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Testor's metallizers... HELP!!!

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  • Member since
    November 2005
Testor's metallizers... HELP!!!
Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, July 3, 2003 1:27 PM
I airbrushed Testor's buffable metallizer onto a F-86, and, as per instructions, I began buffing the paint after it was dry. However, I cannot buff the paint to a realistic natural metal "look" (it doesn't look shiny enough) Also, I sometimes buff the paint off and reveal the plastic underneath. What am I doing wrong?
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, July 3, 2003 9:50 PM
janus, your question has a few different points to address:

What color are you using? I'd imagine it's aluminum, which should buff out nicely to a good shine, but if you're using some other color, that may be the start of your difficulty.

If you're buffing through the color coat, you're applying too much pressure and/or you haven't sprayed enough coats of paint. You'll want to give a nice primer coat to the pieces prior to applying the metalizer (thoroughly wash and dry the pieces first). Spray the metalizer in a few thin coats until you achieve a uniform coverage, then give it another coat, slightly "wetter" this time. After it's completely dried, gently buff the finish with the softest cloth you have. I use polishing cloth (the fabric stuff, not the grit cloth) or square scraps of cotton t-shirts which have been through the washer over and over to soften 'em up. The trick seems to be to not really apply any pressure. Simply glide the cloth over the paint in a circular motion with just the weight of the material against the finish. You're not rubbing out the paint like you would when polishing it, you're only removing the paint dust and "fly" from the surface.
After buffing it, spray a coat of Metalizer Sealer over it. this will give a protective layer over the metalizer and add a bit of gloss to the finish. If you still want a shinier look, spray it with Future in the usual way.

I've love the metalizer paints. They're not all that hard to use once you get used to 'em, and the results are fantastic. With a bit of practice and luck, buffed aluminum with a clear gloss coat can almost resemble chrome for its shine.

Glenn
  • Member since
    January 2003
  • From: Washington State
Posted by leemitcheltree on Thursday, July 3, 2003 9:53 PM
Janus,
You're probably not doing anything wrong at all..............I've used the Metalizer range for years and think they're great, but I've found that the paints are very fragile, can be buffed right through to the plastic, and the aluminum plate (buffed) doesn't bring up a "mirror like" reflective quality that many mare metal aircraft actually have.
That's not really a fault of the paint, though. Nor is it a fault of yours. I think it's just that you're trying to do something with the paint that it's not really made for.
You might have to reduce your expectations about the surface finish when using the Metalizer, or maybe try Alclad paint, or try the paint/polishing/powder system that's available from SNJ. With the SNJ system, you paint the model, then apply a powdered aluminum to the model and rub it into the paint - the results look like the real thing.
A guy names Les Sundt (I think) wrote several articles in FSM about his bare metal planes using the SNJ process, and the models were amazing.
Have a look through the FSM index to see if you can find his articles. If you can't find them, email me and I'll dig them out for you.
Cheers,
LeeTree

Cheers, LeeTree
Remember, Safety Fast!!!

  • Member since
    July 2013
  • From: Chicago area
Posted by modelmaker66 on Thursday, February 18, 2016 3:36 PM

twi things, It helps to paint a gloss black cote underneath the paint to help with lustre. You are either polishing too hadr or too long, or are not putting down enough painy coats. Sometimes metalizers need 3-4 light coats to build up.

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