Alclad mythos...

[riderV3]

So i just recently started using alclad chrome and the results so far are satisfying.

But still i have some questions, and all the hobby store workers gave me different answers.

let's see:

The first guy i asked told me that Alclad is a very delicate stuff, the surface must be finished with a specialize sealer, anything else will destroy the result which includes acrylic, lacquer...

the second guy told me alclad DOES NOT need to be sealed, but to prevent oxidation and all it will be ideal to spary the surface with lacquer coating.

the third guy told me Alclad DOES NOT need a surface primer. the Alclad black base is meant to be BOTH primer and base color so all we need to do is make sure the surface is smooth then spray away.

What is the validity of the statements above?
And the following is the most important question I have:

Is it necessary to prime the kit before I spray the black base?

Any help would be appreciated!

Thanks!

[Vince-Vell]

What i do is this and its my exp so far

I prime my statue and get it nice and smooth as possible. Then i gloss coat in black and let it dry up nicely, Maybe a few days since i use duplicolor gloss black car paint.

Then i give it a few coats of alclad. Now from there some say you do not need to seal but with enough handling on finger oils it will come off with my way of painting.

But i seal it at the end with future floor polish/wax (what ever that stuff is) and it dulls it a bit but i like that metal look to it thats not blinding chrome.

[riderV3]

So you do prime the before base-coloing but the catch is the guy told me the black base Alclad makes can also serve as primer...it smells similar to those grey primers but I don't know if they work the same...

[Danno]

The Alclad Gloss Black backer is a high gloss enamel
paint (this cannot be sprayed onto a vinyl kit or
it will create a chemical reaction to the vinyl and
remain "sticky/tacky" and not dry properly).

The gloss Black enamel cannot be used as a primer over
polyurethane resins (it reacts to the resin and causes it
to soften).

Alclad Chrome needs to be sprayed onto an high gloss
enamel in order to get the maximum shine and durability.
It does not seem to adhere very well over black lacquer
I'm not sure why, but I have had the Alclad wipe off
the surface over lacquer. There are some that say
Alclad is durable enough without a sealer, but I have
not had that experience...for me, I have had to seal
it every time.

It is my understanding that you can purchase
a urethane sealer (2 part) from auto paint stores
that will seal the Alclad chrome without effecting the
shine and provide a tough protective coating.

But what works for me is to spray the Alclad over
the gloss black enamel and what a few days to
allow the chrome to fully cure and harden, then
seal with Future Floor Finish and it does not seem
to effect the chrome shine too much.

[riderV3]

Good Info, thanks Danno!

So how can we tell if the resin we're working on is polyurethane or not?

And if we're confirmed that the resin isn't the polyurethane can we then proceed and use the black Alclad enamel as primer?

I've tested some Alclad Black Base on some resin stuff and it bonds pretty good without primer but I don't know what will happen in the long run.

And as far as I've exprimented, acrylic won't affect the surface of Alclad and will dry off completely. Is that a valid way of sealing alclad? Since some clear acrylics can dry up pretty tough?

The Alclad Gloss Black backer is a high gloss enamel
paint (this cannot be sprayed onto a vinyl kit or
it will create a chemical reaction to the vinyl and
remain "sticky/tacky" and not dry properly).

The gloss Black enamel cannot be used as a primer over
polyurethane resins (it reacts to the resin and causes it
to soften).

Alclad Chrome needs to be sprayed onto an high gloss
enamel in order to get the maximum shine and durability.
It does not seem to adhere very well over black lacquer
I'm not sure why, but I have had the Alclad wipe off
the surface over lacquer. There are some that say
Alclad is durable enough without a sealer, but I have
not had that experience...for me, I have had to seal
it every time.

It is my understanding that you can purchase
a urethane sealer (2 part) from auto paint stores
that will seal the Alclad chrome without effecting the
shine and provide a tough protective coating.

But what works for me is to spray the Alclad over
the gloss black enamel and what a few days to
allow the chrome to fully cure and harden, then
seal with Future Floor Finish and it does not seem
to effect the chrome shine too much.

[Danno]

Hey Tom,

OOPS! My mistake, the polyurethane can accept
the enamel as a primer, it is polyester than cannot.

Typically, the tell tale sign that the resin is
Polyester is when you sand it and it smells a bit like
gasoline, then the casting in done in a polyester
resin.

Yes, the Gloss backer from Alclad can be used on
polyurethane resins as a primer.

Yes, a gentle but tough acrylic can seal the Alclad.

[riderV3]

Hey Tom,

OOPS! My mistake, the polyurethane can accept
the enamel as a primer, it is polyester than cannot.

Typically, the tell tale sign that the resin is
Polyester is when you sand it and it smells a bit like
gasoline, then the casting in done in a polyester
resin.

Yes, the Gloss backer from Alclad can be used on
polyurethane resins as a primer.

Yes, a gentle but tough acrylic can seal the Alclad.

Okay that's awesome, Thanks Danno!

[DanPerezStudios]

While this topic is open, what is the best way to get a transparent color coat over the Alclad? Is it possible to make the chrome Alclad look like metallic gold by overspraying it with a transparent yellow?

[Danno]

While this topic is open, what is the best way to get a transparent color coat over the Alclad? Is it possible to make the chrome Alclad look like metallic gold by overspraying it with a transparent yellow?

Hey Dan,

What I usually do is (once again) wait a few days after
I spray the Alclad to let it cure. Then spray on the
Future Floor Finish as a sealer to protect the shine.
Allow this to dry overnight.
Then take your Tamiya Clear Yellow and thin with
91% Isopropyl alcohol and spray several even coats
of the clear yellow until you get the color you want.

[DD_fan96]

Hey Dan,

What I usually do is (once again) wait a few days after
I spray the Alclad to let it cure. Then spray on the
Future Floor Finish as a sealer to protect the shine.
Allow this to dry overnight.
Then take your Tamiya Clear Yellow and thin with
91% Isopropyl alcohol and spray several even coats
of the clear yellow until you get the color you want.

Hey Danno,

is that a 50/50 mix?

[Danno]

Hey Danno,

is that a 50/50 mix?

For the Tamiya and alcohol?
Yes...give or take, I usually mix until it stirs correctly in
my cup and spray away.

[DD_fan96]

For the Tamiya and alcohol?
Yes...give or take, I usually mix until it stirs correctly in
my cup and spray away.

Yes Tamiya and alcohol, sorry I didn't specify. Thanks for the reply.