Ok, here are some more results of experimentation:
Paint Adhesion
I tried using both gloss black and flat black (Tamiya acrylics), applied with a paintbrush, as brush painting usually causes the most headaches for modelers.
On the NMF, both gloss and flat adhere beautifully. They brush on nice and cure rather well. Then I tried applying a primer over the NMF and noticed different results. When applied over a primer, the acrylics tended to roll up, just like they normally do. Plus, they seem to scratch off easier.
Conclusion, either hand brush or airbrush either gloss or flat directly over the NMF. Allow 24 hours (normal time) for full cure before handling or masking.
Decal Adhesion
Decals adhere well and the NMF stands up to both decal Set and decal Sol with no discoloration. As with any NMF finish, the decal carrier backing is slightly visible under the right lighting conditions.
Sanding
You can remove the NMF using a low grit sanding stick. I noticed a hazing effect when I used a 600 grit stick and was able to remove the NMF with a 320 stick. However, I noticed that if I reapplied the powder and buffed it back, there was a difference in the sheen. But if you carefully refinish the plastic with finer grit pads working from 320 all the way up to 8000, you can reachieve the previous sheen. The smoother the base plastic, the shinier the finish.
I used Floquil Light Grey Undercoat, the same primer I use on almost everything.
And yes, that is the order in which I tried - powder, primer, paint. I wanted to see if the primer would have any affect on the paint, and it did. The paint behaves just like it normally does. You need to apply thin coats and wait between coats, otherwie, you get roll-up. But acrylic directly over the powder, you don’t get that problem. You get great coverage in a single pass. I don’t know how or why, but that’s what I got.
Fred, you have once again demonstrated that coatings chemistry is not only stranger than we imagine, it is stranger than anyone can imagine! [(-D][#toast]
“Very odd, root and twig, very odd indeed…” —Treebeard
Gigatron - awesome little science project you have going on here. [:D] Happen to have a bunch of SnJ powders kicking around the bench, I’m going to have to try this one out!
Please continue to post any of your findings…very interested! [;)]
Ross, I’m just as confused as anybody. My full expectation of paint over powder was that the paint would bead up and roll off. To say that I was more than a little surprised, is an understatement [(-D]
Dupes, if you are going to try this stuff out, would you mind posting your findings? Maybe some independent findings to verify what I’ve discovered to lend some credence.
I wish I had something anywhere near my bench that needed an NMF so I could provide some more “timely” findings…probably be a month or so until I clear out the 3 builds that are there, but I just moved my P-47 and P-51 to the top of the heap after those. [;)]
Heck, my first attempts were on parts out of my spares collection. Flaps and bomb halves, cockpit floors and seat backings. Anything that had a flat surface, I tried it out on.
Gerald-thanks. I’m really needing to practice on applying NMF for future projects and it’s always easier to justifying spending money for experimenting when theres a discount involved…
Ok, just because I want to see what I can do with the gold powder (and I know I’m going to need more aluminium now that I know what I can do), I placed an order as well.
So, just out of curiosity, Gerald, have you seen anyone else try this on bare plastic or is this a new and fascinating aspect? [;)]
P.S. if the gold powder is powdered gold like the aluminium (is powdered aluminium) and a similar finish is possible, well, let’s just say, Gerald, I may be sending quite a few customers your way. If you can find a way to do the same thing with a chrome powder (if it’s possible), you’d be set. I know people who pay good money for chrome and mirrored gold finishes - even if they aren’t true chrome or plated gold.