Gun finishing tips

[Moonpuppy]

I have a love hate relationship with AlcladII. Love the results but I generally hate it when I screw it up. The High Shine line of AlcladII does require a very glossy black or, depending on the effect you want, whatever color you'd like to use.

Anyone using the Humbrol Metal Coat Gunmetal?

[jknaus]

I know a lot of people use Alclad metallic colours but they make my skin crawl. So is there an acrylic alternative? Right now I use Tamiya Aluminum or steel and then hand paint with vallejo.
James

You mean they physically make you sick?

I haven't found a water-based paint that looks as good as Alclad metallics. It's all down to the particle size.

Not sick Bo, but skin crawls. Same as in the summer when I drive by the flight line the Jet fuel makes my skin crawl. Probably to much time around engines and I'm getting sensitive to the solvents and gasses. I've switched almost 100% to acrylics now. I guess I'll keep on with the Tamiya paint.
James

[jknaus]

I'll look for those. Thanks.
James

[Des]

Mr Metal Colors make a good range of lacquer based metallic paints. They spray beautifully, dry nearly instantly and can be buffed to a really nice sheen if required, I have used their iron and dark iron on my guns with highlights of stainless, looks quite good. As with all lacquer paints a good respirator is needed when spraying.

Des.

[petrov27]

Never seen those Vallejo alcohol metallics before; do you just use isopropryl alcohol to thin for airbrushing them?

[Squiffy]

Not all guns were all black/metal. There's an example of a Vickers in the RAF museum, at Hendon, that has the cooling jacket painted a kind of khaki drab colour. I can't remember if the display stated exactly what aircraft it came off but it was the type for use on aircraft and was in the WW1 display, in the Graham-White building.

[WarrenD]

Squiffy, if you look at my previous post, I noted that some Vickers I had seen had a khaki or drab finish, BUT their provenance was uncertain at best, etc. I've seen parkerized U.S. rifles from WWI, yet parkerizing wasn't used here until postwar. Of course, they have been refinished postwar. (They went wild with it, parkerizing everything in sight they could find, LOL!  Even Indian Wars bayonets for Trapdoor Springfields.)

Warren

[Alexis]

Never seen those Vallejo alcohol metallics before; do you just use isopropryl alcohol to thin for airbrushing them?

No need to thin them . They are for airbrushing , I use their copper .



Terri

[ALBATROS1234]

have you ever tryed humbrol metal cote gunmetal? its a buffing metallizer. you spray it and it looks like super flat charcoal color. then you buff it with a old paintbrush. i use dedicated brush to do this and also humbrol metal cote steel. the brushs you use to buff saturted with metallic pigment and can be used to drybrush.

[Des]

I have used the Humbrol Metal Cote colours and find them to be pretty good, can be buffed after only 20 minutes.

Des.

[stefanbuss]

in the case of machine guns, WNW thoughtfully includes a set of styrene jacketed spares that are perfect for the task

Now i know why they are included at all - i still have to see a build where the non-PE Spandaus are used...

Stefan

[Michael Scarborough]

Alclad aluminum base coat / alclad trans. blue / alclad trans. red / topped w/ custom mix of tamiya nato black, smoke & gloss black. Still need a little graphite to pick out the deets.


Bo-san,
Do I assume correctly that you mean that the Alumn., blue and red are applied in succession? Re: the Alclad colored transparents.....do you feel Tamiya clears would work as well?

Also, can you go into a little more detail re: your custom mix....ratio and thinning. Is it a wash? Brush or airbrush applied?

Thank you, Sensei,
Grasshopper

[uncletony]

Bo-san,
Do I assume correctly that you mean that the Alumn., blue and red are applied in succession?

yepper

Re: the Alclad colored transparents.....do you feel Tamiya clears would work as well?

The alclad goes on thinner, colors are a little bit different. I use both from time to time.

Also, can you go into a little more detail re: your custom mix....ratio and thinning. Is it a wash? Brush or airbrush applied?

applied by airbrush, thinned to skim milk consistency with tamiya X-10, but i didn't keep notes on the color ratios, simply mixed to "taste"… probably roughly 1:2:1 (?)

[rowan broadbent]

Am I the only one who keeps reading the thread title as "Gun fishing trips"

I keep having these flash visions of our US stalwarts on the forum, all armed with shotguns, handguns, assault rifles (like all American men, right?) sitting in a boat drifting down a river firing randomly into the water.......

Sorry, just thought I'd share.

[Michael Scarborough]

assault rifles (like all American men, right?) sitting in a boat drifting down a river firing randomly into the water.......

Yer, Damn Right, Pard.......yew gotta problem with that, Limey?

(XXXOOO!!)
(PS Dee-cals arrived, merci beaucoup, mon ami!)