Need some Alcad and BM advice

My Alclad tips....and you can send me a certified check when done reading :)

First I wet sand the whole aircraft starting with 1800 grit, moving all the way down to 12000 grit. The reason I do this, is because it 1) polishes the surfaces to a sleek glass finish and 2) because it doesnt ruin any of the fine detailed lines.

When that is all said and done, I mix a bottle of 3 parts water, 1 part Future and apply it to the surface in 3 coats. On the 3rd coat, I polish it with Novis to get that glass like finish. I inspect the whole surface area, to make sure that there are no bumps, scratches or runs in the Future....which is very hard to do, considering how thinned out it is.

I have learned that Alclad will intensify the surface. Meaning that the shinier, and smoother the surface is, the shinier and smoother the alclad finish will be.

I apply 3-4 coats of the Alclad and let it sit for 6 days before masking it off to paint the other pannels, or to apply the delas. I don't buff it out in the end, I have added fine scrathes to the finsh.

I use between 7-10 PSI, and the distance from the model is about 2-3 inches. Maybe pull back if it is building up. I used a 2 way Badger Air Brush, and never start or end the spray on the model. Always point the brush in the air, to get the paint flow going. I have had bad hicups in the past.
For a mirror like image, I have added a top coat of 1/2 water, 1/2 Future

Yes, Bare Metal Foil's aluminum is more realistic for aircraft in general (than chrome), and I have done partial planes with it quite a bit, and found the best thing to mask it with is Post-It notes. I keep all sizes on hand (buy generic ones. they're cheaper and don't stick as well, which is good) They are great for masking panels, especially over SNJ or other hard metal paints, when adding, say, some Metalizer panels in titanium or stainless steel for realism and variety.
Tom

Hi Sharkskin,
I have heard that the Model Master foil just isn't as good as the Bare Metal Foil.
I won't knock it because I have never tried it. I started out using BMF on my model cars and found it to be very user friendly. For my aircraft I use the regular chrome. They make an extra shiny but it doesn't look real for aircraft. They also make an aluminum which is a little different color than the regular chrome which could be used for accenting different panels.

GB, you've inspired me. Your Sabre is beatiful. I may just try it again this time, and I have had lots of success doing parts of airplane in BMF using tinting and such, like the bare metal areas of the F-4 and F-15A and they have worked beautifully. I just recently failed, however, at doing the ProModeller F-86 D in all Model Master foil and that's what started my tirade against that stuff. It was an utter failure of what had been an enjoyable build.
Tom

Hey Sharkskin,
Here's a 1/72 F86 done up with Bare Metal Foil. I tried it on this scale because of the expense but I think it came out quite nicely. I learned a lot of tricks in applying the foil by the time I got it finished. I have since done a couple more that turned out better. With some soft masking (not extremely sticky) you can do shaded panels or prepaint and then apply the foil. I hope this helps some.
gbritnell

Tweety, you are my man. Since this is for a rather widely read publication with excellent printing quality, I can't have that, unless I want to show it deliberately as a pitfall. The company claims that the backing disappears, but I was dubious. I know from experience you can put them on flat finishes and the backing will disappear with no silvering, but I doubted it on BM. So how would you suggest a fix?
My problem is that, in the 20 years I've had a constant supply of metalizer paints, I have lived with the frustration of working day and night using the most delicate differences in tone between panels by spraying, carefully masking with wet tissue, exquisite buffing, and then, you put a light coat to keep it from rubbing off every time you look at it, and the whole effect is utterly destroyed by the sealer. And the sealer, unless it's slopped on, doesn't even seal it well and makes it even more like plain old brush on Testors aluminum and steel. It happened to me for the thousanth time today when, building an old Tamiya A6M3 for the same article, I paint the prop all over with buffing aluminum, so I could buff the front of the blades shiny (the back is red-brown) and leave the spinner rather dull. As soon as I put the thinnest coat of sealer on it, the whole prop and spinner assembly, so carefully prepared, became monochrome. I want to scream. It's like bashing ones head against the wall over and over and expecting it not to hurt next time. And I've never been able to use Bare Metal Foil (forget completely about the Model Master variety. It's garbage and outrageously priced for a tiny amount of foil full of wrinkles that don't come out when you peel it off) with an acceptable result on an entire plane (though I've seen it done by some brilliant modelers). I am just up in the air with what to do with NM finishes, and my favorite aircraft, from late WW II through the early 60s, are in those finishes. I still don't know how to attack this F-86. I can't even find the bloody Alclad. (BTW, I was misspelling the paint Duralumin, because I thought it was spelled the same as the alloy, which is duralumin, but they call the paint, as you all correctly point out, Duraluminum -- correct only in the U.S., which is odd, since I thought AlcladII is Brit).

The best shade I've found for F86's is Alclads 'White Aluminium'

This is applied over the primer.

While the decal backing will be almost totally invisible, in most photos using the flash you will see the backing, as the flash hits the Alclad and reflects back through the carrier.

I've been using Alclad on a few models recently done. The Duraluminum is designed to go on bare plastic, the shiny ones (eg Chrome) go on the gloss black. I found that the Tamiya Fine primer (the white one) is excellent for the duraluminum, I sand the finish with micromesh & found I needed to use a primer to locate any flaws.

Masking over the glossy's is a pain, not so bad over the duller aluminums (aluminium's as we say in Oz). I've een had chrome finishes mucked up by parafilm, although the Alclads are quite robust in every other respect. Best thing to remove it (& not the primer) is 'Autosol Shine', a general metal polish available in supermarkets. - rips it straight off.

Thanks guys. The reason I need Alclad is because I'm working on a piece on using these new dry transfers that are available for all types of a/c in all scales now, and I'm told that the backing disappears on a bare metal surface (not a buffable one, obviously, because nothing will stick to it) and does not need to get ruined with an overcoat or sealer. So I'm going to see what the result is, but I need a tough, really nice bare metal finish to do it. I guess I'll keep looking and try to find some regular aluminim Alclad2 to use with the Duralumin, which might work on the panels over the main spars.
Again, thanks guys, and I'm open to any more advice.
Tom

Alclad2 Duraluminum is a darker aluminum shade than the basic aluminum. It will give a more weathered/oxidized appearance if used as the overall color. I usually apply it over a light grey primer. I use Floquil grey primer, an enamel, that has neen lightly sanded. Personally, I prefer the appearance of the basic Aluminum applied over a gloss black primer, which gives a newer, shinier look, but the Duraluminum is also acceptable.

Regards, Rick

Tom, i've never used Duraluminum so i really can't eloborate on its use. however, i've used other alclad products many times and have had excellent results with it. for NMF's that are shinny, i'd recommend a gloss black primer, alclad gloss black base is silky smooth and easy to use. if you don't have access to this, then any enamel/lacquer based gloss black will work. i tried decanted krylon gloss black with disasterous results, but that doesn't mean it can't be done. anyway, the glossier the primer, the better the shine of the NMF. the primer needs atleast 24 hours to cure, although you can recoat the primer after an hour or so. when the primer is cured, i spray the alclad at about 12-15 psi at about 2-3 inches from the surface. i usually spray 3 coats, waiting about 15-20 between coats. when this has cured for a minimum of 24 hours, apply the decals after another 24 hours, i spray on a coat of future so i can do a dark grey wash to the panel lines (this is optional ofcourse). when the decal solution has cured, i spray a final coat of future. this is certainly not the only method, but i've found it to be adequate in my experience. good luck. later.