Sinanju WIP 3: Buffing powder and Candy effects

What's a candy effect?
Candy color is a 3 stage process of painting, First the part is sprayed black usually with a lacquer for the base. Second the part is sprayed a high shine silver. This allows the top color to look "wet" and shiny. Third a clear color is sprayed on top.

The final color of a candy paint job relies heavily on the preparation you put into the part. Scratches finger prints and dust can all spell disaster for the finish so you must be very careful.
I always recommend washing your parts with warm soapy water or soaking them in a de-greaser like simple green or purple power before working on a high shine finish.

You should wear rubber gloves when working with powders and pigments or handling painted candy parts, I also like to store my parts in sandwich bags after they have fully dried.

Let's take a look at two ways to get a high shine candy finish.

What you will need:
Primer.
Gloss black lacquer.
A shiny silver. Either powder or liquid.
Clear color paint.
Rubber gloves.
Toilet paper or soft paper towel.
Baggies for storage.


Step 1: Prep.
Sand your parts with 1200 grit sand paper, Ensure a clean smooth surface. Any imperfection no matter how small will show through and drive you crazy later. Wash your parts to remove dust and prep them for paint.


Step 2: Prime.

You know the drill by now. Use you primer of choice, If any imperfections show up sand them down and start over.


Step 3: Base Coat.
I like to do this in 2 layers. First layer should make it look smoky Second should make it look glossy.


Step 3.5: Buff.
Use your paper towel to gently buff your part. This will make it shine. Avoid the urge to run your finger over it to check smoothness, that can leave oils on your surface.


Step 4: Silver Coat.
Use your powder or spray your paint. Buff after paint is dry. 
The spoon on the right has been buffed to an almost mirror sheen.


Step 5: Top Color.
Slowly build up color until your part looks how you want it to. Buff again after paint is dry.



Step 6: Top coat.
Future Floor Polish or Alclad Aqua Gloss, Tamiya spray may work too but I have never tried it.



For those of you unfamiliar with metal powders here is a short overview.

Uschi van der rosten's Steel, Iron, and Chrome along with MiG gunmetal. These are pigment powders often used for weathering.


What it looks like.


For best results use a cotton pad to apply. You can find these in the beauty section at any drug store.

What they look like buffed in.




And some WIP shots for good measure. 














Thanks for reading. Image gallery of the completed Sinanju will be up as soon as the paint cures!




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