Alclad for a newbie

[tho9900]

Ross - acrylics will work fine under the non-shiny colors. I would think for the shiny ones as well but I am not sure. In fact Alclad recommends Future as one of the primers for non-shiny Alclad. I think the reason for the recommendation of alclad black or black enamel is their ability to create a great shine…

http://www.alclad2.com/directions.html

[Neptune48]

Bruce,

Thanks for the research and info—much appreciated, and I’m sure by others as well.

I do have a question that I don’t recall seeing the answer for in several discussions of this topic:

Does the black gloss undercoat for Alcad II need to be an enamel or lacquer, or will a fully cured acrylic work? Has anyone tried this?

Ross,

Here is an excerpt from the Alcald 2 Website on painting with their metallics:

http://www.alclad2.com/alclad-home.html

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APPLICATION GUIDE-PLASTIC MODELS:

For use on injection plastic kits a primer is necessary. ‘Regular ALCLAD’ is similar in strength to lacquer/cellulose car paints-injected polystyrene plastics frequently have areas which ALCLAD can craze.

Apply one of these primers before using Regular ALCLAD:
Tamiya Plastic Primers-white or grey
Auto Primer-white or grey
Future/Klear -floor sealer/polish

Plastic primers and auto primers should be lightly polished with 1000/1200 wet & dry paper to give a less absorbent glossy surface .

ALCLAD High Shine -Chrome and Polished Aluminium both require a dark glossy base. Polished Aluminium should be used over Tamiya TS-14 gloss black [lacquer], or gloss black auto paint. Chrome and only chrome should be used over gloss black model enamel paint.

SPRAYING: ALCLAD should be sprayed at 15-20psi.
Spray 1 ½ -2 ½ inches away from the model.
Use the airbrush like a paint brush not an aerosol.
Buffing is not necessary-though tonal variation can be made by polishing selected panels with micromesh. A sealer is not required.
Regular ALCLAD can be masked and over painted Decal solutions can be used with Regular ALCLAD,but are not recommended for Chrome or Polished Aluminium.

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I seem to recall they earlier recommended acrylic under the polished aluminum and enamel under the chrome. I’m not sure why they are so specific about twhich undercoat to use for the high shine paints, but I guess it never hurts to follow directions. Curiosity about this lead me to my experiment. Whatever their reasons, I encountered no disasterous effects with any of the cured undercoats.

Regards,
Bruce

[Triarius]

Thanks, Tom and Bruce!

I, too, seem to remember slightly different instructions for the gloss colors when I visited their site a few months ago—or maybe it’s just creeping senility! [:I]