MM metalizer

hey, i love the "Old Crow" bird myself. i just read the book "To Fly and Fight" which was basically Bud's biography and flying experiences. Old Crow was Bud's favorite kind of wiskey so he decided to name his plane after it. here is a web site if you need any reference pics and such: http://www.cebudanderson.com/ hope this helps, later.

Thanks for the answers! Since I already have the metalizer paints I need, I'm just gonna use them and maybe do the alcad next time. Also, something rather funny; the aircraft saltydog has at the bottom of his posts is the same one I'm modeling! What a coincidence.

yes you can spray it straight from the bottle with an omni 5000 and a paashe H with about 15 psi for sure(i dont know what kind of airbrush you have, but these 2 have been used to apply it at my workbenc). if your near a hobby shop and have about $15 to spare, i would reccomend using alclad lacquers for your NMF. you must prime your model with some form of high gloss black and this is non-negotiable. you dont have to use thier brand, but you do need the gloss black as a primer. i use theirs. swanny uses Krylon gloss black in a spray can and just decants it to another container and loads it into his airbrush. i found out you could do this after i had bought their brand. anyway, the MM metalizers are allergic to any kind of masking what so ever. if you so much as breath on the stuff, it comes off no matter if its cured for a week. so if you have to paint any different colors, do it before applying the metalizer. mask off the painted area, then apply the metalizer. however, alclad is maskable. you dont want to leave in on for a week, but you can get by with a few days. its just alot less headache with the lacquers.

QUOTE: Second, how much time should I give between coats, and how many coats are needed?

i usually wait 24 hrs but you could probably recoat sooner. as many as it takes to appease your taste.

QUOTE: Third, what should I use to buff it?

a cotton ball or some sort of soft cloth.
i have an electric toothbrush with a dremel polishing wheel velcroed to it that works wonderfully for polishing. see swanny's web site for the electric toothbrush sander.

- Model Master Metalizers are plenty thin to spray straight out of the bottle, actually , they were designed that way.

- They dry almost instantly so a few minutes between coats is sufficient. They are very opaque so you can actually get away with just one coat. You can multi-coat if you want though but go with light coats, dont let it get wet.

- They can be buffed with a soft cotton cloth...like an old shirt or something similar.

Caution: They are very fragile once applied, avoid at all cost getting fingers on them as fingerprints will show in the worst way. Also they dont tolerate masking very well because they tend to peel off with it. I mask with ''Post-it'' note paper because the adhesive on it is very ''low tack''. You can also use damp paper to mask with. Since this stuff dries so quick you dont need the mask to be as securely bonded as you would with normal paint.
Also, any clear coating (even the Metalizer brand) will change the polished sheen you have achieved...so you might want to avoid clearcoating alltogether.
A bit of planning is required before masking and finishing.
All in all, Alclad 2 paints are tougher and more handling tolerant than Metalizers (and more expensive) but nice metalic finishes can be achived nonetheless with Metalizers. They just take a little getting used to.
Try experimenting on a scrap fuselage before going at it on your latest project.
Laquer thinner does a great job of cleaning your airbrush afterwards.

Happy airbrushing !

Jimmy Cancino
Valleyfield, Quebec
Canada