Alclad II Question

[Slang]

Hi,

I want to try some of the Alclad II Laquers. What I want to try first is their "Dark Aluminum" for intakes, aluminum mag wheels, etc. and "Stainless Steel" for headers etc. The biggest question is, .. Do I have to use Alclad II's Gloss Black base coat under their top coat, or can I use something like Tamiya Gloss Black instead?

And, here again..If another brand of base coat can be used, do I need laquer or enamel? and is Gloss black the best base coat color to use for Stainless, and Aluminum top coats, or would Grey Gloss be better for the effect that I am after?

Thanks

Slang

 

[dkev]

I've always used Alclad Gloss Black. You can use enamel gloss black. But it's recommended that you test it first.

 

[Elm City Hobbies]

Pretty much any gloss black can be used, but they recommend 1st theirs, and failing that an enamel gloss black. I used Humbrol for years and seemed to work well. I haven't used their own, but now that I am out of the Humbrol, I probably will.

Not all colors need the gloss black to attain the effects. Chrome, Polished Aluminum, Stainless Steel, and Polished Brass are the only colors that "require" the gloss black for full effect of the paint (Chrome just looks like reg. Aluminum without it). That being said it has been my experience that the colors do look richer if put over the gloss black, regardless if it was a different color than the ones above.

Also...different base colors will give you a different effect. You can use gloss blue and give the metallics more of a blue hue to them, same with using gloss red, or gloss yellow. The color of the base coat can have an effect on how the Alcald will look.

 

[WebbyNZ]

They have basically covered all of it but ill chip in and say I have had best results with alclads clearcoat as others can actually take away from the effect.

 

[Slang]

Thank you all very much for your help. I have been wanting to try some different effects with wheels, engine parts, and other things for quite sometime now and from what I am reading, the metalizers are the way to go. I have to be honest with you, I have been out of the loop for a few years now, and a lot of things have changed since I was last building models.

I did read a couple of reviews on the web about the Alclad products in that, the 2 stage process was a little tricky to apply correctly. Some folks said that the base coat had a tendency to remain "sticky" and difficult to cure within a reasonable amount of time, and others even said that after 2 or 3 days the final results never did cure correctly.

Could these problems have been due to applying one or both coats too thick, or too soon between applications? Or, should the base coat in fact be sprayed very lightly, and left just a little bit "tacky" in order to just give the color effect and also give the top coat a fine layer that's soft to "grip", without being applied too wet and overly thick?

Thanks again to all. Please tell me, if you would, how is the best way to apply both coats of this product to get the effects that you want, with the best results.

I really appreciate you guys sharing your knowledge and experience with me.

 

[Grendels]

I have used quite a few of their lacquers without the black base, and I have had zero problems with them.

One thing to keep in mind is that the final color will be different with or without the black base. Steel with a white base will be a metallic color, and with a black base will be dark metallic. Without photos, it is hard to explain it. But the black base will darken it.

You can do pre-shading with Alclad lacquers, just like any other paint. You just have to be more careful with the final color layer.

And to be careful of the top clear coat. If you are doing chrome, only use their aqua gloss clear and nothing else. Any other paint will change the final look of it.