Experiment in Alclad ....

Chris W
I have tried various ways to do a natural metal finish and all of them have left me wanting more. I did krylon gloss black under coat and started with aluminum... then dark alu and then chrome. Hate to say it but the photo does not do the model justice - it does look better in person. Anyway - this is just an experiment so that I can attempt it on a larger model.

Holger Kranich
Its looking great, man! Especially the panel around the gunmuzzles! What tone from alclad is that?

Philip De Keyser
Great effect C W, looks great, greetz Phil

Chris W
I cheated on that one -its Citadel 'Boltgun Metal'

Holger Kranich
No worrie, it looks beautiful!

Aghis Barberopoulos
Alclad is guaranteed success - And it can take punishment too (with the proper undercoat). Looks beautiful already!

Guus
That looks stunning ! I never had the heart to try the stuff.

Chris W
Yes - the masking came off with no issues at all. The finish seems very hard to me (I let it dry 24 hours). Still need to mask off the nose and fin. Not sure how the decals are going to look but that's why this is an experiment!

Holger Kranich
Please dont use decalsoftener on Chrome and High polished chrome, if you have applyed that stuff anywhere on your Sabre!;) Set and Sol or the other stuff will ruin everything...

Chris W
What do you recommend? Do I simply place the decals and not use any set/sol at all?

Holger Kranich
Yes.
I havent tried to use some dilluted vinegar essence, that could be a possibility. But after all, when you have good decals, they will love the alcladsurface and lay down to sleep themselves 😉!

Aghis Barberopoulos
I believe Alclad is quite resistant to decal softeners like Gunze's, even without any protective coat. If not certain, always test 😉

Guus
Diluted vinegar will soften the decal somewhat but will not make the film disappear. I have used that method on a coat of Klear and it ate right trough it !
You just could use hot water, that softens the ink as well.

Holger Kranich
Testing is always good! I took my information from the instructionsheet for alcladII. 🙂

Holger Kranich
And you should not use it on "Chrome" and "High polished chrome". Everything else is ok!

Guus
Model Master do a lacquer numbered 1469 which is sold as a "sealer for metalizer paint". No idea if it is any good or why it is specifically for metalizer though.

Aghis Barberopoulos
I would guess it is made for their own metaliser paints ?

Bill Gilman
Yes, Testors Sealer is made for their brand of Metalizer paints, primarily so you don't keep rubbing the stuff off. The metal shades can be buffed to a high shine, but the buffing removes some of the Metalizer. The sealers prevents "accidental" buffing and fingerprints. If you mask over the top of sealed Metalizer, it is usually the sealer that pulls up. Not recommended.

I use Alclad's Aqua Clear Gloss over Alclad lacquers, beautiful stuff and it doesn't take away any of the tonal variations you have in different panels, etc.

@holger, good tip about not using decal solvents on the highly polished colours.

I know someone who cuts out the decal and puts it in water to loosen. When it is about to break free, he dips it in Future (Klear) and then slides it onto the model. He claims this works even on matte paint, he gets no silvering, and the Future will suck the decal into the panel lines, etc. when it dries. Anybody ever try that?

Chris W
I'll try the safe approach for now - warm water, no decal solution. Some HC decals settled right into the panel lines... some didn't.

Bill Gilman
Your results look quite nice! Good job!

Chris W
All done - a few lessons learned.

Guus
Great looking Sabre, I´d be proud with a NMF like that !

Holger Kranich
Absolute stunning and beautiful result! And i cant see any silvering!

Christian Bruer
Looks quite good for an experiment 😉 Very well done mate!