Snake45 Posted January 16, 2020 Share Posted January 16, 2020 (edited) 1. Testor Semi Gloss Black Lacquer: Should be called (semi) Gloss. It's much shinier than I was hoping for, darn near a full gloss black. Might be good for some chassis parts, definitely too shiny for "satin" black primer. I wish they'd put their Black Chrome Trim in a fast-drying lacquer rattlecan. That stuff has exactly the finish I'm looking for. I'd buy it by the case. 2. Krylon Shimmer: Available in various colors, I just used the Blue for the first time. It's a metalflake, much too flaky for a factory paint job but pretty nice for scale metalflake. I put it on a dune buggy body so it's just about right. Covered well and easily, and dried with a pretty good amount of shine. I've bought several colors of the stuff, and I'll be using it again. I like it! 3. Krylon Foil: Just used this for the first time, on a couple of old promo bumpers that had to be stripped (they'd been poorly brush painted). I'm VERY impressed! No, it won't be confused with kit chrome, or even a good Alclad job, but it was amazingly easy to use (no special prep) and produced a surprising degree of chrome-ish shine. For the reasonable price paid ($7 for a big can), I'm VERY happy with the results. Pics to follow, eventually. Edited January 18, 2020 by Snake45 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hedotwo Posted January 17, 2020 Share Posted January 17, 2020 I totally agree with your opinion of Krylon Metallic Silver Foil. I've been using it for some time now and it's the best "chrome" spray I've used, with the possible exception of Spaz Stix spray. The only downside to the Krylon is you need to test your washes on it first. I use Tamiya panel line wash almost exclusively and if I remember right it didn't work well with the Krylon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuckyg1 Posted January 17, 2020 Share Posted January 17, 2020 Here's Krylon shimmer pink on a mustang street freak. Just the right flake for this type of car Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuckyg1 Posted January 17, 2020 Share Posted January 17, 2020 Is the silver foil an enamel? I believe Tamiya advises not to use it on enamel paint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snake45 Posted January 17, 2020 Author Share Posted January 17, 2020 1 hour ago, Chuckyg1 said: Here's Krylon shimmer pink on a mustang street freak. Just the right flake for this type of car Yup! Very nice, BTW! 1 hour ago, Chuckyg1 said: Is the silver foil an enamel? I believe Tamiya advises not to use it on enamel paint. I was looking at various Krylon paints on their site the other day, and they called them "VT alkyd," "modified alkyd," and "modified alkyd enamel." I laid it on bare 1967 promo plastic and got no wrinkling or negative reaction with the plastic. (I tested it first on the underside of the interior.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyK Posted January 17, 2020 Share Posted January 17, 2020 I agree with you on the Black Chrome Trim. I use it all the time and a rattle can of it would come in handy. I have Tamiya semi gloss bottle paint and I think that is darn near gloss so use the Black Chrome Trim instead when I want semi gloss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bisc63 Posted January 18, 2020 Share Posted January 18, 2020 That flake paint is right on old-school Metalflake-looking; I dig it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snake45 Posted January 18, 2020 Author Share Posted January 18, 2020 10 hours ago, hedotwo said: I totally agree with your opinion of Krylon Metallic Silver Foil. I've been using it for some time now and it's the best "chrome" spray I've used, with the possible exception of Spaz Stix spray. The only downside to the Krylon is you need to test your washes on it first. I use Tamiya panel line wash almost exclusively and if I remember right it didn't work well with the Krylon. Thanks for the heads-up. Lately I've been using an acrylic crafts paint for washes, thinned with water. I think it will work okay on this Foil paint. I'm also thinking of Q-tipping a thin layer of Future on the bumpers. Like most silver paints, it's a bit soft/scratch-vulnerable, and that might help it stand up better to handling, if it doesn't dull the shine too much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CabDriver Posted January 18, 2020 Share Posted January 18, 2020 I really like that metal flake too! I’ll be trying that myself! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snake45 Posted January 18, 2020 Author Share Posted January 18, 2020 1 hour ago, bisc63 said: That flake paint is right on old-school Metalflake-looking; I dig it! 11 minutes ago, CabDriver said: I really like that metal flake too! I’ll be trying that myself! I buy the stuff at Hobby Lobby. They seem to have changed some of the colors. I bought one--no longer shown on their website--called Pumpkin or something that looked like a nice metalflake orange/tangerine from the can cap but is actually more of a copper/bronze color that I haven't found anything I want to use it on yet. I'm planning to do a Manx in the Shimmer Green and a TeeVee in the Shimmer Red. The green looks like an excellent match for 1972 Chevrolet/Pontiac Spring/Julep Green, except of course for being way too sparkly. I discovered that covering it with Dullcote tones the flake down to a factory metallic appearance (polishing or glosscoating it again brings all the flake back), so I'm thinking seriously of doing a '72 GTO in it, flattened, as a late-'70s/early-'80s beater or High School Hot Rod. Each can looks like it could paint at least four or five models, or more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CabDriver Posted January 18, 2020 Share Posted January 18, 2020 It sounds really cool! I’m a sucker for a flake-job! Thanks for the tip! I’m interested in seeing your results with the Foil too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bisc63 Posted January 18, 2020 Share Posted January 18, 2020 I got a Glitterbug that needs this! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snake45 Posted January 18, 2020 Author Share Posted January 18, 2020 (edited) As promised, here are some pics. '67 Impala promo chrome with Krylon Foil paint, right out of the can. Notice in some pictures you can actually see a bit of a reflection of the front bumper in the Foil paint on the paper envelope that I had the parts taped to for painting. No, it's not as good as most kit chrome, but I've actually seen some kit chrome that doesn't look this good. And here's the EMPI Imp body with the Krylon Shimmer, right out of the paint shop. No clearcoat or polishing, though I might try polishing it later to see what happens. Comments welcome. Edited January 18, 2020 by Snake45 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
espo Posted January 19, 2020 Share Posted January 19, 2020 The finish on the Buggy looks very much like what I remember seeing on these in the '60's. I'll try that on the next one I build. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CabDriver Posted January 19, 2020 Share Posted January 19, 2020 Those both look great! Thanks for posting, Snake! How is the surface of the flake-y one? I’m guessing it’s real flat and will need a few coats of clear to bury the flakes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Claude Thibodeau Posted January 19, 2020 Share Posted January 19, 2020 Hi Snake! That Krylon Foil seems very convincing. How many coats would you say you put on those bumpers? Light dusting or medium or heavy coats? Just curious... CT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snake45 Posted January 19, 2020 Author Share Posted January 19, 2020 2 hours ago, CabDriver said: Those both look great! Thanks for posting, Snake! How is the surface of the flake-y one? I’m guessing it’s real flat and will need a few coats of clear to bury the flakes? It's very smooth, with a pretty good gloss. I'm going to try polishing it with Wright's to see if that brings out any more shine, but if it doesn't, in this case, I'm going to use it as-is, I'm not going to bother clear-coating it. At least not at this time. 1 hour ago, Claude Thibodeau said: Hi Snake! That Krylon Foil seems very convincing. How many coats would you say you put on those bumpers? Light dusting or medium or heavy coats? Just curious... CT I sort of dusted on one coat, and then immediately went back and laid on one medium-heavy coat, just enough till I was sure I had 100% coverage. One step, one-shot process, the whole job was done in about 60 seconds. And then I let it dry undisturbed for 4-5 days. Today I did the black-washing of the grille and I was amazed at how well the stuff held up. It wasn't nearly as "soft" as other silver paints I've tried. I don't think I picked up any smears or dings in the handling. Oh, and I didn't use any primer, either, just shot it right over the promo's bare plastic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CabDriver Posted January 19, 2020 Share Posted January 19, 2020 Really useful info - thanks Snake! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bisc63 Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 That chrome finish is a real budget friendly alternative, at least it appears so to me; very impressive finish! You already had me sold on the flake, it is SO 60s-early 70s custom perfect. The flakes appear scale correct for that "bass boat" look! Thanks for the report, Snake! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldcarfan27 Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 Snake, How does the Krylon foil compare in sheen to Molotow? As reflective or no? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Claude Thibodeau Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 Hi! Thanks for the infos. You stated you used it without any primer. However, many kit manufacturers spray a "clear" coating on their parts about to be vacuum plated. It shows when you remove chrome with, say, Easy Off. It is the yellowish stuff that remains in some corners of the parts after the removal chemical is done with the shine. I read somewhere that they go to the expense of doing that clear coating to provide a "smoother" surface for the vacuum chrome to "flash" on. Therefore, my question: would your excellent results be even more chrome-like if you first "cleared" the parts with a light coat of a clear compatible with Krylon Foil? Presumably Krylon glossy clear? Curious... CT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snake45 Posted January 20, 2020 Author Share Posted January 20, 2020 30 minutes ago, Claude Thibodeau said: Hi! Thanks for the infos. You stated you used it without any primer. However, many kit manufacturers spray a "clear" coating on their parts about to be vacuum plated. It shows when you remove chrome with, say, Easy Off. It is the yellowish stuff that remains in some corners of the parts after the removal chemical is done with the shine. I read somewhere that they go to the expense of doing that clear coating to provide a "smoother" surface for the vacuum chrome to "flash" on. Therefore, my question: would your excellent results be even more chrome-like if you first "cleared" the parts with a light coat of a clear compatible with Krylon Foil? Presumably Krylon glossy clear? Curious... CT Dunno. The promo parts I shot were VERY shiny. They might have had the clear coat on them but in my experience lye (Easy Off/Super Clean) will remove that and both these parts spent a week in Super Clean. I didn't notice any clear buildup or yellowing on them, but as I said, the plastic was VERY shiny. I should also point out that these 1967 promos MIGHT not have been styrene. I think some promos were made of something stronger, like Cycloac, and these MIGHT have been that. I'd urge everyone to experiment on the exact plastic you want to "plate." I didn't prime these parts because I suspected that surface smoothness might be an issue. If I'd used a (flat) primer, I might have had to shoot two or more coats, which might have obscured detail. I DID test the stuff on the underside of the promo's interior to make sure it wouldn't eat the plastic. It looked pretty good there, so I just drove on. You might want to do your own tests with glossy primers and so forth. All I can tell you is what I did and show you how it worked. I'm sure there are other ways to use this product. What I did produced good results for what I wanted to do--better than I expected, if the truth were known. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snake45 Posted January 20, 2020 Author Share Posted January 20, 2020 10 hours ago, Oldcarfan27 said: Snake, How does the Krylon foil compare in sheen to Molotow? As reflective or no? I've only used Molotow on small areas such as window trim and bumper corner touchup, so can't compare perfectly to these bumpers, but I'd say the Molotow is definitely "chromier" in shine and reflectance. Same goes for properly applied Alclad, which I've never used but have seen very nice results of. The Foil seems to be more durable/handle-able than Molotow. I was surprised at how well it held up to handling when I did the black-wash. I'd have expected Molotow to show some wear or damage from this. The Krylon Foil's high points are, it's relatively cheap, relatively available (I think I got it at Hobby Lobby), and easy to use. It's not a replacement for replating or well-done Alclad, but for many jobs (such as a quick, inexpensive glue bomb resto/rescue) it seems like a good fit. In my case, it did EXACTLY what I wanted it to do and even exceeded my expectations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldcarfan27 Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 Cool, good to know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Claude Thibodeau Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 Hi Snake! Thanks for the supplemental infos. Much appreciated. A few relections based on you latest posts: Yous are right, most promos are NOT styrene. I built a Pro=Touring out of a 68 Johan Javelin promo, and upon opening the hood by cutting with a scriber in the "seams", I broke the cowling at the base of the driver's pillar. NOTHING could glue it back! NOTHING: styrene, super glue, epoxy, whatever: dud. I finished my built, and decided to mount an exterior shift light (scratchbuilt) to hide the hairline crack. It worked, judges commented on the "nice shift light", and never saw the crack. Go figure... Yoy may see it in this pic, if you look closely... Finally, Molotow is not a PAINT, it's technically an INK. That explains why it remains fragile and easy to mar later on. CT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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