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I was thinking about doing up some Slaaneshi chariots like the mirror ball things from Phantasm. Is there a way to paint hemispherical surfaces (hollow or otherwise) with a mirrored silvery finish like that?
Might be easier to just get some shiny Christmas ornaments and carefully cut them in half?
"Through the darkness of future past, the magician longs to see.
One chants out between two worlds: Fire, walk with me." - Twin Peaks
"You listen to me. While I will admit to a certain cynicism, the fact is that I am a naysayer and hatchetman in the fight against violence. I pride myself in taking a punch and I'll gladly take another because I choose to live my life in the company of Gandhi and King. My concerns are global. I reject absolutely revenge, aggression, and retaliation. The foundation of such a method... is love. I love you Sheriff Truman." - Twin Peaks
Jimsolo wrote: I was thinking about doing up some Slaaneshi chariots like the mirror ball things from Phantasm. Is there a way to paint hemispherical surfaces (hollow or otherwise) with a mirrored silvery finish like that?
Few different ways that will get you there (or approaching there...).
1) Use a fine metallic paint. Something like ALCLAD II. They are not quite a mirror finish, but you can see reflections in them if done right. There are a few other regular paints that are close to the same level - I like their paints though.
2) Use a buffing metallic paint. Same sort of thing as the AK linked to above - though for those, I have been using Testors Buffing Metalizer paints. Again, not quite a mirror finish - but you can see reflections. They are easier to apply than ALCLAD, but you do end up needing to buff the paint after you apply it to get the high shine.
3) Use a metal foil. You can get real mirror finishes. Applying to curves is a PITA, balls would be an even bigger PITA due to the compound nature of the curve. It is real metal (silver, aluminum, stainless steel...) so after you apply it, you can polish it up a fair amount. Can be a bit fragile though, granted that is mostly during application since the sheets are thinner than a piece of paper.
4) Plating. You can get plating kits for pretty cheap, apply the finish to most metals. Shines like...well, chrome (or whatever other metal you choose to plate with). Takes a bit of practice. Uses some nasty chemicals (not kill you dead, but things that not everyone would want around the house). The kits are not horribly expensive, but more expensive than a bottle of paint of a few sheets of foil.
5) Using something that has the shine built into it. As opposed to trying to make something like resin or plastic look like metal - source the metal bits in the correct material already. Not sure how large of a sphere bit you are looking for - but there are various options that you might be able to use...including taking something like stainless steel sheet and shaping it over a die with a peening hammer.
I've done all of the above, they each have benefits and drawbacks to them. Quite often I will use option 5 to make complete stuff or option 1 or 2 when I just need a small part. Option 4 I use for special situations, normally not miniature related (applying plating to a low melt metal and then melting the metal out leaves you with very thin metal objects...). Option 3 is really a PITA, so I don't often use it anymore. The last time I had used it to do a Naboo Royal Cruiser model - which needed to be very shiny. Took about 4 hours per panel to lay down all the foil (think it had around 20-25 panels). In that amount of time I can prep a surface for ALCLAD or apply a buffing paint and buff it out for a shine that is only a little less bright.
You could also use Kosutte Gin SUN by Wave, which is kind of like a mix between the AK True Metal wax paint and Alcald II. You need a super smooth surface, primed with high-gloss black (like Alclad) and then you rub the Kosutte powder on the surface and buff it to your heart's content (like AK True Metal).
Here it is being used on the thruster of 1/60 NeoGrade Sazabi gundam:
This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2014/12/27 15:38:10
d-usa wrote: "When the Internet sends its people, they're not sending their best. They're not sending you. They're not sending you. They're sending posters that have lots of problems, and they're bringing those problems with us. They're bringing strawmen. They're bringing spam. They're trolls. And some, I assume, are good people."
ScootyPuffJunior wrote: You could also Kosutte Gin SUN by Wave, which is kind of like a mix between the AK True Metal wax paint and Alcald II. You need a super smooth surface, primed gloss black and then you rub the Kosutte powder on the surface and buff it to your heart's content.
Here it is being used on the thruster of 1/60 NeoGrade Sazabi gundam:
Seriously? I NEED that stuff!
// Andreas
Dark Angels 4th Company (3,830pts) 950pts fully painted
ScootyPuffJunior wrote: You could also Kosutte Gin SUN by Wave, which is kind of like a mix between the AK True Metal wax paint and Alcald II. You need a super smooth surface, primed gloss black and then you rub the Kosutte powder on the surface and buff it to your heart's content.
Here it is being used on the thruster of 1/60 NeoGrade Sazabi gundam:
Seriously? I NEED that stuff!
These chrome powders are pretty great and the best part is they doesn't require a ton of work to get an amazing finish.
OP: There are a couple of products out there like this, I just happened to know about this one because I also dabble in Gunpla so I've seen it around. There is also this chrome powder which appears to be pretty much the same thing as the Japanese product. It's from the German company Uschi van der Rosten and is a readily available in the States (the shop I linked is in Michigan and they have a great webstore, I order from them all the time).
d-usa wrote: "When the Internet sends its people, they're not sending their best. They're not sending you. They're not sending you. They're sending posters that have lots of problems, and they're bringing those problems with us. They're bringing strawmen. They're bringing spam. They're trolls. And some, I assume, are good people."
perrsyu wrote: The kits are not horribly expensive, but more expensive than a bottle of paint of a few sheets of foil.So what
True, they are more expensive than say, a bottle of Alclad II paint, but they also don't require the use of an airbrush like Alcald does. A spray booth or respirator is needed with Alclad too because it is lacquer-based. As great as it is, Alclad also isn't the easiest stuff to work with.
Something like Bare Metal Foil is also cheaper, but it can be a total pain in the ass to work with, especially on a curved surface (something that Sean touched on).
d-usa wrote: "When the Internet sends its people, they're not sending their best. They're not sending you. They're not sending you. They're sending posters that have lots of problems, and they're bringing those problems with us. They're bringing strawmen. They're bringing spam. They're trolls. And some, I assume, are good people."
perrsyu wrote: The kits are not horribly expensive, but more expensive than a bottle of paint of a few sheets of foil.So what
True, they are more expensive than say, a bottle of Alclad II paint, but they also don't require the use of an airbrush like Alcald does. A spray booth or respirator is needed with Alclad too because it is lacquer-based. As great as it is, Alclad also isn't the easiest stuff to work with.
Something like Bare Metal Foil is also cheaper, but it can be a total pain in the ass to work with, especially on a curved surface (something that Sean touched on).
I am a bit confused...what he said is a bit of a quote from what I said (from the plating section of my post above...). Not sure if he was replying to you and it was coincidental to use the exact words I used, or if he was quoting me and forgot to quote. Then of course...what is the "so what"?
perrsyu wrote: The kits are not horribly expensive, but more expensive than a bottle of paint of a few sheets of foil.So what
True, they are more expensive than say, a bottle of Alclad II paint, but they also don't require the use of an airbrush like Alcald does. A spray booth or respirator is needed with Alclad too because it is lacquer-based. As great as it is, Alclad also isn't the easiest stuff to work with.
Something like Bare Metal Foil is also cheaper, but it can be a total pain in the ass to work with, especially on a curved surface (something that Sean touched on).
I am a bit confused...what he said is a bit of a quote from what I said (from the plating section of my post above...). Not sure if he was replying to you and it was coincidental to use the exact words I used, or if he was quoting me and forgot to quote. Then of course...what is the "so what"?
You're right, I didn't catch that. I thought he was talking about the chrome powders I linked, but now I'm thinking he was replying to you.
Now I am also confused as to what he was trying to say. Oh well, I think Jimsolo has it figured out anyway.
d-usa wrote: "When the Internet sends its people, they're not sending their best. They're not sending you. They're not sending you. They're sending posters that have lots of problems, and they're bringing those problems with us. They're bringing strawmen. They're bringing spam. They're trolls. And some, I assume, are good people."
Jimsolo wrote: I'm assuming I can put a clear coat on it to prevent the powder slipping.
There is a change that a clear coat might change the look of the pigment; not ruin it, just make it look different. If you clear coat it, put another layer on top of the clear coat and you'll be fine.
Your best bet is to test it on something first to see how it will turn out.
d-usa wrote: "When the Internet sends its people, they're not sending their best. They're not sending you. They're not sending you. They're sending posters that have lots of problems, and they're bringing those problems with us. They're bringing strawmen. They're bringing spam. They're trolls. And some, I assume, are good people."
What about mirror repair paints?
I've been thinking about using these on the clear canopies on fliers but at £20 for a very small bottle I've been hesitant to try it.
Anyone have any experience with these?
MadCowCrazy wrote: What about mirror repair paints?
I've been thinking about using these on the clear canopies on fliers but at £20 for a very small bottle I've been hesitant to try it.
Anyone have any experience with these?
Not enough information...
I have used three different types of silvering kits (or resilvering I guess for repairs). The first being actual mirror silver. Fairly complicated series of steps to get a real mirror finish on glass. I have actually done it on the back of microscope slide covers to get tiny scale mirrors. Don't think the process would work on plastic though - never tried though.
The second is a rattle can (or brush applied) paint for the back of the mirror. Really doesn't do a mirror finish across the whole surface, as more often than not, the silver is still in place on the mirror and it is just the backing paint that has chipped. A large part of the way they work is just relying on a very smooth surface on the front of the glass (which will be mirror like no matter what color you paint it) and a high opacity (to block anything coming from the backside). Usually they are silverish in color - but sometimes they will be a grey paint. Krylon Looking Glass and Rustoleum Mirror Effect both work in that way (designed to be painted on the back of the glass) and are quick and dirty ways to get passable mirrors. Be sure to test on plastic, as they are a hot paint and might dissolve the canopy instead of mirroring it.
The third is a spray silver. Bit like an actually backside poured silver finish - but a bit thinner. Has the benefit of being able to be applied to the front of objects (I usually use it when doing chrome work on things that are not metal). Requires a bit more effort, chemicals and prep work (have to have a super smooth surface) and it is a bit on the delicate side when finished (it isn't a paint...not quite a plating...more of a thin layer of metal... Those provide a real mirror finish, but need to be protected and properly prepped.
Jimsolo wrote: I'm assuming I can put a clear coat on it to prevent the powder slipping.
There is a change that a clear coat might change the look of the pigment; not ruin it, just make it look different. If you clear coat it, put another layer on top of the clear coat and you'll be fine.
Your best bet is to test it on something first to see how it will turn out.
Might consider Testor's Metallizer clear cote as well. Does the job without causing a shift in the appearance.
Another thing is very careful observation of what is happening with the look. Often the clears will cause a color shift (even optically clear clear coats). If you apply a clear coat with a dye added to them to counteract the shift. For example, clears on silver cause a yellow shift. If you add a bit of violet dye to the clear coat, it counteracts the yellow and returns it to the balance (how much depends on thickness and type...trial and error type stuff).
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2014/12/28 00:06:43
Dark Angels 4th Company (3,830pts) 950pts fully painted
