Guide for Beginners: Metallics

Want to learn how to paint metallics like this?

Of course you do! let's learn how.

If you haven't read my other paint guides and you're a beginner I highly recommend you do so first.

There are a TON of options for metal paint.

Want an easy to apply and heavily covering one? Acrylic.

Want a tough one to use in places where parts need to move? Enamel.

Want a delicate one so reflective and wispy you can see your reflection? Lacquer.

There are also 2 special options for metallic painting, Loose Pigments which can be custom mixed into pearl or solid metallic paints and buffing powders which are for extreme reflection.

And before you ask, No there is no "best" metallic paint. Do some experimenting to find which one best suits your needs.

Step 1: Clean and Prime

The worst enemy of a metallic paint job is a messy under layer. Why? Because metallic paints are reflective and quite often semi translucent. Anything wrong on a lower layer WILL show through all your other layers.

The bottom line is you must be fastidious and thorough with your preparation so glove up!

I always prime with Mr. Surfacer 1500 Grey and and a Gloss Black, which brings us to step 2.

Step 2: Gloss Black

Here is your first choice. Enamel or Lacquer.

Both types of paint carry the same application technique. Very thin paint sprayed in straight lines, (like a brush stroke) from around 6 inches away at medium (around 30) PSI. The trick here is to slowly build your black up until it shines. Spraying too close, at too high PSI, or too much paint will result in an ugly surface texture called orange peel. If this happens you're most likely going to have to sand the parts down and start over so take your time. An overhead light is very helpful in finding the sweet spot of reflection.

If using enamel I recommend 2 thin coats and if using Lacquer I recommend using Retarder to prevent drying too fast.

The Gold Standard for metallic base is Alclad Gloss Black, which is an enamel.

Step 3: Paint

 

Despite the incredible diversity of paints the application is very much the same.

Unlike the usual slow build up of paint with solid colors, you want to cover with metallics in as little paint as possible to prevent flooding and over buildup of fine metallic particles.

Thinning your paints properly is very important for a good metallic finish. It's not at all uncommon to use more thinner than paint in your mix. 

Use your airbrush like a paint brush and cover your parts in broad strokes. Let the paint settle in to the surface before spraying more on.

Pictured here in order are an acrylic, an enamel, 3 lacquers and a buffing powder.

 

Buffing Powder:

What is it? Metal powder which is applied dry by rubbing onto a gloss black part with a soft cloth.

This stuff is the ultimate reflective option but takes quite a lot of care to apply properly.

Use a cotton pad or an old T-shirt to buff the powder into the surface. Make sure you do not allow anything to touch the surface of the part or your finish will be ruined.

Buffing powder requires special top coat to retain it's shine, Namely a very very thin coat of clear gloss enamel. Anything else will fog up the finish.

The results speak for themselves. You can literally see yourself in the finished part.

This method will take some time to get a feel for so don't worry about ruining your first few test pieces.

 Pigments:

You can also make your own metallic paints from loose pigments. In order to do this you need 3 things.

1 The pigment itself. There are many sources for these but be sure to look for high quality pigments specifically for mixing paint. Many art stores sell cheaper ones for mixing into clay or for mixed media art, these are generally not suited for making paint.

2 A binder. This can be either clear or colored paint depending on your desired finish. A clear paint will be semi-transparent and a colored paint will make a pearl finish.

3 Thinner. For mixing.

 Here's a gorgeous blue from the dipyourcar range of pigments. They sell these in 5 gram bags for just a few dollars. Perfect for modelers.

 To start your mix, get an empty container and add a volume of thinner equal to about 50% of your desired volume of paint.

 Slowly add pigment while stirring until you have your desired transparency, then add your base paint until you're satisfied with the result.

 Here's the result over a gloss black base. The mix I used was 20ml of thinner and 10ml of Mr. Color metallic blue.

That's about all I have for this topic. I hope this guide helps you and as always feel free to contact me with questions and suggestions. @mrnvl.art