his, but didn't want to ask him. I learned not to ask secrets or tips from guys with websites, it offends them sometimes.

Anywho, if anyone has pictures or tips, that would be cool . And no I don't want to use an airbrush, would prefer to just brush on.


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## 60chevyjim (Feb 21, 2008)

Ed you have to put a black base coat on first.
I don't know what # you need.
I had 2 bottels but I sent them to tom when he was doing some bodys for me
ask joe that lights up the ho cars . he uses it. but I think it has to be sprayed..


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## vickers83 (Mar 8, 2010)

Ed, My bottles say: Alclad II Chrome ALC 107 I don`t spray, I brush, But it has to be over gloss black. My brush cleans up with water.....Gary :wave:


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## Black Oxxpurple (Jul 3, 2011)

Mine is II also. I have brushed mine, and yes it needs a black under coat. I think it would look better if it was sprayed. I hope to try it soon


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## sethndaddy (Dec 4, 2004)

thanks guys. If I had a bunch of bumpers to do I may spray, but its only for the occasional projects.


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

Definately Alclad II, and it has to go over a gloss black. Brushing will not give you the chrome effect that an airbrush will. You really need a light coat. Too much will make it look like silver flake instead of chrome. I always thought Alclad was lacquer based. Cleans up with water? I'll have to try that. 

It is a versatile paint though. I use it on occasion as an undercoat for candies. You have to be really careful painting anything over it, because it it gets too hot, it'll reactivate the base and the Alclad, and the dark will show. Think Candy Red turning into black cherry. 

You can also mix a little Alclad with black lacquer and make all silver shades, from platinum to charcoal grey. 

For guys that never dealt with Alclad before, the effect is pretty darn close to chrome if applied correctly. The only drawback is the finish is very fragile, and will get hand worn very quickly. Clear coating will make it more durable, but as with anything else sprayed over it, it take the lightest dustings of clear to not destroy the finish. I've only gotten away with it a few times out of many attempts, so it is possible, but not very likely to work.


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## vickers83 (Mar 8, 2010)

Yup scman, the bottle says lacquer, but my brush cleans w/warm water.... A mystery indeed!


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## sethndaddy (Dec 4, 2004)

up till now most of the bumpers I paint have been testors silver. the little bottles, no spray.
Right before starting this thread I took some of AlPink's resin engines, painted them black, cleaned the brush, but did not dry it, dipped the tip in silver paint and went over them. The black filled in all the nooks and crannys, and the washed out silver looks ok, kind of like a really dirty engine. I'll have to post pics soon.


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## Bill Hall (Jan 6, 2007)

Ed,

As a brush touch over black, Alclad does a pretty good impersonation of magnesium gearboxes and duh-loo-ma-num engine parts. Otherwise ....

Alclad was designed to be sprayed, and is delivered in the bottle at the correct viscosity for spraying. To get the mirror effect, the trick is using one uniform liquid coat at low pressure (8 to 10 psi). This way the nearly microscopic flake flows down uniformly and lays flat with minimum edge overlap. Using high pressure and multiple coats are not recommended. Your just caking the flake on wildly and essentially wasting the product; as well as the special effect that it provides. Ya might as well be using Testors jug paint. If your doing it right, a little Alclad goes a long way. 

The bodywork or condition of the base is important. Think of it like the copper and nickel coats prior to actual chroming. It's best to go over gloss black enamel. Because enamels are typically heavier, they act as a surfacer and help build and fill the type of minor imperfections that Alclad will highlight. If the surface is perfectly smooth; then one can go over black lacquer, or any other properly applied and cured lacquer or enamel paint.

The first 3 or four top coat passes (clear) should be very light and also be shot at low pressure. Again the idea is to apply liquid lightly, rather than crop dusting semi dry paint particulate. Same goes for candies and transparents over the top of Alclad. Go easy and let it set before you hammer any heavy liquid films. 

The hard cold reality is that unless you can provide the correct base and adjust your spraying pressure, Alclad is no better than any other bomb can silver, it's just considerably more expensive and runny. As a general rule, I try to accumulate a pile of widgets to make it worthwhile.


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## Bubba 123 (Sep 10, 2010)

sethndaddy said:


> thanks guys. If I had a bunch of bumpers to do I may spray, but its only for the occasional projects.


I use "Argent" (sp??) Chrome from Testors (bottle) over gloss black...
mainly because Alcad is UN-Available in my area...

seems great on small pieces of any scale (bumpers, trim, gas/radiator caps, ect)

Bubba 123 :wave:


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## 82whiskey (Sep 6, 2009)

Hi all,

When I search for Alclad ll I find several metallic finshes an shades. Can someone tell me which matches the original Aurora color best?

Thanks, Brian a


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