What Lacquers to use for a Aluminum Paint scheme?

[AtomicBomber]

Hi,

I have a few questions:

#1 What would be the best lacquer overcoat to use for a all B-29 Aluminum finish for sealing the decals?

#2 I painted the model in dull aluminum and I'm about to put on the decals but I'm wondering since

the dull aluminum is still kind of shinny, do I need to put a gloss-coat first?

#3 A worker at my local hobby shop said a semi-gloss overcoat for a B-29 would be best to use.

But will I still have to use a gloss-coat before decals, or just put decals on and just spray the semi-lacquer

over decals?

Thanks for any help or tips.

Regards.

[GGoheen]

Not sure what particular brand of paint you're using but here at the steps I'd follow if using my particular favorite...Alclad II lacquers:

Be sure the entire bomber has been meticulously sanded down to remove any and all flaws with MicroMesh sandcloth....4000 grit should more than suffice.

Prep the surface with several light coats of Mr. Surfacer 1200.....2-3 should be fine. Again, use MicroMesh sandcloth but this time you should work up to 8000 or 12000 grit so that the Mr. Surfacer has a high luster to it.

Prime the aircraft with gloss black enamel (either Testors/MM enamel or Gunze Mr. Color lacquer paint). Several light, thin coats is ideal as opposed to rushing to lay down too much paint at once.

(Added insurance step) Once the black enamel is dry I like to overcoat with a few light mists of Future....just a little added insurance to make sure the Alclad doesn't burn through the paint underneath. It's a quick enough step and truly is well worthwhile so there are no mishaps before applying your Alclad.

Use Alclad II #105 (High Polished Aluminum). This is just a preference of my own while others use Duraluminum or other shades. I'd found that when trying to replicate a fairly clean, bare metal aircraft that this particular color just works best for me and allows for other tones to be applied and shine through appropriately. (See picture below of my bare metal Ju 88V-6 in which #105 was used as the base coat before adding other tones).

After this has dried, anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour you can begin to mask off and apply other colors from Alclad. I usually use White Aluminum for the ailerons and pick out various panels with Duraluminum and Dark Aluminum.

Another coat of Future is wise when applying the decals for a super smooth surface. Again, some will say it's unnecessary with high shine lacquers from Alclad but I've found it just makes the application of decals that much more easy.

If a dull look is desired for your build you can always shoot with Semi-gloss or Dull-flat when you've set your decals.

Hope this helps,

Greg

[AtomicBomber]

Thanks for the reply GGoheen,

''Not sure what particular brand of paint you're using''

I used Krylon dull aluminum for the paint and for lacquers I own the spray can stuff by Model Masters and Testors.

''Be sure the entire bomber has been meticulously sanded down to remove any and all flaws with MicroMesh sandcloth....4000 grit should more than suffice.''

Never heard of this MicroMesh sandcloth I'll have to look it up.

''Prep the surface with several light coats of Mr. Surfacer 1200.....2-3 should be fine.''

Never heard of this stuff neither I'll have to see if my local hobby shop carries this.

''Prime the aircraft with gloss black enamel''

Unfortunately I won't be able to do this step fore I already painted the plane in the aluminum color.

I guess I rushed forward to quick and missed some important steps. I can't undo them but is there a way I can

just seal the decals and not worry about silvering with maybe a few semi-gloss coats?

Thanks again for your reply,

Regards.

Edited April 29, 2009 by AtomicBomber

[GGoheen]

Just use Future for the areas you are going to decal so they have a nice smooth surface to lay down and properly adhere.......then just seal up with semi-gloss.

Greg

[Fishwelding]

Hi,

I have a few questions:

#1 What would be the best lacquer overcoat to use for a all B-29 Aluminum finish for sealing the decals?

#2 I painted the model in dull aluminum and I'm about to put on the decals but I'm wondering since

the dull aluminum is still kind of shinny, do I need to put a gloss-coat first?

#3 A worker at my local hobby shop said a semi-gloss overcoat for a B-29 would be best to use.

But will I still have to use a gloss-coat before decals, or just put decals on and just spray the semi-lacquer

over decals?

Thanks for any help or tips.

Regards.

AB,

I'm guessing you do not use an airbrush. The Alclad projects Goheen mentioned are neat stuff, but are for airbrushes. "Future" is an acrylic coating sold for kitchen floors, and works great both airbrushed and brush-painted onto models, but if your B-29 is the big bear from Revell-Monogram, well, with a bristle-brush that could be a lot of work!

The Testors stuff probably is Okay, although Krylon may sell a clear varnish in the same line as the paint you purchased (I had some Krylon lacquer varnish a while back, anyway). Likely, Krylon made these compatible, and they may even have in a can something called "semi-gloss." The important part is this: get some scrap plastic (an old model, old packaging or a Compact Disc case, or even plastic sold at the hobby store) to experiment on. Test your finishes on this to find out if you will have any incompatabilities. Initially, I even test stuff of the same brand (like the Krylon stuff above) before actually putting it on my model work.

As for the decals, if the paint is glossy the decals should cooperate, but if you have doubts, give the plane a light spray of glossy clear coat. I'm not certain why the hobby shop employee suggested "Semi-gloss," other than some folks' opinion that high gloss imparts a toylike appearance. Again, experiment and decide for yourself what you like to see.

Another good project for spray cans, incidentally, is Monogram's B-25. I just primed one with Tamiya's spray white primer, and generally there aren't too many acute angles or narrow "tight spots" on that model that make canned finishes troublesome. A fun build, too.

Edited April 29, 2009 by Fishwelding