shaunsheep
Sr Member
can I ask were you got the unicorn file as its the best I have seen
molotow liquid chrome pens and spray paints
- Thread starter lovecraft
- Start date
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That's a great paintjob. I can tell the middle is the machined prop, there are some telltale machining marks but it is still nonetheless an amazing job you've done there.
Congratulations sir, nicely done.
I don't have any Alclad but here's a comparison between the Molotow Liquid Chrome, polished aluminum (metal, not paint), and Spaz Stix Mirror Chrome. Apologies for the white balance being off:
Molotow Liquid Chrome vs polished aluminum vs Spaz Stix Mirror Chrome
-The three items on the left are resin painted with Molotow and clear coated with Alclad gloss clear (the little cap piece had some pinhole flaws in the middle but the paint leveled out somewhat)
-Three items in the center are aluminum polished to varying degrees.
-The ghost is Spaz Stix over Krylon gloss black (light coat of Alclad gloss); the helmet is Spaz Stix over bare black ABS plastic (heavy coat of Alclad gloss).
The Spaz Stix still has a convincing metal look under the right conditions: it must be applied in a few very light coats, over a glossy black under layer. When applied over a matte or satin black the paint loses some of its luster and simply ends up as a nice silver paint.
The Molotow seems to be able to go over anything, but your coat will be fairly heavy.
Molotow Liquid Chrome vs polished aluminum vs Spaz Stix Mirror Chrome
Molotow Liquid Chrome vs polished aluminum vs Spaz Stix Mirror Chrome
Thanks Jamie!
Nice results,
I tried the molotow pen on some exterior car badges (i was bored) the results were pretty damn good, i didnt expect it to last and it didn't. As soon as rain hit it they dulled down to a blotchy dull silver. Getting a protective layer on this stuff is a must if you want it to last or handle it.
Captain obvious at your service 555
I tried the molotow pen on some exterior car badges (i was bored) the results were pretty damn good, i didnt expect it to last and it didn't. As soon as rain hit it they dulled down to a blotchy dull silver. Getting a protective layer on this stuff is a must if you want it to last or handle it.
Captain obvious at your service 555
What about using that chrome car wrap stuff? I have some, its a bit thicker than the alu tape and less chance of wrinkles i would think...
sp1989
New Member
I actually used the paint marker and I have quite a bit of work to still do. I have to age and weather the hilt now but i do like the overall finish of the blade. Only if you look very closely does it not hold up to scrutiny and I often find myself touching up areas I might have missed. In a perfect world where I could afford an airbrush that is how I would have applied. That being said i love how it turned out. It’s not the most ideal way using a marker but it worked very well. I’d say if you can’t get an airbrush the marker would is the best bet.
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@E Williams Those look incredible. I'm impressed at how even the surface looks with the Moltow. I had some trouble getting it to apply evenly over any surface larger than a postage stamp. Any chance you have a video (even a cell phone one) showing your technique of applying it? Also, what brand/type of lacquer thinner did you use to smooth the surface?
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I don't know if it's been mentioned, but I use mop and glow floor polish, as a top coat, over the Alclad 2.
You have to apply the alclad over a gloss black enamel (not lacquer), than a light coat of Alclad. I have the Alclad Top coat, but I like how the mop and glow levels out real slick. I apply the gloss black with a spray can, or just Spray some in the gravity feed cup in the airbrush, and spray it on that way. It atomizies much finer, with the airbrush. Oh!
You have to apply the alclad over a gloss black enamel (not lacquer), than a light coat of Alclad. I have the Alclad Top coat, but I like how the mop and glow levels out real slick. I apply the gloss black with a spray can, or just Spray some in the gravity feed cup in the airbrush, and spray it on that way. It atomizies much finer, with the airbrush. Oh!
Mop and glo is known as future wax now in stores.Thanks, but the Molotow was applied with an airbrush also. The lacquer thinner was just a little trick to smooth out any issues (say, if I had to pick out an speck of dust or an air bubble that got trapped in the paint, as it has to be applied in a heavy wet coat to get the full chrome effect). If using the marker I don't have any better luck than what you describe.
I need to do some more tests with the "Future" floor coat. I liked the Alclad lacquer gloss clear because it dries pretty quickly, and it's easy to build up many layers for a deep gloss, versus the floor clear which I often end up causing runs if airbrushing as the dry time is longer.
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I meant with an airbrush. Usually when I apply it, the edges of my spray area very slightly dull anywhere I've sprayed before.
Ahh, I see what you mean. I have found that it requires a fairly heavy wet coat - if I work quickly enough, even near the end of the coat the overspray will still wet out and reabsorb into the underlying paint. I do see a very very slight haze in those overspray areas but I think that is unavoidable and it seems to fade as the paint dries/cures. The lacquer thinner actually causes that very faint haze too - but it makes it uniform, and again, it seems to fade. Particularly once the clear coat is on it will not be apparent. The clear coat also ever so slightly dulls the finish, but as you can see in the photos, it's more akin to dulling it from a bright chrome look to that of polished aluminum. And it's absolutely essential if you want to handle it.
A couple more observations with airbrushing this stuff:
- Thinning the Molotow with lacquer thinner really helps with airbrushing it on smooth while keeping the bulk build up to a minimum. I now see after searching that I missed earlier in the thread where Mr Mold Maker mentioned being able to thin it with lacquer thinner. This leads to...
- The lighter the coat of Molotow is, the faster it cures. I did some tests with plastic spoons earlier today - even without thinning the paint, the spoons I painted by opening up the airbrush paint flow all the way and doing a single quick blast coat (thus wetting the whole surface at once with less paint) dried faster than the ones I slowly built up a wet coat with several careful passes of low paint flow (more paint for the same surface area). Still, for the most part, after 4 hours or so, the airbrushed spoons seem near fully cured - much faster than using the marker versions that create heavier, less uniform coats.
- Thinning the Molotow with lacquer thinner really helps with airbrushing it on smooth while keeping the bulk build up to a minimum. I now see after searching that I missed earlier in the thread where Mr Mold Maker mentioned being able to thin it with lacquer thinner. This leads to...
- The lighter the coat of Molotow is, the faster it cures. I did some tests with plastic spoons earlier today - even without thinning the paint, the spoons I painted by opening up the airbrush paint flow all the way and doing a single quick blast coat (thus wetting the whole surface at once with less paint) dried faster than the ones I slowly built up a wet coat with several careful passes of low paint flow (more paint for the same surface area). Still, for the most part, after 4 hours or so, the airbrushed spoons seem near fully cured - much faster than using the marker versions that create heavier, less uniform coats.
I've read through this whole thread. I drooled throughout the whole thing:lol
Just curious if there is any aerosol paint can clear coat that would work with the Molotow liquid chrome. I'm nervous about getting a nasty texture if they react badly.
Just curious if there is any aerosol paint can clear coat that would work with the Molotow liquid chrome. I'm nervous about getting a nasty texture if they react badly.
Thank you for discovering this technique! I used it to match a gold chromed finish from a QMx metal Discovery badge. In the pic below the flat back is an acrylic piece painted in Molotow and tinted, versus the front (at right) which is the manufactured chrome finish.
Georgiou badge
It took a very light clear coat with 2 drops Sunshine Yellow and 2 drops Sunset Orange to get relatively close to the color, and the weathering hid the rest of the difference
Saw this video on youtube a while back and had forgot about it until you mentioned the lacquer thinner, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4nF6AxmhzE
I sprayed an endo arm earlier this week and the finish turned out just as I hoped, waiting for it to cure another week before reassembling.
The only thing I would like to see improved is how thick the finish looks afterwards. Since it needs such a wet coat to flow out, the final finish looks a little soft. If the lacquer thinner allows lighter coats, that would be great.
Once given a top clear coat, do the props painted with Molotow withstand being handled?
Thanks for posting your experimentation results.
Absolutely - after the clear is on, items painted in it can be handled as if it were any other standard paint.
