Testors MM buffing metalizers

[breadneck]

So most of us know by now that when working with Alclad laquers for that 2nd to none metallic spitshine, the surface of the plastic needs to be polished to perfection before even thinking of laying down any type of gloss black base coat. I was wondering if this type of preparation work holds any legitimacy when working with MM buffing metalizers.Would like some facts if anyone has them, no guestimates ;-) And another thing, is there even any logic to giving your model a final polishing run down and then repeat the process all over again? Will the sheen intensify or just produce the same as with your first round of metalizer buffing?     

[MoFo]

Yes, the bare plastic needs to be highly polished under MM Metalizers.

 

As for re-coating, it shouldn't make a difference.  You'll end up with a thicker film of paint, but it won't be any shinier.

[breadneck]

 

Alright, fair enough. Smooth basecoatless surfaces here i come. I`m using my Dremel at 5K rpm with a hairy soft cloth wheel. Seems to work great 

but takes a lot of time. Anyone here who use sealers on these metallic finishes? I`m a bit apprehensive about that for obvious reasons. 

[murad]

9 hours ago, breadneck said:

 

Alright, fair enough. Smooth basecoatless surfaces here i come. I`m using my Dremel at 5K rpm with a hairy soft cloth wheel. Seems to work great 

but takes a lot of time. Anyone here who use sealers on these metallic finishes? I`m a bit apprehensive about that for obvious reasons. 

 

 might be my bad luck bad only time i needed a sealer was for the buffing stainless steel due to being extremely fragile! other colors had never needed sealing. and the answer is yes, sealer will take away the sheen of the nmf. still better than a gloss coat.

[breadneck]

I don`t know exactly when, but i heard throught the grapevine that Testors changed the formula (probably a looong time ago)

because the metal finish would rub off too easy.I don`t know if this was with their buffing metals or not. Maybe what you are

describing was from one of these older formulas? The stainless steel i am using now does not rub off easily at all, but i applied

it with a plain brush. Don`t think that matters much anyway. Here`s an instructional link to the Testors metalizers i came across. 

 

http://www.uptownsales.com/tools/MetalizerInstructions.php

[murad]

in my experience mmm shades are durable (i do use a primer) when it comes to buffing/rubbing but you have to think about masking, unless you are going to be painting an entire frame with it a single color no problem of course. alternatively if masking is going to be unavoidable you could leave it as the last color if viable so no masking tape will have to come above it.

[breadneck]

You use a what? I believe the metalizers are supposed to be applied directly to bare plastic unless you have a rock solid faith in your own sequence of operations.

 

So far i`ve figured do the metal paint as a last stage so all the other colour are applied at a previous point in time. I will be using a sheet of Life Like decals for my current project. Just hope they will adhere well to the metalizer without any additional sourcery. Anyone else in here, please do chime in with your takes on this subject. I know you`re out there ;-)     

 

Edited April 4, 2017 by breadneck

[murad]

if you have enough trials that you can support your beliefs then they are facts of course, but in my experience not just mm but any type of metalizer worth it's salt over bare plastic is simply asking for trouble in the long run, especially if there is going to be panel work involved with masking tape.

 

for primer i prefer mr surfacer 1500 black thinned with tamiya's lacquer thinner with a touch of gunze retarder, wet over wet application. depending on the weather buffing the primer with an eyeglass cleaner fiber cloth may be in order and this is the result, base coat gunze super metallic steel, all the panels are entirely mm metalizers masked with tamiya, tiny stainless steel sections (bluish) atop the wings i did last knowing it's going to be the problematic one:

 

 

 

have fun with your project.

[breadneck]

Oh wait don`t tell me, another one of those crazy PM models eh ;-) I never was a wiz when coming to modern jets. Oh i`m having the time of my life.

My project is for an old friend of mine. Nearly finished with hours/days of stripping the old paint from a Hasegawa P-47 razorback. Nail polish remover

is a friend indeed, but some times i want to bring out the really nasty stuff, lol. But of course that just eats away at the japanese plastic. Good thing is

when i`m done, the whole kit will be so polished down i don`t need to do much more to the surface. On that note, the Revell sanding pads does not

hold up well at all when faced with H2O. The Micromark ones thankfully do. The soft touch sanding pads that is. Alright, thanks for your friendly advice.    

[balls47]

Yessir,  Go over to Zone Five Modeling Forums.  Scroll down and go into the Toolbox.  On the second page, you'll find a post by Jens H. Brandal titled, "Bare Metal with Brush."  It was posted on 2-5-14.  He explains in detail how to apply MM Metalizers (buffing only) with a brush.  I have tried this technique on jet exhausts, smaller parts, and even practiced on some larger stuff.  This technique works great.  Good Luck

[zeus60]

A whiile back,  I stumbled upon Rogério Marczak's article on Hyperscale about "tricked" Metalizer.  You leave an open bottle out overnight, letting the pigment settle on the bottom.  The next day, use a pipette to remove the clear liquid, leaving the pigment in the jar.  Then add a mixture of 2 parts Metalizer Sealer to 1 part Metalizer Thinner to fill up the bottle.  I've done this, and had no adhesion problems.  However, it did seem a little thick - I had to add more thinner, so the next time I do this, I will probably use a 50/50 mixture of sealer and thinner.

 

HTH

 

Stacey

Edited April 9, 2017 by zeus60

[breadneck]

Looks like some interesting links worth looking into. Thanks for sharing these. Exchanging information is what these forums are all about :)