Bigasshammm Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 Probably asked before but when using Alclad how long does it have to cure for you to be able to mask it safely? I'm doing a 2 -toned P-51 with OD green and nmf. Sprayed Alclad for the first time on it (turned out OK not great) and will need to mask it to spray the ODG. Will I have to Future it or is it safe to mask over Alclad? I'd prefer not to Future the Alclad parts but will if needed. K Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BoroDad Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 I've done 2 models with Alclad. It seems to set very quickly...I was able to mask and paint soon after painting it (about a 10-15 minute period is all). It seems to be very tough as soon as it is dry...I used Tamiya tape. I didn't use any future. In fact, I didn't use anything after decaling. The key to a good coat is sanding...you really need to successively work down to very fine grit (I was using 2400 I think). Then use the Alcald primer...gloss black if you want a shiney surface. I love it and am very happy with it...hope you're able to get the hang of it. It sands and blends in really nice too. I messed up some decals and had to sand them off, down to the plastic in some areas. I shot it with primer, waited a few minutes, and hit it with the aluminum color. Turned out fantastic! Good luck! P Quote Link to post Share on other sites
blunce Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 As long as your not using Polished Aluminum or Chrome, you can mask on Alclad as soon as it's dry. In other words, a few minutes is all that's needed. No Future is necessary. I'd stick with Tamiya tape or equivalent though, as that's all I've ever used for masking on Alclad and never had any trouble. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bigasshammm Posted November 10, 2011 Author Share Posted November 10, 2011 Sweet. I think I used white aluminum. Which really looks like aluminum aluminum. I noticed I really screwed up sanding a spot so I had to resand and apparently respray some Alclad. I'll Mask off some panels and see if the hue changes any with 2 coats vs 1. I dig the stuff. The prep work needed underneath is kind of a pain though. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
blunce Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 Sweet. I think I used white aluminum. Which really looks like aluminum aluminum. I noticed I really screwed up sanding a spot so I had to resand and apparently respray some Alclad. I'll Mask off some panels and see if the hue changes any with 2 coats vs 1. I dig the stuff. The prep work needed underneath is kind of a pain though. Yeah, the painting's the easy part. A sweet Alclad finish HEAVILY depends on pristine prep work. EVERYTHING shows up once you put the 'clad to it. Not sure I understand your spot repair, but if you sanded through only in one spot and still have surrounding Alclad, then try to respray that panel, it will take you 15 coats or more to get that one spot covered up. You may want mask off that panel, give it a quick blast of gloss black or anything smooth, just as long as that panel is all one color. Otherwise, that spot repair will stand out like a sore thumb. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bigasshammm Posted November 10, 2011 Author Share Posted November 10, 2011 Yeah, the painting's the easy part. A sweet Alclad finish HEAVILY depends on pristine prep work. EVERYTHING shows up once you put the 'clad to it. Not sure I understand your spot repair, but if you sanded through only in one spot and still have surrounding Alclad, then try to respray that panel, it will take you 15 coats or more to get that one spot covered up. You may want mask off that panel, give it a quick blast of gloss black or anything smooth, just as long as that panel is all one color. Otherwise, that spot repair will stand out like a sore thumb. Yeah that's what I did. I masked off the radiator scoop at the bottom of a P-51D and hit it with gloss gull grey just to see if it changes the appearance of the Alclad. I'll respray the clad over it later today. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
blunce Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 then try to respray that panel, it will take you 15 coats or more to get that one spot covered up. That should've read "to get the spot and surrounding area, would take 15 coats." The spot itself would cover in one or two passes, but the surrounding area already had Alclad, so you would see a difference. Anyhow, doesn't matter as you already did the right thing. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
hooknladderno1 Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 Yeah that's what I did. I masked off the radiator scoop at the bottom of a P-51D and hit it with gloss gull grey just to see if it changes the appearance of the Alclad. I'll respray the clad over it later today. I absolutely LOVE Alclad! After spraying white aluminum the other day on roll-up doors of a fire truck project, I scratched two of the doors while handling them. I sanded the areas with sheets from a MicroMesh polishing kit. The panels were rinsed and dried, then resprayed with the white aluminum. The repaired areas are undistinguishable from the originals! Great stuff! David Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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