Alclad

[hamlrt]

Hello there

Iam a bit new to Airbrushing , and although i am getting on reasonably well with my airbrush , i have many many questions from you knowledgable people out there.........

I bought some Alclad paints , gloss black primer , silver and a colour flip green to gold

Are they ready to go or must they be thinned first

It says to use laquer , is gloss varnish the same i.e games workshop spray on gloss varnish

I have a bog standard humbrol double action airbrush and compressor , it says in the blurb to spray at 15psi , well how do i reduce the pressure in the compressor

How exactly do i make a template , and use the masking film

One of the effects i want to try , is a ghosting effect , where there is a very faint pattern building up to solid with a graduation of colour

how would you suggest i do this

hope you guys can help

john

[Notdoneyet]

John,

The Secret Life of Alclad - everything you need to know about Alclad.

HTH,

Ian

[little-cars]

Hi,

Your questions are a little broad, it would be useful to know the subject you are modelling.

I'll start things rolling and hopefully others will add on.

Alclad is a pre thinned lacquer ,so all you need to do is mix it and spray.

Firstly, to clean your airbrush once you have finished you will need celulose thinner, badger sprayaway or liquid reamer should also shift it.

It's best not to think of the alclad metalic finishes as a paint, you apply such a small amount, you are really just changing the colour of the model.

So it needs to be finished before you apply the metalic coat.

It's best to prime the plastic first, Halfords grey primer is ok for non polished metals, the gloss black enamel is only needed for polished finishes.

Any fingerprints on the primer coat will show on the finished model so be careful.

Leave each coar to cure before applying the next.

The prismatic colours can be used over alclad or other paints. The cones in the paint do have a depth, so a clear coat after will seal them in.

Whatever clear coat/lacquer you use test it with the paints first to check compatibility.

Your compressor will normally have a moisture trap and pressure regulator on it. If it doesn't you can add an inline regulator (mac valve) for about £20.

I have these in stock for Badger fittings if you can't find one locally.

Masking depends on the type of model you are trying to mask and effect you are ??

Masking tape is flexible, so can go around corners, masking films are usually not so flexible, so are better for flatter areas.

Masks are best cut with a new knife blade to give a clean edge.

What sort of template are you looking to make ??

You can make one by tracing the outline and tracing and copying it onto film or making tape then cutting the mask out with a knife.

Hello there

Iam a bit new to Airbrushing , and although i am getting on reasonably well with my airbrush , i have many many questions from you knowledgable people out there.........

I bought some Alclad paints , gloss black primer , silver and a colour flip green to gold

Are they ready to go or must they be thinned first

It says to use laquer , is gloss varnish the same i.e games workshop spray on gloss varnish

I have a bog standard humbrol double action airbrush and compressor , it says in the blurb to spray at 15psi , well how do i reduce the pressure in the compressor

How exactly do i make a template , and use the masking film

One of the effects i want to try , is a ghosting effect , where there is a very faint pattern building up to solid with a graduation of colour

how would you suggest i do this

hope you guys can help

john

[Stonar]

What an excellent reply Paul. That should get him on the right track! Answers like that are why I joined in the first place.

Steve

[ancient mariner]

What an excellent reply Paul. That should get him on the right track! Answers like that are why I joined in the first place.

Steve

wot e said.

You just got yourself a customer,Im heading over to your site soon as Ive finished here.

[hamlrt]

Hi there ,

Thanks very much for the very informative link and the tips .

Ok here goes ..

Models i am working on

Games workshop Resin Model Titan....got this for a snip , lots of hard work cleaning it up to make it look decent . Thought it would look really great with ''Super Shiny Bits'' and perhaps a little colour flip on the Sci fi weapons . I really wanted to make up a template of the unit symbol

and ''ghost'' it , with layers bringing it up to a solid insignia...yes i know running before i can walk , but a exciting thought none the less .

Testors ''Roswell UFO'' (the fishy shaped one) , reading through the blurb on the instruction sheet , it hints that it may have been a ''organic''

living spaceship , i wanted to try and replicate this after looking at the rainbow effect of real Fish scales , hence the alclad colour flip paint.

Dragon Ferdinand Elefant 1/35th with diorama , my first plastic tank kit in donkeys years , airbrushing the camo should be a interesting experience.

I am sorry i am a real novice with the airbrush , more at home with traditional brushes . But i am learning by doing.

Kind regards

John

[little-cars]

John,

I would use the UFO & armour model as practice pieces to get more experiance with the airbrush.

I would also reccomend that you get an A3 art pad and just practive with the airbrush and your normal paint.

It will give you the confiedence you need in the tool.

You can also prime an empty baked bean (or similar) tin and use this to practice applying paint on curved surfaces.

There are plenty of videos on you tube about airbrushing if you want to watch someone else brush, there are also a number on www.promodeller.com