Alclad II

you should ALwAYS use a gloss black primer, makes the coats smoother. at least for bmf finishes.

as for cleaning, I suppose you could use lacquor, but that is highly damaging to your airbrush seals, if you use an older Iwata or aztek or omni, but if you use a badger I suppose it would be ok... just ask mikeV on advice. I would think acrylic and enamal flat coats can be added on top, since lacquer is 'stronger' then them both. Just ask somebody.

It can't be gray, and it can't be regular black primer because that is flat/matte. It has to be gloss black. Swanny's site says to use Krylon gloss black, but I'm about to test Tamiya TS black synthetic lacquer in a few days as the gloss black backer. I don't know what's available in Australia.

Ping, I use both the grey primer, it helps to show up the ugly spots that will stick out after the BMF is done.
The the Alclad Gloss Black,, sanded smooth as a bubbas bot bot!
Then the BMF in which ever tone.

Living in Aus, we really dont have the access to all the funky stuff the yanks get to play with, so whenever I use paints, I try my best to use all of the same brand, and in the way the manufacturer intends.

Some may argue, but I have never gotten anything other than 1st in all my show entries, so something must be right!

A gloss black primer works best with Alclad2 Aluminum. I have experimented with both medium grey & white gloss as an undercoat, which does give detectable color variation, but the gloss black gives the most realistic finish. Alclad2 is a lacquer, so you have to use lacquer thinner for clean up. Once cured, you can top-coat with Future or any enamel/acrylic/lacquer you choose. Top coating does somewhat reduce the metallic appearance however.

Regards, Rick

And once it has cured (at least 48 hours) you can paint and mask away to your hearts desire with any brand/make of paint you like, top coated or not.

Thanks for the help guys. Has anyone tried Tamiya spray can gloss black as a primer for alclad?

as long as the primer is lacquer based, you can use any brand you want. i reccomend staying with alclad primers as they have given me the best results. i've used alclad grey primer on things like wheel wells, landing gear, and odds and ends pieces on the mustang, and it turned out great. if you want a dull aluminum look, then you should go with the grey primer, but if you are wanting a nice, shinny metallic look, then go with the gloss black primer. later.