Question: Did you apply a clear on top of it? In case its too shiny, this would kill the shine slightly and give it a realistic look. You could then seal it with Future.
The more you use Alclad, the better you become.
Could you tell us the steps you took? (prep, airbrush settings, etc,)
Did the black go on smoothly for you? If the black is ultra smooth, so will be the metalizer.
Thanks for sharing those gorgeous photos! Looking forward to more.
Sorry you’re having a hard time finding Alclad. Here in Tampa, Hobby Town carries it. It seems to be increasing in popularity.
As far as prep goes, I of course washed everything with Dawn. I then used a tack cloth to remove dust. I used an H3 needle for the primer at about15psi. I am having trouble getting a good, smoth coat with the primer though. It is the Alclad Gloss Black primer to be used specifically for the Stainless Steel and a couple of other shades. I did about two coats and it just isn’t as smooth as I would like it.
I then sparayed on the Stainless Steel with the same air brush and air setting. I did two coats of that and thought that was sufficient. If you look back at the Budd baggage car roof, I used Future to seal that (two coats), and the Future seemed to cause the black to show through somehow, although I am extremely satisfied with the finish using the Future. I went to the LHS at lunch to ask the guys there for their opinion, and they pointed that out to me. They made a good point by saying that it looks almost as if I had oversprayed a little bit of black over the stainless. I think that is just a matter of applying a couple more coats of metalizer.
Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.
Edit: I just referred to your first post this thread and think that if this doesnt work out for me, I will try the Chrome instead of the Stainless Steel with a gray primer.
If the black shows through, then yes you just need a bit more of the metalizer.
Note, if your black undercoat is rough, then some of the metalizer will be absorbed so you’ll wind up having to spray more Alclad. If you have to thin the black a bit more to get it to lay smooth…go for it![;)] The smoother the black, the less Alclad you’ll need.[C):-)][tup]
I understand your wanting to use the Alclad brand, but again Floquil Gloss Black and Scale Coat Gloss black will work just as well. Both products can be thinned an extra 15% to 25% over recommendation with no negative effects as long as you apply them in thin coats and allow each coat to dry.
Your cars look beautiful. If you can, take one to an LHS and compare it to a BLI passenger car, which is also metalized. You’ll notice that the BLI car’s metalized finish looks a tad “yellower”.
BTW: When you are completely finished, please take some closeup shots and post them here. [;)]
I’m trying to persuade my LHS to regularly stock the Alclad line and would like to show him the work of other modelers. Quite a number of customers have purchased Rivorossi streamlined passenger cars in the past and, IMHO, this metalizer provides a nice and easy opportunity to really make those cars look sharp.
I am still waiting for the Alclad that I ordered to arrive. I ordered from Horizon Hobbies (yeah, the Athearn people) last week. I think I mentioned before that I am in the same situation with the owner of the LHS I go to. Hopefully by the end of this week I will have a complete car.
While waiting for the Alclad, I have been painting underbodies. I also painted 15 pairs of passenger trucks (YIKES!!!). I think I may bring the silver on the underbodies down a little with a satin clear coat. It is Floquil. The mix is about 50% Old Silver, 25% Engine Black, and 25% thinner. I am trying to match (or at least get in the ball park) the finish on the underbodies of Ajin, Samhongsa, and Sam Tech brass passenger cars. I am going to have a little brass mixed in this train, so I am looking for a little continuity.
Edit: Is there any reason other than appearance to seal the silver on the underbody with some sort of clear coat?
Looking good! These cars are going to be show stoppers[4:-)][tup].
Re: Sealing the silver. You probably already know that even when cured, tiny amounts of silver paint pigments can flake off when handled often. However, I get the impression that you handle your models with “TLC”. Sealing is not required like it is for the metalizer. However, sealing is not a bad idea, especially if you decide to weather the undersides.
Even in their “heydays” streamlined passenger cars still managed to have water streaks and grime on the undersides.
I am going to definately weather the trucks a bit. With this train, the Hi Levels would have been about 3 years old and the single level cars (Palms, Pines, Regals, Pleasure Dome, and diner)would have been about 8-9 years old, so as you pointed out, the underbodies would have some “road grime”.
I always wondered about the head end cars as far as weathering goes. I would assume they didn’t make it through the washers as often as the revenue cars. I would think that they would sometimes be at an REA facility before being switched into the train, which would mean a little additional weathering (VERY light) for those particular cars, especially RPOs.
I know in the late '50s that the SF kept their pax equipment immaculate, which leads me to another question. I know that you are well aware of the silver overspray on the lower bodies of the diesels, such as the F-7s and FP-45s (boy I can’t wait for the Athearn re-release). Do you know if the Santa Fe sprayed the trucks of their passenger cars in the same manner? I have never seen any overspray on a passenger car bodies in pics, nor do I plan on modeling this if so, but I am just curious if anyone know.
Edit: I am just really excited to get this train done so I can move on to the late '50s Sunset Limited!! With the release of the Precision Craft PAs, this should be a fun project as well.
I have lost the battle, but not the war. I haven’t been able to get a consistent coat with the Alclad, and am also getting fish eyes now. Trying to tweak this stuff is really holding up progress, and I have gone to the good ole’ Floquil “Bright Silver”. I was able to get quite a bit of painting done finally, and it looks good.
I haven’t given up yet, though. I am going to be doing the Man o War (Central of Georgia) for a friend, and I think I will give it another shot with that train after much more experimenting.
I have always had good results with the Floquil, and with as many cars that I need to paint right now, I just don’t have the time to fool around with the Alclad. I will post pics with the results with the Floquil as soon as I complete a car. I am still going to use the Future for a sealer. I am guessing that the Future would make a nice coat for decaling as well (two coats, one for decals, and one for a final finish).
Thanks for the link!!! I think that I am going to wait for a smaller project to try this with again. With the SuperChief/El Cap I am doing, there is too much painting to be done to finish, and finishing this train is long overdue. Like I said above, I think the Man o War should be a perfect train to try this with. If I get good results there, then I will use it on my next “big” train; a late '50s Sunset Limited.
Also my friend, please update the “Easy Sharpening Up of Passenger Car Interiors…” thread with photos of your interiors when you finish. I’m going to leave the forum for a while but I may be back in a month or so.
Smitty, if you spray a satin coat on the underbody, the silver will in all likelyhood turn a gray shade. Floquil’s Platimun Mist is the best color to use when matching the colors of all cars.
I’ve been using a digital Kodak C613 and have taken a “slew” of photos of the Rivorossi cars that I metalized with the Alclad. The photos don’t do the cars justice. The cars look good imho. Getting used to this camera is a bit frustrating (I’m used to a traditional 35mm SLR camera).
Re: Fisheye problems. That’s often caused by silicone or oil based contaminants present on the surface.
Don’t feel bad. I was shocked the first time I learned of hobbyists using Future Floor Finish for sealing models. Then it made sense…it’s an acrylic product. So it would definetly work well over a number of paint products that modelers use.
I have not tried it yet, but I’m picking up a bottle on my next trip to “wally world”. From what I’ve read, thinning is not required. But I’ll play it safe and experiment with it on some throw-away plastic panels that I have in my scrap pile.
You definately don’t need to thin it, but as you stated you were going to do, you definately want to do some test strokes on something (I even used my rubber gloves to test with a couple of times). Your airbrush will “gunk up” on you fairly quickly as well.
