Molotow Liquid Chrome pens

[Hi-Po]

I have been using the Molotow chrome pens for about four years now and I really like how they perform.  But I do have a question about their longevity.  Lately, I have noticed that both of the 1mm pens are no longer producing a chrome finish, more of a dull silver look, even after I have shaken the pens for quite some time.  I know the chrome is still liquid as I can feel it when I shake the pen.  One of the pens is about 3 years old and the other one is maybe 18 months old.  I usually store the pens laying down on their sides, so that the chrome doesn't settle in the tip or bottom of the pen. 

Is anyone else having the same problem with these pens?  Is there a shelf life or storage problem?  Any help would be appreciated.  Thanks for looking.

[Keef]

I’m following this post because I’m having the same issues with mine.

[Dpate]

Haven't had this issue yet considering mine aren't that old.  Only issue I've had with the 1mm versions is last time i tried to cover emblem detail instead of covering just the letters the chrome covers the letters and in between the letters.  Its like too much just comes out or I'm just using them wrong lol. 

[Roncla]

We had a thread running on this topic recently. Myself and others have experienced  Molotow  going off.....

 

 

 

[StevenGuthmiller]

Personally, I don’t think this stuff was ever going to live up to the hype that it was given. 
I was never convinced that it was that great in the first place. 
Looks nice to start with, but the durability is for cr*p and now it’s starting to become evident that you’re probably going to have to throw half of it in the garbage before you can use it up.

If you ask me, it’s beginning to look like the chickens coming home to roost.

 

 

Steve

[Hi-Po]

I went back and read the previous thread and found the comments interesting.  In the years that I have used Molotow, I have had no problems applying the ink to whatever I was wanting chromed.  After shaking the pen and then starting the ink flow by depressing the tip against some scrap plastic, the ink went on with no issues.  I just needed a steady hand to guide the pen tip.  The ink came out with a nice chrome look that I was happy with.

But my problem now is that the ink comes out of the pen as a dark metallic gray and will not chrome up no matter what I do - apply more or apply less. 

Has anyone thought of contacting Molotow and see what they have to say about the product and its longevity?  I am not too happy about throwing away a half used (?) pen that I paid over $11.00 for.

[Modelbuilder Mark]

I am having the same issue, but I have been told on another list that it may not be the ink, but the tip. Seems they are replaceable. For me, I like them for small items, dash pieces, grill emblems etc. I need to try and decant what is left in my old marker, and see if it works when either sprayed, or applied with another brush.

[Roncla]

I have only ever air brushed Molotow myself and was always perfectly happy with the results but once it turns grey I've found its no longer fit for purpose

[Bainford]

Yes, this stuff has a shelf life, probably of about a year or so. I have two pens and a mostly full refill bottle of the stuff, all about three years old, and now it's just expensive acrylic silver paint. In Canada, that's over $50 of product. I still find it a valuable tool, though, but only have occasional use for the stuff, so will only have one pen in stock at any time, from here on out.

Edited November 16, 2021 by Bainford
old age

[youpey]

I found the best results when i push the tip down and when the ink cones out a bit, to basic saturate the tip.  Once i do that its chrome again

[ZTony8]

On 11/16/2021 at 1:27 PM, youpey said:

I found the best results when i push the tip down and when the ink cones out a bit, to basic saturate the tip.  Once i do that its chrome again

When I tried that it still came out silver, not chrome.

[Mr. Metallic]

I went back to my pens after not using them for almost a year. At first they didn't produce chrome, more silver like other have said. I spent some time dragging the pen all over a couple post-its to try to get to some "new ink" . Once i did that the chrome effect was back. I think it's less about the ink itself and more about the tips.

I purchased my first bottle of refill, as I've heard people recommend it's better to apply it with a brush (or airbrushing it). 

It's not the be-all-end-all of chrome for model building, but it is very useful if you learn how to use it and what to use it on. It's just another tool in the arsenal despite the people that continue to decry that it's useless. 

[StevenGuthmiller]

Apparently some people were confused by my comments above, but the issues with Molotow chrome expressed by this thread are just one of the problems with this product.

I've had the same problem with the ink in my 2 pens turning to garbage with them both being still more than half full, and with the cost of this stuff being what it is, I'm not pleased with it.

Not sure why that would be confusing.

 

And no, it has nothing to do with the tips.

I never used the tips anyway.

I either took the ink from the tip with a brush and applied it that way, or cracked open the pen and used a brush.

Now I have two pens, two thirds of the way full with trashy, non-durable silver paint.

 

What is it exactly that should make any of us think that this stuff will act any differently after it's applied to the model and it's a few years down the road.

That's the problem that I have with this product.

It was never designed for this hobby and it's properties of longevity are completely unknown, not to mention the fact that you can't touch the stuff after it's applied.

 

I'm out!

The rest of you are more than welcome to my share.

 

 

 

Steve

 

 

[Sandboarder]

3 hours ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

What is it exactly that should make any of us think that this stuff will act any differently after it's applied to the model and it's a few years down the road.

That's the problem that I have with this product.

It was never designed for this hobby and it's properties of longevity are completely unknown, not to mention the fact that you can't touch the stuff after it's applied.

 

I'm out!

The rest of you are more than welcome to my share.

 

 

 

Steve

 

 

No ones confused by what you said but you also haven’t helped at all.

 

The reason it’s gone off after 12 months or longer is due to a chemical reaction. It’s gassed out or lost it’s effectiveness. 
 

As for durability once it’s had its reaction and cured it’s still affected by stuff like weather and oils (finger prints)  no different to when your decals or clear coats turn yellow. Either try and seal it or accept it’ll age just like the grey hairs on my head. 
 

Don’t like Motolow don’t use it. Don’t rubbish it in a thread when someone asks for advice on a product you personally don’t like.

 

Yeah Motolow is a graffiti art marker company sold in urban streetware stores. I’m sure you use plenty of products that aren’t design for this hobby but work just as well. 

[StevenGuthmiller]

1 hour ago, Sandboarder said:

No ones confused by what you said but you also haven’t helped at all.

There's nothing I can do to help.

You just explained why it's garbage.

At this point, the only way that I feel like I can help is to try to convince people not to waste their money on it in the first place.

 

1 hour ago, Sandboarder said:

I’m sure you use plenty of products that aren’t design for this hobby but work just as well.

Yes, I probably do.

But the products that I use work.

I don't promote things that I know are problematic, unless I have a solution to that problem.

 

1 hour ago, Sandboarder said:

Don’t rubbish it in a thread when someone asks for advice on a product you personally don’t like

There are obvious reasons not to like this product.

I'm sure that I'm not the only one, and there are more and more learning about these reasons, the hard way, every day.

I'm just trying to save people the hassle.

That's my "advice".

 

 

 

Steve

Edited November 19, 2021 by StevenGuthmiller

[Sandboarder]

1 hour ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

I'm sure that I'm not the only one, and there are more and more learning about these reasons, the hard way, every day.

I'm just trying to save people the hassle.

That's my "advice".

 

 

 

Steve

Go back and read the first post tho.

Why doesn’t my Motolow pen work as good as the day I got it. 
Answer it’s expired, the chemicals have gone off.

 

The thread owner isn’t spending any money, just asking a question. 
 

 

 

The End 

 

 

[StevenGuthmiller]

1 hour ago, Sandboarder said:

The thread owner isn’t spending any money, just asking a question.

He certainly is spending money if he's throwing away half of the product that he purchases.

Flushing it right down the toilet.

 

 

 

Steve

[Sandboarder]

15 minutes ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

He certainly is spending money if he's throwing away half of the product that he purchases.

Flushing it right down the toilet.

 

 

 

Steve

No different to to old jars of paint going hard. Everything has a shelf life. I have several that I don’t consider a waste of money.

[StevenGuthmiller]

8 hours ago, Sandboarder said:

No different to to old jars of paint going hard. Everything has a shelf life. I have several that I don’t consider a waste of money.

Paint will last forever if it's sealed properly.

 

 

 

Steve

[Sandboarder]

7 hours ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

Paint will last forever if it's sealed properly.

 

 

 

Steve

If it’s stored properly.
 

I’ve bought brand new factory sealed jars that have been in the sun and dried out. The heat does the damage. Also after 15 years a lot of paint jars are solid. I’ve been doing this hobby for a while. 
 

Store your paints in a cool dark place.

[StevenGuthmiller]

9 minutes ago, Sandboarder said:

If it’s stored properly.
 

I’ve bought brand new factory sealed jars that have been in the sun and dried out. The heat does the damage. Also after 15 years a lot of paint jars are solid. I’ve been doing this hobby for a while. 
 

Store your paints in a cool dark place.

I’ve been doing this a while too, and I still have Testors bottles from 30 years ago that are still usable. 

It will be interesting to see how Molotow holds up over that period of time.

 

 

 

Steve

[Sandboarder]

4 minutes ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

I’ve been doing this a while too, and I still have Testors bottles from 30 years ago that are still usable. 

It will be interesting to see how Molotow holds up over that period of time.

 

 

 

Steve

But you are blessed to live in America, I have to deal to Australia’s dry dessert heat. 
 

Molotow pens have a short shelf life. The used product will depend on how it’s handled and stored. 
 

It seems Motolow is an entry level product. Most seasoned build will use BMF and Motolow for small dash details etc. Combine its use with a protective display case and store that out of the sun and in a cool spot, it should last until the builder has lost interest in that model. 
 

Id like to see the E7 chrome sealer used to protect chrome paints, both Motolow and Aclad. 

[Zippi]

Don't know about the shelf life but I guess at some point it will go bad as everything comes to an end sooner or later.  I store mine upright in a jar and they seem to work fine for me.  All I use mine on is dash knobs, handles, touch up on chrome where I have sanded, etc.  No big areas.  Personally I think the pens work fine for what I do.  

[StevenGuthmiller]

The big question to me is, if you can’t rely on the product to maintain its integrity while it’s still supposedly within it’s useful lifetime, (both of my pens went bad in a matter of months) can it be relied upon to maintain it’s integrity afterwards over the life time of the model.

Unfortunately, I don’t think anybody can answer that.

I can’t speak for other’s intentions for the legacy of their models, but when I build one, especially if it’s a vintage model, I fully intend it to last a generation, or more.

Therefore, I try to do the best that I can not to use products that I feel might have the potential to fail prematurely.

I don’t use paint that I feel might fade over time, or clear coat that has proven it’s potential to yellow within a couple of years.

I avoid using decals that might peel and fall off or glue that could fail over time.

I want my models to look as good as possible for as long as possible.

That is the fear with this product that brought me to the realization that I can’t trust it.

in the end, It’s not up to me to tell anybody what they should use on their own projects, but I also feel like it’s worth while to raise the red flag and get anybody that might have these same fears to think about it and consider the consequences of using something untested such as Molotow on their treasured heirlooms. 
I don’t mean to bust any balls, I’m just asking that people take these factors into consideration before they jump in with both feet with something that’s just as likely to be a bust as it is likely to be a triumph.

 

 

 

 

Steve

Edited November 20, 2021 by StevenGuthmiller

[Sandboarder]

While you do build your models to your highest possible standard to last a generation that’s not the case for everyone. 
 

Since this virus has hit and cause lockdowns there are a lot of new builders on the hobby. Therefore I believe we need to help them but not confuse them. These builders may only build a few kits and pick up stuff like the Motolow pens and that’s fine. 
 

You have already proven me right. I can’t buy Testor’s products in a Australia so I used Tamiya and Mr Hobby a lot. A simple exercise as storing paints can make them last 30 years for you but in my climate it’s more like 10 years. Therefore EVERY body’s hobby experience is different.  
 

Let’s just stick to answering the original posted questions and keep all discussion relevant to there (OP’s) topic and hobby needs.
 

I’m sick of reading off topic chat that IMO belongs on Facebook. We are a forum, essentially a library of knowledge with decades of experience. Let’s not ruin that in recent times as one day someone will search and find these threads looking for help only to irrelevant discussion.