Good Aluminum paint?

[Mike1357]

So as some of you know I'm new to the scene. As of now I am dissatisfied with the Testors aluminum paint because almost all of it's metal colors have a kind of "grainy" look to it. I was hoping someone would have a suggestion for a better paint. Thank you.

[MrObsessive]

Some may disagree Mike, but I really like the Alclad line of paints. The pigments are really tight and the finish realistic IMO.

The only drawback is you need an airbrush to apply them. I thought someone mentioned that Alclad comes in spray cans, but I don't remember.

If they do............expect the same great quality, but I'll betcha in the spray can it's big $$$!

Some others I'm sure will give their say on what they like............

[Mike1357]

Hm, i was hoping for something along the lines of a brushable paint.

[Olle F]

Humbrol's Metal Cote is thicker and dries slower than Testors Metalizer. It's an enamel and you can brush it on just as any other enamel. Airbrushing will of course still give you a better result, but it works way better for brushing than the Metalizer. I have used a few different colors of this, and it's really nice and easy to use. It's also a bit more forgiving than regular metallic, as most of the brush strokes will disappear when you polish it. The only downside is that it's hard to come by, I usually have to order it through my LHS.

[Brendan]

Like some of the other people were saying, there is really no good brush-on paint for metal colors. I've had good results airbrushing with them because they seem to lay down thinner. But the best metal paints I've ever seen for brushing is coming out of stuff like War Hammer Miniatures and companies that make paints for them. A lot of their paints are either latex or some other type of paint that is non compatible with other modeling paints. It might be something you might want to look into.

[Harry P.]

If you are talking about brush painting small parts like engine pieces, mufflers, etc., you can brush Testors Metalizers. I do it all the time. I know it says "airbrush only" but I don't see why you can't brush them on... and I do, have been for years.

[cruzn]

Hm, i was hoping for something along the lines of a brushable paint.

eTry the craft stores for a Product called "Rub N Buff" it is a Paste like consistency and it has great qualities too a few color options as well.

[ismaelg]

Hello,

I know you mean brushable paints, but this may help.

The main fuselage, wing roots and skids of this model were painted with WalMart's $1.49 rattle can Aluminum paint.

There are 3 tricks for this to work: Shake the heck out of it (warm it if needed), thin coats and a perfectly smooth surface. The primer was polished before several thin coats were applied. Then the paint was again color sanded before final light coats.

More pictures here: http://www.puertoriconet.com/images/xv1/

Hope this helps.

Thanks,

[Abell82]

Instead of Aluminum, buy chrome and clear coat it. It will dull down the shine, and make it look more like Aluminum. Just make sure you use the same brands of paint. Some of the chrome paints will wrinkle, if the wrong clear is used.

[sak]

What kind of aluminum? Polished or unpolished? If you are painting a large area, I would recommend biting the bullet and get some alclad polished aluminum. Princess auto sells a badger 150 knock off for under 40 dollars. If unpolished is what you want, I think humbrol aluminum is my favorite.

[Aaronw]

For a brushable acrylic metallic paint I like the Games Workshop paints (the War Hammer paints mentioned earlier). It has much better coverage than other paints I've used and is available in quite a few colors although the names of the colors are a bit odd.

Ismaelg, nice helo, is that Glencoe's Convertiplane?

[curt raitz]

I agree w/ harry, Testors Metallizers are just as good when brushed on, esp. on small parts.

I like Tamiya's flat aluminum in a jar ( I forget the #) it seems to brush on pretty well.

That would be Tamiya's XF-16 "Flat Aluminum"...usually will take 2 coats to get it to lay down with a very even coat

I brush and 'dunk' small parts with Testors Metalizers as well, never had a problem with "graininess", unless surface isn't smooth...every little nick and bump will show through

[Maliburacr]

I know you said brush type, but you might want to give Tamiya silver leaf a try.

[ismaelg]

Ismaelg, nice helo, is that Glencoe's Convertiplane?

Thanks Aaron! Yes it is.

If you click on the link there are a few more pictures and a brief history of both the aircraft and the model.

I have another one and I'm thinking of doing it as a What If SAR or Firefighter.

Thanks,

[rick6343]

Try Aluminum and Stainless Steel in the Polly Scale railroad line. They are the least grainy brushable acrylics I've found. I like to use Tamiya's acrylic flat aluminum for cast aluminum parts-I think its graininess is better for this sort of finish.

Along the same lines, does anyone remember/know what happened to the Polly S "Metalline" series? I remember these being new and excellent around 1996; when I returned to the hobby in 2004, they'd vanished without a trace...

[LoneWolf15]

Testors Aluminum Plate buffing Metallizer works very well for me . Either through an airbrush or the spray can. Allow to dry for about 2 minutes and gently polish with a piece of soft t- shirt . Alclad also works very well .

Donn Yost

[roncomatic]

I'd like to add my voice to those suggesting Tamiya's XF-16 "Flat Aluminum" paint. I use it all the time now and it goes on smooth as silk. The trick that's helped me the most with it is to thin it about 40% with Tamiya's X20A thinner. I've tried other thinners but nothing seems to work as well as Tamiya's. I've been told that they add a retarder to their thinner to slow the drying time. Otherwise it drys way too fast.

If XF-16 is too light for your tastes you can add a little XF-56 "Metallic Gray" to it. I use a mix of this (added to XF-16) for aluminum intake manifolds and add a bit more to replicate steel. Again, the key is to be sure to thin it properly. I usually mix my colors before adding the X20A thinner.

The best part of using this stuff is cleanup. Usually soap and water... and sometimes a little Windex is all it takes.

This won't take the place of Alcad for big jobs but when you need a small amount this stuff works pretty well.

--ron