odd metal flake colors

[tsroark]

I know this sounds crazy but bear with me. I want to do a camo paint job with metal flake paint. Full on bass boat style metal flake. I have been searching but can't find much on my own.

Understandably I can't find any manufacturers that produce standard ultra flat camo colors in a metal flake flavor. Can I make it myself? I was thinking of hiting a chunk of alluminum or yellow brass with the drum sander to make a powder to mix into a clear coat and air brush on, or dust a wet color coat with and clear over. I think if I mix it into the color it will just look like chunks of crud in the paint. I know the clear coat will have to be pretty thick so the metal particles don't leave bumpy or rough patches.

Will this work? Or does anyone have a better solution? It will be a few days but I was going to do some expirimenting anyways.

Thanks guys

Tim

[bobthehobbyguy]

What you can do is spray the standard cameo, then spray clear with flake in it, and then flat clear. Plasticote does a clear with flake.

[Snake45]

I can tell you, because I just tried it last week, that when you hit metalflake with a flat coat, you lose about 80% of the metalflake effect. Maybe more.

What colors are you thinking of using?

[bobthehobbyguy]

I was wondering about that. Never had reason for a flat metalflake.

[vypurr59]

Get some pearl powder or metalflake from an auto paint supplier. Comes in many colors, and they may also be able to assist in your paint schemes. The guy I deal with has always been helpful

Edited October 14, 2014 by vypurr59

[Snake45]

I was wondering about that. Never had reason for a flat metalflake.

Me neither, but I was trying to tone a very flaky paint that was a perfect color match for a factory color back to the look of a factory metallic, preferably in scale. The flat coat did that beautifully! Perfect color with just a hint of flake in it. Then I glossed it (as I would on the model) and all the flake and sparkle came back 100%. Sigh.

[Kit Basher]

Get some pearl powder or metalflake from an auto paint supplier. Comes in many colors, and they may also be able to assist in your paint schemes. The guy I deal with has always been helpful

Just out of curiousity I mixed some pearl powder in some flat green paint, and I got.......flat green. How about mixing some metalflakes in Dullcote?

[Krazy Rick]

Actually, it's really straight forward, you want to tone it down right at the start, by using a black base & spray that. then mix your gold flake with clear with a few drops of black in it, this will dull the usual flash of the flake right away. - spray this. Next, you want to pick the kandie paints to do your cammo, usually this would be a brown & green, or something along those lines ( I would use HOK Kandy Rootbeer, and a kandy green ) ..... so now you want to tone these down, again, by using black, so put a few drops of black into the colors, a bit at a time & test as you go to see if the tone is what you need. do your cammo pattern & clear - As far as the dull goes, your on your own with that, cause this makes no sense to me, it will just kill the whole look of the flake.-it defeats the purpose of the flake, which works by using light; when you remove the gloss, you remove effect. Trust me - the cammo flake idea is weird enough,without screwing around with dullcoat. If you need to get flake, try a place like Paintwithpearl.com - Good luck

Edited October 14, 2014 by Krazy Rick

[StevenGuthmiller]

I've used regular old garden variety corn starch to make a gloss paint flat. Works perfectly with enamels but I heard somewhere that you can use it with any paint. So, I would pick your metallic colors & mix in a little corn starch, (your guess is as good as mine how much) Experiment with that a little. Steve

[tsroark]

Just out of curiousity I mixed some pearl powder in some flat green paint, and I got.......flat green. How about mixing some metalflakes in Dullcote?

I figured that mixing the flake medium into the paint would cover the flake.

I guess I didn't realize clear was available with flake. I will look into that.

I am planning on using the standard "pre desert/digital" green/brown/black pattern.

Looks like there are a few ideas floating around, I will have to do some experimenting to see if this works at all.

[bobthehobbyguy]

If you are using pearl powders you mix them in clear not the solid color.

As far as the cameo colors I would you the clear with flake and leave them glossy. I can't see that you will get the metalflake look without it.

[Krazy Rick]

I figured that mixing the flake medium into the paint would cover the flake.

I guess I didn't realize clear was available with flake. I will look into that.

I am planning on using the standard "pre desert/digital" green/brown/black pattern.

Looks like there are a few ideas floating around, I will have to do some experimenting to see if this works at all.

No need to "Experiment", the instructions I've given you, ARE the way to do it. - I paint for a living & have most of my life; if you come up with a better solution from other "Ideas" .....please tell, I'd love to know. - If you want a more simple solution, you could always just go ahead & do the typical cammo paint job & then shoot a fine mist of pearl over it; but then you'll end up with a pearl Cammo paint job, not a flake job. Anyways good luck & have fun.