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I haven't built a airliner before and am wondering what to use for the polished aluminum color?
I can use a airbrush but rattle cans are good too. Here we have lots of wind and lots dirt blowing around. Also cold most days so airbrushing is not a option in my tiny workshop--I wouldn't want fumes to ignite.
The best option is to catch a few hours outdoors to paint.
Also do you top coat the silver paint to seal decals? Does this turn the paint grey?
I really like alclad for natural metal finishes. 101 is a duller aluminum. 119 is crazy polished
Thanks,
John
Nice but a bit too shiny in my opinion. I prefer plain old silver or aluminum paint straight out of a rattle can - particularly Tamiya BMF Silver.
Ya, it's only appropriate for some airliners and and late war bombers.
In my opinion Tamiya TS-17 gloss aluminum is the best.
Airliners are almost never high gloss. A high shine finish is very hard to maintain in the real world.
American Airlines likes to leave the aluminum unpainted, but it still has an anti corrosion clear coat.
Alclad has three different shades of aluminum. There is a polished aluminum, a just plain aluminum, and a white aluminum. The just plain aluminum is fine for modern planes, the white aluminum for heavily weathered planes.
In the pre-war period, and immediately post war, airlines did keep their planes immaculate. I have seen lots of DC-3s where the polished aluminum would be fine. After war, the aluminum areas of Connies, and DC-6s were often very shiny. Cheap line boys are gone forever, now.
Don Stauffer in Minnesota
There's also an Alclad called "Airframe Aluminum". It's the shiniest one I've found so far.
Modeling is an excuse to buy books.
Yeah G !
That color makes good mirrors out of sheet plastic ! T.B.
How about Bare Metal Foil? It looks like metal because it is metal.
Your comments and questions are always welcome.
Thanks for the input guys! With Alcald, can you put a sealer on it----does it turn grey?
Great looking B-29!
GMorrison There's also an Alclad called "Airframe Aluminum". It's the shiniest one I've found so far.
Yep, that's 119 on my little dc3.
B-36Andy Thanks for the input guys! With Alcald, can you put a sealer on it----does it turn grey? Great looking B-29!
I guess you missed my posts about my Cubana DC-3 on the Airline GB where you and I are participating. Future, Aqua Gloss or even Metalizer Sealer from MM will not affect the Alclad finish.
I usually do not seal the Alclad finish but in this case I did using MM Metalizer sealer due to the poor bonding quality of the decals I'm using requiring multiple applications of Solvaset.
As a matter of fact, the old and discontinued Floquil line of matallics like Old Silver, Bright Silver and Platinum Mist are VERY close to the Alclad finish. It's unfortunate that Floquil enamels were dropped out of production but I have several bottles in my paint drawer.
Too many models to build, not enough time in a lifetime!!
It won't turn gray, but it does change the sheen, and I don't like to do it. I find decals stick very well to a good Alclad finish without silvering, so I don't bother to seal or glosscoat.
Don Stauffer It won't turn gray, but it does change the sheen, and I don't like to do it. I find decals stick very well to a good Alclad finish without silvering, so I don't bother to seal or glosscoat.
This is true for the most part and I rarely clearcoat Alclad but these decals even laughed at Solvaset which I haven’t experienced this before. Every decal I have used along with Solvaset worked out fantastic except these. I clear coated just in case I had to use multiple Solvaset applications which is exactly what happened.
Alclad will not turn grey if clearcoted but the change in sheen is very tiny.
Also some of the silver looking parts of aircraft are not always bare aluminum but a silver lacquer for corrosion protection. The wings on most airlines seem to actually be painted. It seems to be a trend for visual differentiation and protection to paint most airliner surfaces. When I was young I remember planes like the American Airlines 707s that were mostly bare aluminum and often polished. The KC-135 tankers when I was in SAC were painted silveR. Earlier P-51’s had most of the panel seams on the wings puttied and then the wings painted silver lacquer to smooth the airflow over the laminar wings. I think the practice was eventually discontinued, but modern airliners seem to have a gull gray shade painted on the wings.
Glad you're going to try the airliner build! You'll find it very challenging and rewarding. As for polished aluminum, I have been a convert to Alclad finishes for a while now, and love it. As long as the surface prep is done properly, the finish is quite nice. It must be airbrushed, though; since you mentioned that airbrushing is not a viable option, the alclad products may not be good for your situation, in which case, spray cans may be an option. I have just bought and am about to try the high shine metallic sheet from authentic Airliner Decals. They look wonderful, and relatively easy to use. Here's a link...
https://www.authentic-airliner-decals.de/epages/17895661.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/17895661/Products/D144-03
Thanks all for the info on the bare metal finish!
Two new pieces of info---There is a paint company that makes a good aluminum from what I hear. This is K Colors paints. Don't know much about them.
Also I was given 3 airliner models this weekend that look like antiques---Will start a new theread on these---------
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