Bright Silver

[Mad Rocketeer]

I have an old Big Bertha from my pre-BAR days. It's more or less aluminum colored, kind of like chain-link fencing. My son has a Baby Bertha that he wants to paint to look like mine. I need to do some sanding on mine, big time, first, as it has old badly cleaned-up glue trails and such under the paint.

I bought some Krylon 1401 Bright Silver paint to do both rockets in, but I read yesterday on the can "Krylon Metallic Enamel does not provide a durable finish and can be harmed by rubbing. For added protection and durability, use a clear topcoat, such as Krylon Crystal Clear (1301) or Kamar Varnish (1312). Clear coats, however, will dull the briliance of the finish."

I knew clear coats could dull the finish, so I'd planned not to use one. But rockets will get bumped, scraped, and rubbed along the way, so the paint has to be able to take some abuse.

My question: Just how soft is the surface on this stuff? I saw some Rustoleum metallic paints at Wal-Mart yesterday that sounded good too. You use a Rustoleum Stops Rust (or something like that) primer, then the metallic paint. I didn't look at the fine print on the finish. Does this hold up better? Which will do better over the venerable paint job I currently have (after proper sanding and/or steel wool work)?

 

[r1dermon]

well, you can scratch it off a plastic NC with a little pressure on your fingernail. it looks great, but you'll have to refinish every year. lol. i painted a rocket with their metalic gold and it came right off. i put it up on an F20 with a slight peel in the paint, when it came back down, that slight peel had taken a huge line down the NC. but it does look good, and is pretty visible.

 

[Micromeister]

Rustoleum's bright finish spary can paints seem to do a little better adhesion wise. don't know about overall durability. Krylons isn't good. it scratches off very easily with the fingernail, if you attempt to "protect" it with Kryplon 1301 the pic below is what you get. this Deep Space Tansport was Shinny chorme until clear coated almost two weeks after the chrome was dry. It's kind of a dull grey sorta metallic
the only Hi shine metallic I've ever had any luck with was Colorworks now owned by Sherwin-Williams. It went on really well and held-up with only an occasional waxing. I haven't tried Future floor finish, but others have told me that seems to work fine.
The very best way to metalize you Bertha would be to cover with Bare-metal foil. they have a new Hi-Chrome the goes on very nicely and brunishes up to a very shinny surface. I've Testors gloss clear coated Bare-metal foil without any adverse effect.
Hope this helps.

 

[Micromeister]

Heres a reworked/replaced upperstage Delta star model with the old Chorme bare metal foil applied to body and nose. once applied and burnised it's very difficult to find the joining seams. Great stuff, a little pricey but if you really want shinny metal

 

[sandman]

If you just want to do the body and the fins...even the fins would be kinda hard to do...use Monocote Trimcote silver.

It's peal and stick and is really shiny...it would look kinda cool really!

Paint the fins and nose cone black.

 

[Hospital_Rocket]

One thing about the Kylon Bright Chrome - Do not cover it with Krylon Clear Acrylic. You end up with a dull grey. Use Future to cover it.

 

[buzz]

Has anyone tried Testors Metalizer?

 

[Mad Rocketeer]

Originally posted by Micromeister
Rustoleum's bright finish spary can paints seem to do a little better adhesion wise. Don't know about overall durability. Krylon's isn't good. It scratches off very easily with the fingernail, if you attempt to "protect" it with Krylon 1301 the pic below is what you get. this Deep Space Tansport was Shiny chrome until clear coated almost two weeks after the chrome was dry. It's kind of a dull grey sorta metallic
The only Hi shine metallic I've ever had any luck with was Colorworks now owned by Sherwin-Williams. It woulded really well and held-up with only an occasional waxing. I haven't tried Future floor finish, but others have told me that seems to work fine.
The very best way to metalize you Bertha would be to cover with Bare-metal foil. they have a new Hi-Chrome the goes on very nicely and burnishes up to a very shinny surface. I've Testors gloss clear coated Bare-metal foil without any adverse effect.
Hope this helps.

"Woulded"?

So, if I use this paint, I have to pick between soft and dull. If soft, I'll be repairing all the time. If dull, well, I haven't gained much by repainting it at all. Might as well leave it alone. Hmmm.

OK, what's this bare metal foil? Aluminum foil? Is this a brand name of thin foil suitable for rockets? A link to a site selling it might help me see what you mean better. How does it work? Spray adhesive? CA? Epoxy? Stick-on? Then polish it up?

Originally posted by Sandman
If you just want to do the body and the fins...even the fins would be kinda hard to do...use Monocote Trimcote silver.

It's peel and stick and is really shiny...it would look kinda cool really!

Paint the fins and nose cone black.

Tell me more. Where can I get this stuff? Hobby shops? Hobby Lobby? On-line? How is it put on rockets that already have their fins? One wrap to go above the fins and wide strips to go between? How about the launch lug? Etc.


By the way, anyone else see weirdness in the sorting of these messages? My post, originating this thread, shows up second. At least one other insertion is in there too. Odd. Also, last night it wouldn't let me post for a long time, saying that one could not post more often than every 30 seconds, whereas it had been a few hours since my last one. Perhaps bugs in the new system?

 

[Micromeister]

Sorry, sometimes the news isn't as good as we'ed all like. Sandman have you any experience with future over Krylon chorme silver?
Bare-metal foil co. also makes the micro-decal clear Sandman Astronboy and other suggest for clear coating computer created decals. try this website www.Bare-Metal.com or you can call them at 248-477-0813

Before you throw out the Krylon Chrome silver, why not do a little experimenting.. take some scrap stuff or pre-painted parts as add a coat of the hi gloss silver. don't forget to wipe the part down with alcohol and maybe rough up the surface a little with 320grit sand paper. once these samples have had a good chance to completely dry (if you can smell it.. it isn't dry!) sometimes as long as a week. clear coat the pieces with different material and let us know what you find.

 

[DynaSoar]

Originally posted by Hospital_Rocket
One thing about the Kylon Bright Chrome - Do not cover it with Krylon Clear Acrylic. You end up with a dull grey. Use Future to cover it.

Same with the Rustoleum high shine metals. Been there' done that, used up a lot of wet/dry paper. Both take Future OK, Rustoleum a little better.

The shine seems to come from the metal powder floating to the top of the wet paint from surface tension and collecting into a layer. Clear coat seems to do something like remelt or remix it so the metal isn't a solid layer anymore. Spray a spot with too much of it on some scrap and watch this happen. It'll help guage how much you can put on when you paint.

I didn't keep using the Krylon, but I did keep using the Rustoleum. It seems to stay plasticy after it dries. I set a rocket on a car seat (a month after painting) and the 20 mile trip left an obvious impression of the weave of the car seat material in the paint (not just the surface). And this was *with* Future. It didn't prevent this. But it didn't peel, like folks are saying Krylon does.

Not being able to clear coat makes masking a problem. This stuff marks up from tape real easy. Took me 3 weeks to paint the Kappa 9 M. Each coat had to dry a full week.

 

[Stymye]

I've had good results with duplicolor chrome...
sealed with future

it takes a long time to dry and handled very little if possible
before applying the future.

I ended up with a very convincing shiney silver that is quite durable.

the spots are from wiping the rocket with a damp towel and not alowing it to dry completely but it is the best silver finish I've found so far.

 

[11bravo]

How about gold or silver leaf?
Never used it, have no idea what it costs, just thought and asked.
Searching in another window.

Greg

***MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!***

 

[Mad Rocketeer]

Originally posted by Micromeister
Sorry, sometimes the news isn't as good as we'd all like.

Oh definitely. Understood. While it would be best if the Krylon Bright Silver would just work and be brilliant and durable, life is rarely that easy. Thus, we have the thrill of the hunt!

Originally posted by Micromeister
Bare-metal foil co. also makes the micro-decal clear Sandman Astronboy and other suggest for clear coating computer created decals. try this website www.Bare-Metal.com or you can call them at 248-477-0813

Good info. I'll definitely look this over and maybe get some to experiment with. How tough is it to use this stuff? Does it wrinkle and tear easily? How best to fit it around existing fins? Can you put it on, then mask it to paint fins without having it pull up or tear? Etc.

Originally posted by Micromeister
Before you throw out the Krylon Chrome silver, why not do a little experimenting.. take some scrap stuff or pre-painted parts as add a coat of the hi gloss silver. don't forget to wipe the part down with alcohol and maybe rough up the surface a little with 320grit sand paper. once these samples have had a good chance to completely dry (if you can smell it.. it isn't dry!) sometimes as long as a week. clear coat the pieces with different material and let us know what you find.

Yep. I hate to waste it, so I'll try it out on something. I'm about 1/2 of the way through building a Fliskits Midnight Express, so I might try the Bright Silver on that. To do it properly though, I probably need to grab some scrap balsa and mask it off in stripes, trying different things and comparing them side-by-side.

Originally posted by DynaSoar
The shine seems to come from the metal powder floating to the top of the wet paint from surface tension and collecting into a layer. Clear coat seems to do something like remelt or remix it so the metal isn't a solid layer anymore. Spray a spot with too much of it on some scrap and watch this happen. It'll help guage how much you can put on when you paint.

Yep. I definitely see some experimentation coming on.

Originally posted by DynaSoar
I didn't keep using the Krylon, but I did keep using the Rustoleum. It seems to stay plasticy after it dries. I set a rocket on a car seat (a month after painting) and the 20 mile trip left an obvious impression of the weave of the car seat material in the paint (not just the surface). And this was *with* Future. It didn't prevent this. But it didn't peel, like folks are saying Krylon does.

Man! That's just too soft. What I've got isn't all that attractive, but it flies like a champ. I don't want to cover it with anything that soft.

Originally posted by DynaSoar
Not being able to clear coat makes masking a problem. This stuff marks up from tape real easy. Took me 3 weeks to paint the Kappa 9 M. Each coat had to dry a full week.

Lately, I'm using the blue 14-day painter's tape for masking. Seems to work well, though I do get a bit of bleed-under when I'm too lazy or too forgetful to apply clear coat or the most recent color after applying the tape and before switching colors. Does the tape smudge the silver paint, or does it pull it up?

Originally posted by sandman
If you just want to do the body and the fins...even the fins would be kinda hard to do...use Monocote Trimcote silver.

It's peel and stick and is really shiny...it would look kinda cool really!

Paint the fins and nose cone black.

I never painted the nose on my Bertha, so it's plain white. Looks OK. Black would look cooler though, especially providing contrast to bright silver paint. How does one use the Monocote Trincote stuff? Is it easy to apply? Does it wrinkle or tear much? If it isn't right to start with, how hard is it to pull up and reposition? How does one work around fins? Etc.

Originally posted by stymye
I've had good results with duplicolor chrome...
sealed with future

it takes a long time to dry and handled very little if possible
before applying the future.

I ended up with a very convincing shiney silver that is quite durable.

the spots are from wiping the rocket with a damp towel and not alowing it to dry completely but it is the best silver finish I've found so far.

A bright silver or chrome paint that stays bright and is durable? Tell me more! Where does one find Duplicolor paint? Does Duplicolor have good primers to use under the metallic paint? Is the Future required, or does it just protect and add shine? Does Future make it more durable or softer on the surface? Have you ever tried clear coats over this paint? I think I've heard that Future should be applied with a cloth or a sponge brush and very lightly. Do I remember correctly? How thin is a thin coat? Should I use the Future straight, or do I thin it with something to make it runny and so it's easier to apply lightly? Etc.


Some great ideas here.

Merry Christmas! And God bless us every one.

 

[Stymye]

A bright silver or chrome paint that stays bright and is durable? Tell me more! Where does one find Duplicolor paint? Does Duplicolor have good primers to use under the metallic paint? Is the Future required, or does it just protect and add shine? Does Future make it more durable or softer on the surface? Have you ever tried clear coats over this paint? I think I've heard that Future should be applied with a cloth or a sponge brush and very lightly. Do I remember correctly? How thin is a thin coat? Should I use the Future straight, or do I thin it with something to make it runny and so it's easier to apply lightly? Etc.

-The future makes it durable
-I get duplicolor from automotive stores
-Duplicolor makes excellent primers
-Future protects the paint and dulls the shine very little
-Clear coat dulls the finish considerably
-Future can be applied with a brush, rag, airbrush
-No need to thin the future.unless spraying it.

 

[Mad Rocketeer]

I tried the Bright Silver on my Fliskits Midnight Express tonight. It didn't come out as shiny as I'd hoped, but from what I'm reading, maybe the shine develops as the paint dries further? I did the nose cone and the fins in True Blue and the rest in Bright Silver. Tomorrow, I'll probably rub the silver paint lightly to see how it reacts, then buy some Future and play with that. I'll let ya know how it comes out.

I started my LOC Graduator too. Fun!

 

[r1dermon]

duplicolor (as stymye said) can be had at auto stores, i get mine at pep boys. i've never had terrific results, but to each his own.

 

[Mad Rocketeer]

My Midnight Express is no shinier than when first painted. Still, for a rocket where the paint costs lots more than the rocket (essentially free), it looks just fine. Gotta love those Filskits. I'm beginning to think that the bright metallic paints may be overhyped though.

 

[Elapid]

Spaz Stix Mirror Chrome.

 

[Mad Rocketeer]

Good golly, is that for real?!? Of course, for $12.49 for a 3.5 oz. spray can, it ought to be. (And they're saying that's a discounted price.) Is this stuff durable? Does it really shine like the picture makes it look? Dang. I'd be afraid to fly the thing. Good link.

 

[jflis]

yep, the stuff is real. It's incredible too.

gotta have the bucks though

 

[Mad Rocketeer]

Does it hold up well, or does it rub away like the Krylon? I'm guessing you don't clear coat this stuff with anything. How much coverage can you get from one of these little cans? Enough to do a Big Bertha and a Baby Bertha? Does it take special primers/techniques? I don't like spending that much for paint, but for a very special case (and the "Wow" I'd see on my friends' faces) I might do it once. Does it adhere well to plastics?

 

[Stymye]

https://www.spazstix.com/

 

[Mad Rocketeer]

OK, ya caught me being lazy. I followed the link when it was first posted, but I was hoping someone here had used the stuff and could save me reading all the Tips and Tricks stuff on the SpazStix site.

 

[Stymye]

Mad....Lazy... no way
It was just the easiest reply,
I remember an earlier thread on Spaztix,but not alot of info there either

The pics on the site show mainly lexan R/C bodies,,, they are painted insided out... chrome is the first coat so no need to clearcoat... hence the wonderfull glossy chrome finish.

would it still be as lusterous if you had to spraycan clearcoat it?

I'm thinking of trying a can, because if it works on lexan it may as be good for plastic cones/parts . A chrome nose cone would be very cool.

 

[Mad Rocketeer]

Yep. Most of the noses I've seen have been white when unpainted. What would be cool would be clear ones that could be sprayed from the inside like the Lexan. It could be done like the two piece noses with the separate shoulder. Mask - Spray - Unmask - Attach the shoulder. Voila!

Hmmm. Makes me wonder if shrink wrap could be painted then applied inside out then shrunk on for a shine that's under the surface like on the cars. It probably wouldn't shrink on right though.

 

[11bravo]

Hmmm. Makes me wonder if shrink wrap could be painted then applied inside out then shrunk on for a shine that's under the surface like on the cars. It probably wouldn't shrink on right though.

Why not paint the nosecone then shrink wrap it instead of trying to paint the wrap?

Greg

 

[jflis]

If I remember correctly (having read the tips before and seen a video), one of the most important criteria is that the item to be painted have a glass smooth finish befor applying paint. The smallest defect will show up in glaring contrast to the rest of the object.

 

[Elapid]

some of the spaz stix paints
i haven't used the metallics, tho.

the color-changing ones are nice, quite durable so far after a couple of flights...no clear coat no mine, though it's prolly not a bad idea.

jim's right about flaws showing up.

 

[Micromeister]

Originally posted by jflis
If I remember correctly (having read the tips before and seen a video), one of the most important criteria is that the item to be painted have a glass smooth finish befor applying paint. The smallest defect will show up in glaring contrast to the rest of the object.

Absoutely Jim:
if your planning on a High Gloss mirror or metallic finish a speck of dust will look like a boulder in the finish. Everything must be perfectly smooth, and Very clean. remove (vaccum out your paint chamber before mounting the model to be sprayed. Wipe the model down with a fint free tack rag or fint free rag dampened with rubbing alcohol. allow at least 30 minutes between the alcohol wipe down and spraying to be absolutely sure the all the alcohol has evaporated. It's not to much to vacuum and dust the room before sparying High gloss or super shinny metallics.
Hope this helps. Hi Gloss Gold is just as tempremental as Silver.

 

[Adam Selene]

Attachment: 057-sm_trident ii_03-31-90.jpg
This has been downloaded



Cool Rocket! way cool paint job!! but no mosquito for size reference?