White metal figs

renarts wrote:

Polishing the metal parts works great. Use some fine steel wool or the brush wheel on a dremel (be careful here though as you can soften some detail). Once brightened with the wool, you can burnish the metal with a toothpick or bamboo skewer. This gives a nice finish. I use a black oil wash to make the undersides of lames, armor pieces etc stand out and then do a final coat of tamiya smoke. This further takes care of some illustrative shading and seals the metal so it won't oxidize. Gives it some nice depth too. In the case of a figure like the roman or some of the medieval stuff. you can either mask off the fabric/skin/non metal areas and use a spray primer or just thin out your primer and brush it on the areas that will be painted.

Ha! just read your post right after my second one-----looks like we stumbled upon the same technique-----cool !!!

I used to paint a lot of knights/armor figs and a technique I used to replicate chain mail and other armor was to simply lay a very dirty wash right down onto the bare-metal...it really made the mail "pop"...worked like a charm...I'd still recommend a clear coat afterwards...

Ok. Great, and thanks much.

Polishing the metal parts works great. Use some fine steel wool or the brush wheel on a dremel (be careful here though as you can soften some detail). Once brightened with the wool, you can burnish the metal with a toothpick or bamboo skewer. This gives a nice finish. I use a black oil wash to make the undersides of lames, armor pieces etc stand out and then do a final coat of tamiya smoke. This further takes care of some illustrative shading and seals the metal so it won't oxidize. Gives it some nice depth too.

In the case of a figure like the roman or some of the medieval stuff. you can either mask off the fabric/skin/non metal areas and use a spray primer or just thin out your primer and brush it on the areas that will be painted.

I polished the blades on several gladiator figures about 5-6 years ago. They are still fine without clear coat.. A guy I know burnished a mounted knight and AFAIK, he has had no problem.

Thanks guys. And also, can I polish the metal parts to look that way? Or will they oxidize as manny said? If I clear-coated it?

Ditto...white-metal is generally an alloy of tin and lead...fairly low melting point...Make sure you use a good primer after you assemble and before you tackle the painting...exposed white-metal that is left unpainted has a tendency to oxidize...

I have never etched anything in vinegar in well over 20 years of painting, and some of those early experiments were oil on unprimed metal. DO NOT attempt to solder or use any heat to assemble these. The metal will melt. Use a hobby related superglue, such as Zap-A-Gap green. For heavy parts, drill a hole in each and use a brass rod to support the part. Also run a rod up through the ankle of any leg if the figure is standing on one leg, otherwise the weight will cause the leg to collapse. If you're pinning the parts, you can also use two part five minute epoxy from the hardware store.