Has anyone ever airbrushed MM chrome silver #1790?

I did a while back on a Monogram F86 and it looked ok but nothing like the metallic effect you get from Alclad.

I do like it for brush painting.  It is my goto for the oleo area on landing gear.  Brushes nicely, good smooth surface for those really shiny areas, and gear are hard to mask.  Never tried it in my airbrush.

Don Stauffer

I do like it for brush painting.  It is my goto for the oleo area on landing gear.  Brushes nicely, good smooth surface for those really shiny areas, and gear are hard to mask.  Never tried it in my airbrush.

Yup. I use it the same way for hand brushing oleos on landing struts and other spots.

Use use it with a brush to touch up the attachment points for chrome plated parts on bikes and cars. It's not really as shiny as I'd like it to be.

For a shiny a/b finish, I can't beat Alclad's "Airframe Aluminum".

Thanks for the replies.  I need to paint 1/24th truck rims and also fuel tanks.

I've brush painted this paint for years on small areas, but don't know if I can brush paint gas tanks without brush marks and generally looking bad.  I think I can paint the rims ok.

I don't want to get into the whole Alcad thing for this.  I was hoping the AK extreme metal would do but then you have to buy the thinner and you can't mask it without ruining the sheen.  The cost is too high as well.

I didn't know if the MM chrome pigment was too large to airbrush. That was really my question.

I wouldn't think it to be a problem. Their silver tends to remain soft after it dries, so be careful handling it.

It‘s gone through my airbrushes OK with needles down to 0.3mm so,it should work for you. also maybe it’s my imagination but thinning it 1:1 with the MM enamel thinner seems to help it dry harder than brush painting.

I don‘t use it as much as I used to because of the new alternatives. For tiny silver bits I use a Pilot extra fine tip silver paint pen for stainless steel or polished aluminum bits or a Molotow for chrome. On larger surfaces I use Alclad or MM Metalizers. I’ve started to experiment with some of the new acrylic based airbrushed metallics to see how they work for me.

Testors Model Master Chrome Silver won’t give you that shiny chrome mirror-like finish. I know you’ve mentioned you don’t want to go the Alclad route but you can’t deny it does a better job of getting the look you’re looking for. I don’t have experience using AK Metallic line of paints.

Alclad has to be about the easiest NMF finish I have ever used.

Anyone remember Testor's "Buffing Metallizer Finish"?

I don't thin Alclad.

It costs maybe a sandwich per bottle.

It can only be used in an a/b, and any tip size works until it gets too large and it flies away.

I have tried a bunch of primers, which you need to do not for adhesion but for level of finish. My own personal best success is Testor's black gloss enamel, which can be found in little square bottles at Mikes, HL, or just about anywhere else online.

Tricky to mask over, but I say the secret to successful masking is take your time. Like a week between coats. What, you have nothing else to do?

GMorrison

Alclad has to be about the easiest NMF finish I have ever used.

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It costs maybe a sandwich per bottle.

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In addition, a bottle goes a long ways.  To get the best  effect, you must put it on very thin.  I get three or four models out of each bottle, when aluminum is main color of model.

I don't think I will only use a part of a bottle for the DC-4 I am working on, but that is an exceptionally large model :-)

I think it's going to be hard to beat Alclad Polished Aluminum paint over gloss black to get the look you need on tractor trailer wheels. The wheels and tanks are aluminum on real trucks nor chrome anyway. You might try an experiment with gloss gray under Alclad though for a different tone.

Not sure what the Testors Chrome would do over gloss paints, haven't tried it.

Testors Chrome 1790 is very chrome-like on smaller parts, and parts that are not smooth. 

I have brush painted  this on my rims and they look  decent, because there is raised detail and the surfaces are not flat.

You can't brush paint this on flat surfaces like fuel tanks.  It doesn't level and the brush marks are very prounounced.  Which means the tanks have to be airbrushed.

I find all the metalizer buffing sprays tend to look like "Pewter" effect.  Even when buffed out.  You'll never get a high reflectivity.  Although they do look like real metal and quite nice for the right application.

I understand Alclad may be the best, but I don't do that much chrome work.  I may try the Alclad in the future. 

There is never a silver bullet in modeling is there?