First Aluminum-Spun Captain America Shield

[harrypotterfan]

So after FINALLY acquiring the funds to buy one of these Aluminum Blanks by selling my old Captain America Shield, I can do my Captain America Stealth Suit for Comic-Con this year! I received it yesterday. I actually didn't order it from Miami Metal Spinning. I contacted a user on Ebay (Rollo0881) and he made one quick and it looks amazing! I'm going to tape up the shield tonight. A lot of people were saying to use plain old masking tape, but I thought that would cause the paint to peel off? If that doesn't work, I'll use Frog Tape. I still have to clean off the smudges. Do you guys use acetone to clean the prints off?

 

[harrypotterfan]

So I got it taped up! I bought both the regular masking tape and the Frog Tape. The masking tape kept ripping every time I'd crease the tape with my fingernail. I switched to the Frog tape and it worked a lot better. I still have to tape the star shape down so I can epoxy one on later. I hope the lines are perfect enough. I will (hopefully) be painting tomorrow if the humidity is low.

 

[IamJAd]

Good luck. My shield blank is on the way.

 

[CapAmerica30]

That does look great, how do you get in touch with rolo?

 

[KramStaar]

Rolando can be contacted here ROLO0811@aol.com

He's terrific!

Best

MARK

 

[CapAmerica30]

Thanks man!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[harrypotterfan]

Put down the blue! Now I see why people had so much trouble with this paint...On the steel sleds, this paint was a BREEZE for me. But for some reason, Its a lot harder on these blanks! I painted vertically, and it looked way too blotchy, so on my last 2 coats I did it in a sweeping motion. I finally got it and I let it dry for some time now (4 Hours). It came out super rough! whenever I touch it, it leaves a blue residue on my fingers. I'm hoping this is fine, since I'm going to try and due the red tomorrow.

 

[harrypotterfan]

Okay, So the blue dried and it seems to be fine now. I taped up the rest for the red and I got the hang of getting absolutely PERFECT lines! I did it on piece at a time. I'd take one piece of the frog tape, crease the valley, and cut the tape. Then I'd get another piece and do the same until the circle was done. Hopefully my lines will look a lot better now! Painting the red tomorrow!

 

[Kevin Gossett]

If you're getting a rough texture you're misting too much. I've found the Duplicolor works best in one or two wet coats rather than several light coats

 

[IamJAd]

If you're getting a rough texture you're misting too much. I've found the Duplicolor works best in one or two wet coats rather than several light coats

...but with Testors, light coats are better?

 

[Clark HD]

If you're getting a rough texture you're misting too much. I've found the Duplicolor works best in one or two wet coats rather than several light coats

I'm in the UK and have had a shield spun here. I'm waiting for the Duplicolor paints to arrive after some disastrous attempts with some VHT andodized paint here in the UK (it's all that was available). The paint sprayed out very blotchy, with no nice mist spray, just wondering what is meant by a WET coat? Thanks for any help.

 

[Archerus]

I'm in the UK and have had a shield spun here. I'm waiting for the Duplicolor paints to arrive after some disastrous attempts with some VHT andodized paint here in the UK (it's all that was available). The paint sprayed out very blotchy, with no nice mist spray, just wondering what is meant by a WET coat? Thanks for any help.

I had the same issue with residue when I painted my shield. Try holding the can closer to the shield when you paint. Basically the paint is drying in the air too much before it bonds to the shield, this creates a powder like texture with residue instead of a nice clean finish. I had to strip mine down, lay it on a tad thicker so that it appears like a wet sheen(but not too much, avoid the dripping!) and let it dry that way. The second go-round it came out much more smooth and clean.

 

[harrypotterfan]

So I painted the red on today. And Oh.My.God. It looks amazing! The spun texture of the aluminum looks amazing with these anodized paints...Instead of doing the light coats, I took Kevin's advice and painted 3 wet coats. It came out SOOO much better! I ordered a star from Valor, so hopefully I'll be able to attach that soon! I've been looking a clear coats, and I REALLY want to try this stuff. Eastwood's 2K AeroSpray? High-Gloss Clear Its a Catalyzed coat in a can! From the reviews, It is supposed to be great. Its a bit pricey though, about $23 a can... Any other clear coats out there that work better? Thanks!

 

[Murdoch]

I'm sorry but is there a difinative answer to the true dimensions i se 26w X 3 D. Not to mention the stripes, now i see between 26-28 diam so is there a said standard size...GM

 

[IamJAd]

Harry, the shield looks great so far.

Do the testors paints have that same anodized look? I just got my shield in the mail today and I'm coming down to crunch time. I thought I had decided on Testors for a more movie realistic look, but I do love the way the anodized look of the Duplicolor looks.

 

[Lord Magneto]

Man that shield is looking sexy man. Especially on those sheets

 

[Kevin Gossett]

I'm sorry but is there a difinative answer to the true dimensions i se 26w X 3 D. Not to mention the stripes, now i see between 26-28 diam so is there a said standard size...GM

There wasn't a "definitive" shield used, so no there isn't a definitive size. Shields in all three movies (TFA, Avengers, TWS) ranged from 23.5" to 26, depending on the material they were made from and the scene they were being used in. The most common sizes are 25" or 26" with a 9.5" center ring.

 

[toysforlife]

That red paint on the shield looks awesome. You can still clearly see the grain of the spun aluminum. Nice work.

 

[Murdoch]

There wasn't a "definitive" shield used, so no there isn't a definitive size. Shields in all three movies (TFA, Avengers, TWS) ranged from 23.5" to 26, depending on the material they were made from and the scene they were being used in. The most common sizes are 25" or 26" with a 9.5" center ring.

Thanx for clearing that up. After work today i'm going to a metal spinning shop for a quote...GM
Just did the measurements. If the shield is 26" diam, centre ring is 9.5" diam then the rings are 2.9166667" with a depth of 3" so now the thickness...GM
I think i will be looking at 1/8 - 1/4 of an inch thick price will dictate that...GM

 

[harrypotterfan]

Okay, So this weekend was all work! (except seeing X-Men twice because it was so good...) I cleared my shield with a cheap gloss at walmart and I applied 3 thick coats. I then bought a pack of various grit sand papers at Advanced Auto Parts and sanded for a good 2 hours! I went from 800 grit to 2500. I then used this Compound I got at Walmart for $10 and used a microfiber cloth to apply it. It really brought out the gloss! I think it looks great! I attached my star from Valor with some JB Weld and I'm letting that dry overnight. Still have no idea what I'm going to do for straps. I'm looking for something I can do for under $100. Any Ideas?