aluminum paint

Tools, Techniques, and Reference Materials Painting and airbrushing
1

If you are looking for a good aluminum paint that is more durable then Testors Metalizer, go to Walmart, and pick up a can of their generic paint , aluminum/silver color. It’s great, and cheap at a buck a can.

Lee

2

Thanks for the tip. However, I am new to the hobby and am currently using some Testors Metalizer. Can you be more specific about the durability problems you expereince with the testors product? Just curious.

Travis

3

Testors MM will rub off on your fingers unless you seal it with their MM sealer. Also, anything else put on top seems to not stick to well, so you need to becareful using any tape for masking later on - as they will most likey take something off. Many people use Post-it notes, or liquid mask on MM. I myself use mostly Alclad, but still use MM on smaller panels and such.

4

Thanks for the information, I had no idea that it was so fragile. Do you have to use MM sealer or can use use future or laquer just as well?

Travis

5

Future will work, I’ve never tried lacquer. Be aware that the MM sealer does dull the shine a bit.

6

Talk about timing - I came on the boards to post a question as to what the heck Buffing or non-Buffing Metalizers were. For some reason about 10 years ago I got a couple of bottles of them - I never used them, probably because I didn’t know how. Why I got them at all - no idea. But just what does the buffing vs. non-buffing refer to? I assume the term ‘metalizer’ indicates that it makes a subject a pear to be made of actual metal instead of painted plastic. Does the non-buffing designation indicate that it will rub off unless sealed? Or does it mean something else entirely?

7

The buffing kind can actually be ‘buffed’ after it dries. The longer you rub with a smooth cloth, the shiner it gets - so you can actually control the amount of shine that you want, or selecting shine different parts to a different brillance. The nonbuffing kind ‘shininess’ stays as is after it dries.

8

Allclad!! Just discovered it! Check out this P-51…

I have never achieved a deeper mirror finish. This is just Allclad II Polished Aluminum over modelmaster gloss black enamel for a primer coat…