# Best Aluminum Finish Paint?



## mechinyun (Feb 23, 2004)

Hey I was wondering what you guys would recommend for a very accurate looking aluminum finish? I need to paint a very large model and it needs to look like polished aluminum (think airplane type). I need it to be able to stand up to handling as well.

Thanks!!


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## KUROK (Feb 2, 2004)

Alclad laquer


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## JadesDarkHeart (Dec 8, 2003)

Alclad is the best you are going to find


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## bigjimslade (Oct 9, 2005)

mechinyun said:


> Hey I was wondering what you guys would recommend for a very accurate looking aluminum finish? I need to paint a very large model and it needs to look like polished aluminum (think airplane type). I need it to be able to stand up to handling as well.


Bare Metal Foil


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## MightyMax (Jan 21, 2000)

Floquil Old Silver I tells ya.

Cheers,
Max Bryant


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## Nova Designs (Oct 10, 2000)

I've had really good luck with SNJ.

http://firedragon.com/~novaclass/pics/rc211v/engine_02.jpg


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## Arronax (Apr 6, 1999)

Alclad Chrome but you gotta apply it over really gloss black.

Jim


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## Y3a (Jan 18, 2001)

Chrome Monocoat?


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## omnimodel (Oct 9, 2004)

Nova Designs said:


> I've had really good luck with SNJ.
> 
> http://firedragon.com/~novaclass/pics/rc211v/engine_02.jpg



Looks good. What brand and color is SNJ?


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## Nova Designs (Oct 10, 2000)

Its just the plain aluminum SNJ metalizer, http://www.snjmodelproducts.com/

I just polished the bejeesus out of it.  You can get a wide variety of looks out of it depending on if you use a colored base coat and/or how much you polish it.


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## Arronax (Apr 6, 1999)

Does the SNJ airbrush paint give the same results as the Alclad?

And on a related note, does the SNJ airbrush gold paint give you a bright shiny reflective gold finish? Does the gold SNJ powder do a better job?

OK, I 'fess up. I have a C3PO kit that I'd love to do in "Star Wars Episode 4" finale look - all shined up.

Jim


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## Nova Designs (Oct 10, 2000)

Well, I won't argue that Alclad is a great product. I just haven't used it. I have only used the SNJ aluminum, and you _can_ get a very shiny finish (as you can see in my pic) but it takes a LOT of polishing. Its possible that the Alclad will work better. 

I read a great web article yesterday about the differences as mentioned by someone with a lot more experience. He had some nice pros and cons (although my experiences are different from his) of each that you guys might factor into your decisions.

part 1
http://www.clubhyper.com/reference/nmfcb_1.htm
part 2
http://www.clubhyper.com/reference/nmfcb_2.htm


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## Dave Hussey (Nov 20, 1998)

Why not use car paint?

Duplicolor makes a great line of car spray paints that includes many shades of silver, grey and aluminum. In Canada you can get them at Canadian Tire; I expect that you should be able to find them at US hardware stores where you can buy car parts. The advantage of them is that the finish is much more resistant to marring than model paint and can be polished to a nice shine because its car paint. Its also fairly cheap to buy.

Just be sure to use the matching scratch and dent filling primer. As Brent Gair pointed out to me, that primer has lots of solids in it which will protect the underlying surface of a styrene model from the chemicals in the paint. Otherwise, the surface may be damaged.

This model is done in Duplicolor paint:

http://culttvman.com/dave_hussey_s_destination_moon.html

Honda Signet Silver to be precise.

You can also apply their clear coat over pencil-drawn panel lines to seal them if you wish. I haven't tried their clear coat over decals though. Here is another model in a Duplicolor grey with the panel lines drawn on and sealed with Duplicolor clear coat:











This is a styrene model so you can see that this stuff can be safely used on a plastic model *IF* you use the scratch and dent filling primer first.

Huzz


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## Steve244 (Jul 22, 2001)

They have Orville Redenbacher in Canada? At least you're munching "leger".


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## omnimodel (Oct 9, 2004)

Nova Designs said:


> Its just the plain aluminum SNJ metalizer, http://www.snjmodelproducts.com/
> 
> I just polished the bejeesus out of it.  You can get a wide variety of looks out of it depending on if you use a colored base coat and/or how much you polish it.


Thanks for the feedback. The biggest problem I've had with every chrome paint I've used is that they look terrible once you clearcoat them, and masking tape pullls them off.


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## KUROK (Feb 2, 2004)

omnimodel said:


> Thanks for the feedback. The biggest problem I've had with every chrome paint I've used is that they look terrible once you clearcoat them, and masking tape pullls them off.



In one of my model books (Roscoe Creed's) he talks about Floquil Old Silver. It apparently is tough enough to be masked. I would use the delicate surface blue painters tape on it.
He lets it dry for 24 hours and buffs it out with toothpaste.


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## CaptFrank (Jan 29, 2005)

www.alclad2.com is the way to go!


(If the main page doesn't go away, refresh.)


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## Nosirrag (Apr 26, 2005)

Steel wool the plastic to take off the sheen. Primer coat. Always apply metallic paints in multiple light coats. I would wait 48 hours between coats in a warm dry climate. The first of 5 to 6 coats should be light enough to see through. 

Now, I always use lacquer thinner to thin my paints -- careful, it's deadly if inhaled. As each coat is finished, I put clear lacquer thinner in the airbrush and go over the still damp paint with enough to wet the paint again. This levels the paint and helps it bond to the layer below. 

If you don't want to go through this mess, I would use the car lacquer approach -- and I would say let it dry a week before you mask it.

I have to force myself to wait for paint to cure. I get impatient -- but I always pay for my impatient attitude with messed up paint.


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