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Trying to obtain a realistic chrome finish has for years been like Indiana Jones trying to find the Holy Grail. Up to now virtually all silver metallics are (and remain) soft paints long after drying. Clear coating generally opens another can of worms when applied over these paints. The Molotow inks appear to be the best and most durable painted on chrome finish to date. I have found that a combination of using Molotow and Bare Metal Foil on a model can yield really good results. It is a matter of what parts on the model lend themselves best to the use of each of these mediums.

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On 1/10/2018 at 3:35 PM, Bugatti Fan said:

Trying to obtain a realistic chrome finish has for years been like Indiana Jones trying to find the Holy Grail. Up to now virtually all silver metallics are (and remain) soft paints long after drying. Clear coating generally opens another can of worms when applied over these paints. The Molotow inks appear to be the best and most durable painted on chrome finish to date. I have found that a combination of using Molotow and Bare Metal Foil on a model can yield really good results. It is a matter of what parts on the model lend themselves best to the use of each of these mediums.

Hi there, so what exactly is this bare metal foil you mention, i have never seen that, do you cut pieces out and glue them?

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50 minutes ago, Project X said:

Hi there, so what exactly is this bare metal foil you mention, i have never seen that, do you cut pieces out and glue them?

It's a very thin self-adhesive metal foil:

https://www.scalemodelshop.co.uk/manufacturers/b-d/bare-metal-foil.html

Very good, in theory, for reproducing metal, because it is metal. It needs a bit of practice to use, and is somewhat variable in quality -- I've never got the "Ultra Bright Chrome" to work particularly well. I've also had problems with "shelf life". I find that if I keep a packet for a while, it develops wrinkles which essentially "crack" the foil, so it's increasingly had to get the length/size of piece you need. You can end up ditching 3/4 of a sheet because it's become unusable before you use it. And although it is flexible and a bit stretchy, you will run into the problems you'd expect trying to drape a flat sheet over a large compound curved surface. In short I used it a lot for window frames and trim, but have switched happily to Molotow for that purpose. It's great for unpainted metal aircraft with a shiny finish, though...

best,

M.

 

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53 minutes ago, Matt Bacon said:

It's a very thin self-adhesive metal foil:

https://www.scalemodelshop.co.uk/manufacturers/b-d/bare-metal-foil.html

Very good, in theory, for reproducing metal, because it is metal. It needs a bit of practice to use, and is somewhat variable in quality -- I've never got the "Ultra Bright Chrome" to work particularly well. I've also had problems with "shelf life". I find that if I keep a packet for a while, it develops wrinkles which essentially "crack" the foil, so it's increasingly had to get the length/size of piece you need. You can end up ditching 3/4 of a sheet because it's become unusable before you use it. And although it is flexible and a bit stretchy, you will run into the problems you'd expect trying to drape a flat sheet over a large compound curved surface. In short I used it a lot for window frames and trim, but have switched happily to Molotow for that purpose. It's great for unpainted metal aircraft with a shiny finish, though...

best,

M.

 

Thanx Matt, i think i shall look into the Molotow application i think, although the price seems a lot. I also need to get a simple silver pencil for doing floor pan work, i saw a video on this forum with some guy using one and the results are excellent, a lot more tidier than trying to paint a perfect line with a chrome paint.

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On 04/01/2018 at 6:47 PM, Classicgas said:

It sounds outrageous. I use professional automotive paint at work, and it's probably less than that a gallon.

The gallon of Honda Dyno blue pearl I bought to paint my T/A last summer was almost twice that. , , Over twice when you count in a gallon of reducer.

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I’ve used these pens and I highly recommend them. I haven’t tried airbrushing them though.

Usually for ease of use you can’t beat Testors aluminum buffing metalizer. No glossy black surface, no primer even if you don’t want to. It’s not chrome but you can get a highly reflective surface for most chrome like parts. In combination with the right heat staining applications it’s very effective.

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I would just like to add my comments to this topic regarding Molotow Liquid Chrome pens, based on my experience using two pens so far. This is a truly marvellous product in my opinion, and I am a person who usually swears by Bare Metal Foil. which I also regard as a marvellous product. Whereas BMF takes more time and effort to get it right, I find the pens are much easier on small parts, as long as you don't go over the same area more than once. Here's a magic formula that I discovered by trial and error.... if you coat your scale model car part with Yacht Varnish, then leave it to dry 24 hours, when you apply the liquid chrome by pen the resulting surface is super shiny. So in this case, the varnish is not applied over the liquid chrome but under it. With such good results I shall certainly be ordering a 30 ml refill for my pens.

Oh, and the price in England is £5.75 ( around US $. 7.89 )

David

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Re the post from Anglia 105, the £5.75 price is the marker price. The refills cost a lot more as they can be used a number of times to fill any of the series of chrome markers. If airbrushing is intended, it is necessary to buy the refills for this usage.

Edited by Bugatti Fan
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On 1/12/2018 at 10:42 PM, Classicgas said:

We had a salesman drop off Alsa spray chrome at work this week. Been playing with it. Salesman claimed you could brush it. Nope. He claimed you could clear it. Nope, changes the look. I'll post some pics when I have time.

Spray chrome? I guess that will be great for some applications but i don't think you could use it for small bits of body work around the windows or along the body. Would be good to see some results though.

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On 1/13/2018 at 1:10 AM, Anglia105E said:

I would just like to add my comments to this topic regarding Molotow Liquid Chrome pens, based on my experience using two pens so far. This is a truly marvellous product in my opinion, and I am a person who usually swears by Bare Metal Foil. which I also regard as a marvellous product. Whereas BMF takes more time and effort to get it right, I find the pens are much easier on small parts, as long as you don't go over the same area more than once. Here's a magic formula that I discovered by trial and error.... if you coat your scale model car part with Yacht Varnish, then leave it to dry 24 hours, when you apply the liquid chrome by pen the resulting surface is super shiny. So in this case, the varnish is not applied over the liquid chrome but under it. With such good results I shall certainly be ordering a 30 ml refill for my pens.

Oh, and the price in England is £5.75 ( around US $. 7.89 )

David

Thanx David, would the clear yacht varnish be the best or would it be the gloss?

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