Metalic Paint

[slant6]

I just ordered Atomic Orange Metallic paint from Scalefinishes.com for an upcoming Build. Ive used metallic paints before, and had disappointing results. Do I prime the body first? Do I have to use a silver paint as a base? Does anyone know If this paint will have to be thinned to be used in my airbrush, or is it made for airbrush use?

[Steve Keck]

I just ordered Atomic Orange Metallic paint from Scalefinishes.com for an upcoming Build. Ive used metallic paints before, and had disappointing results. Do I prime the body first? Do I have to use a silver paint as a base? Does anyone know If this paint will have to be thinned to be used in my airbrush, or is it made for airbrush use?

Slant,

Check out the tutorial by Mark Taylor on body prep, priming and painting. It will answer most of your questions.

Check with Scalefinishes.com for the proper reducer.

Base coats affect the final color. Get some plastic spoons. Prime and paint right up through the gloss coat. Use different metalics at the approriate stage. I paint on the convex side of the spoon and write the sequence with a fine Sharpie on the concave side.

Bw aware color sanding metalics will affect the color as the particles float to the top then get sanded off.

Edited June 25, 2010 by skeck

[vaughn]

Mist coats after the other and not to heavy.. KEEP THE PAINT MIXED..mist, mist, mist and as yo do it get heavier and then after a good drying....do a good wet coat. Just did a metalic black...and was worried, but kept at it and now..I am ok with it...even tho you can not see it in te photos.

[Scalefinishes]

Scalefinishes paint does not need to be reduced. It is ready spray right out of the bottle.

[charlzrocks]

I have found that with most metallics, the lighter color the base coat, the brighter the top color will be. If you use a gray primer, the top coat will look slightly darker than say if you used a white base coat. I have not yet had the recourse to use a metallic basecoat (silver) for any metallic paints. The silver base coat would be for clear candy colors. It would be best in my opinion to use a gloss white primer coat for a more brilliant metallic presence!