? for the paint gurus

[LOBBS]

I had a eureka moment at work tonight and I'm trying to figure out how difficult it'd be to follow thru on. I'm a QC inspector at a tool and die shop doing aerospace work. My hands are pretty much a shade of perma-gray from handling aluminum, titanium and stainless parts 12 hours a day. I have to wash my hands at least a half dozen times a day or my wife won't let me anywhere near her when I get home. As I watched the gray water swirl down the drain it occurred to me that I might be able to make use of this mess I deal with every day.

To make a long story short, we make a whole lotta metal dust at work and I don't like spending $9 an ounce on Alclad metal paints. Would it really be as easy as stirring up some aluminum dust into some clear lacquer to mix my own paint or is their more involved? If it goes on an airplane, we machine it so I could come up with pretty much every type of aluminum, titanium, stainless, brass, copper, etc. known to man. If not clear lacquer what would be the recommended medium to use? I'd like to be able to use Tamiya's rattle can clear if it's possible because I know it's properties.

Thanks in advance.

[diymirage]

would this be something you are temtped to use in a airbrush ?

because as much as i like the idea i dont think i would be willing to shoot steelshavings through mine

maybe of you can brush on the clear/shavings your on to something

[Guest Gramps-xrds]

Your idea does have some merrit (they've been using metal in paint for a long time)but I doubt it would work unless it was ultra fine. I have some aluminum and gold powders I used in sign painting, but when mixed w/ clear they didn't turn out as I'd wanted. The only way to find out is try it.

[LOBBS]

The dust is made when the guys have to DA sand out mismatches between cutter passes and appears to be every bit as fine as what settles out of a jar of paint that has sat for awhile. I would already have to sift it with a fine screen to the remove bits of the broken down sanding pads.

[evilone]

Your idea does have some merrit (they've been using metal in paint for a long time)but I doubt it would work unless it was ultra fine. I have some aluminum and gold powders I used in sign painting, but when mixed w/ clear they didn't turn out as I'd wanted. The only way to find out is try it.

X2 go get a junker body and try it

if it dont work you can throw the body away

if it dose then replicate it and do it to a build of yours

[Abell82]

I think it will work, the only problem I see might be the clear yellowing. (Tamiya should be o.k.)

I would at least give it a try. If you are afraid for your air brush, then try a cheap air brush, from

Harbor Frieght, or Big Lots, or the like.

I don't think brushing it on would work, as you would get gobs of the metal dust, in some spots and none in others.

I would try several mediums, too!

What about mixing it into Future, and spraying it that way? Just a thought.

[Olle F]

I don't have a clue how they make metal pigments, but I'd say that pigments are way cleaner than what you get on your hands. The dust is probably contaminated will all kinds of crud, like debris from cutting tools and sanding discs, cutting fluid, oxide from plasma/torch cutting or whatever you may find in your shop. Unless you find a way to filter/wash/etch the dust, I'm afraid that your paint will be just as gray as your hands. But what the heck, it's worth a try. Who knows, you might come up with a new, cool color, even if it's not exactly what you thought it would be.

[george 53]

Heck If its free, an it aint killt ya yet, go for it! jus mix it in future like Abell said. If its like a powder use a resperator( no sense in TRYIN ta kill yerself). I mean, if thats one of the ways they make Alcad, or even silver paint, wot could it hurt? Member, this IS AMERICA! land o the free!(thinkers)