MrMetalColor thinner/extender?

[GrahamB]

Good morning.

For a few months I've been using MrMetalColor and been very happy with it. I have assumed it can be thinned/cleaned up with lacquer (cellulose) thinner and this seems to work. Does anyone know if this is the recommended solvent?

Another project I have in mind will require very thin coats of aluminium over CDL and thought an 'extender' of some sort would be better than mere thinned MrMetalColor - i.e. a varnish/medium/clear-coat. Does anyone know what would be compatible with this range of paints?

Many thanks.

Cheers,

GrahamB

[Des]

I have been using the Mr Metal Color range of paints for years and have always used lacquer thinners to thin the paint (it rarely needs thinning) and to clean out my air brush or paint brushes, i have never had any adverse effects from the lacquer thinners. Gunze does have their own lacquer thinner but the lacquer thinner I buy from my local hardware store is exactly the same and only a fraction of the price, I always buy it in a 4L container.

As far as an extender for the range I paints I can't help you, I have not heard of anything to suit the Mr Metal Color paints.

Des.

[GrahamB]

Hi Des,

thanks for this. Yes, I've been using the stuff without thinning most of the time and clean-up with lacquer thinners. It would be interesting to know what clear product could be mixed with it. I could experiment with just thinned paint and see if it gives the required effect (this is for a Pfalz DIIIa). According to a microscopical analysis by Alan Toelle (in a Windsock article), the surface application of the Pfalz 'silver' he had access to was only aluminium flakes in a medium - no sign of any black or white pigment of the purported 'silbergrau'. The wing surfaces had a much thinner application of this aluminium-charged dope than the fuselage (according to an RFC/RAF report) and this would easily account for their usually darker appearance (was this to avoid too much glare?). This is what I want to try and replicate.

Cheers,

GrahamB

[Ian from Doncaster]

Graham, do you have a soft brush that you use exclusively for buffing up the mr metal?

When I am representing metal components, such as Fokker fuselage frames, I drybrush with my buffing brush over the blue/grey paint, which does two things - on raised areas the metallic effect catches more, giving the impression of worn paint, and on the surface in general it gives a metallic tinge.  As long as I keep on buffing up other mr metal components from time to time, the buffing brush remains charged with metallic pigments.

I just wonder if the same would work over a larger surface, such as you propose, to replicate the sibergrau effect?

[GrahamB]

Hi Ian,

thanks for the tips about buffing the MrMetalColor. It's not something I've had a go at yet but I should try it to extend the range off finishes that could be had with it. As for an 'extender', I see that there are Gunze/MrColor/Gaianotes clear coats available but they are in spray cans. I'll keep looking for a lacquer-miscible varnish. Might be difficult getting some in these days of severe postal restrictions.

Cheers,

GrahamB