The "I'm painting a Captain America Shield" thread

Affordable, yes. But the shape isn't quite right (a little too domed). Also, I had to spend a lot of time trying to figure out paint combinations to get the brushed metal to look close to ok. I would definitely like to take what I learned from this project and apply it to a more accurate spun shield.
 
The "I'm painting a Captain America Shield" thread

Fair enough, it didn't look as domed from the front but as I'm looking at your WIP pics I can see what you mean
 
paxtoprime94 said:
I'm about to start with my Captain America shield, I'm thinking ahead to the clear coat stage. I want to protect my paintjob, but the last time I used clear coat was on my fiberglass Iron Man helmet, and it dulled my gold and metallic red colors to a yellow/tan and flat red; ended up having to repaint it. Of course, most of you probably don't have to worry about this because your shield is metal to begin with, but I'm using a plastic MH saucer sled, so I'll have to use paint to make the metallic look, like I did on my Iron Man suit.

Is there a spray clear coat that doesn't take away the metallic effect of the paint that it goes on? Also would like for it to be durable and not crack/bubble/yellow/frost/fog easily
Click to expand...
Well, to answer my own question, after some research and experimenting, it looks like all-Rustoleum is the way to go. More specifically, Rustoleum metallic colors and then Rustoleum Painter’s Touch 2X Ultra Cover clear coat. Tested this combo on some scrap plastic and I gotta say the clear coat went on perfect, it looks and feels great, and did not dull the metallic paint underneath to flat color. Not sure how this clear coat would behave on other metallic paints or on a metal shield but after the tests I ran today I definitely recommend it for methods similar to the ones I'm using. I used the gloss clear coat for this test, but I may go with the semi-gloss variant (which I have only been able to find online) for my shield. Home Depot carries both the gloss and matte in-store.

jrhaake said:
I bought one of the MH sleds off of Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/s?rh=n:3417661,p_4:MH+Sleds), and used a dremel with a ruler guide to do the grooves. I freehanded the star with a dremel and carving knives/chisels.
View attachment 477169View attachment 477170View attachment 477171
Click to expand...
I'm doing almost the exact same thing haha; your final product looks amazing! May I ask what dremel tool tip you used? I used the ball-shaped cutter and it worked pretty well but I'm going to have to do a lot of touch-up.

Cool, somewhat inexpensive route to take, especially if you're like me and prefer working with plastics way more than working with metals. It does have a bit of weight to it depending on how you hold it, but it feels really light when it's strapped to your arm, you could probably go a long while before you got tired of it. I've been using this tutorial to guide me through the whole process, if anyone else is interested in making a shield this way: http://www.instructables.com/id/Real-Captain-America-Shield/?ALLSTEPS <----(though he uses an 8" diameter inner circle, nothing wrong with that but I would recommend making it 10" with each ring about 2.75" wide)
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I have seen the same tutorial, and I agree that the 10" inner circle is by far the best. I used a ball tip, but I cannot remember which size off the top of my head. I preferred working with the plastic in this project because it allowed me to inset the star, instead of having it glued on top. However, the plastic melts which didn't always allow me to achieve a perfect depth of cut on the rings. I hid some of this by painting the groves with a flat gunmetal gray. For the metallic paint, I used rustoleum dark steel as a base coat, and then applied this brush on stainless steel (http://www.liquidstainlesssteel.com/FAQ.html) to allow some added depth.

As for the mounting, I deviated from the tutorial (as with most things in a tutorial, there is room for improvement). My metalwork is not great, and it is not screen accurate, but I am happy with how it turned out (I had to rush this process to finish it on time).
IMG_2135.jpg
 
Need to glue the star down tomorrow.

First time using McGuires products and it went great.

Wetsand
ulimate compound
polish
wax

very happy with the results... But honestly I almost want to strip it again and start over and get a better clear coat down. Might have to make another one of these

 
Question. Tape or JB Weld the star to my shield?? I imagine both are a pain when it comes to repainting, if and when I need to do it. Thoughts?
 
I used jb weld for mine. when I had messed up the paint and had to remove my star the jb weld came off with the citrus strip along with the paint.
 
What are people using for the star and bracket? The sheet metal at the local hardware stores and Lowes are all galvanized steel. I did find aluminum, but it is for roof flashing, really thin and can cut with scissors. Would that work for star? Now to figure out the size of stripes on my sled that ended up being 23 3/4".
 
Bryon said:
What are people using for the star and bracket? The sheet metal at the local hardware stores and Lowes are all galvanized steel. I did find aluminum, but it is for roof flashing, really thin and can cut with scissors. Would that work for star? Now to figure out the size of stripes on my sled that ended up being 23 3/4".
Click to expand...

Yes, check this thread for info on making the star.
http://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=128238
 
Hello, I am looking to have my aluminum captain america shield professionally painted, I am seeking guidance as to what the best method of painting this shield might be. I contacted a car painter who does custom paint jobs, he suggested powder coating the aluminum but said the etching process might discolor the aluminum. Does anyone have suggestions as to a alternative to this process. I don't want to risk damaging the color, but I also want it too look as screen accurate as possible, baring in mind me painting it myself is not an option, I am terrible at arts and crafts let alone a movie replica.

In know some will say take the professionals advice at the paint shop, but you know how it is they see a girl think quick money and wont really care how it turns out. If etching is my only option does anyone know how bad the shield might end up if things do go wrong??? Ill include an image of the shield I'm having ordered below. I figured if anyone is gonna have the does and dont's of best paints / colors / glosses / and coatings its gonna be this community :) Thank you for any feed back and or suggestions.

$_57.JPG

$_57.JPG
 
Hellspawnx said:
Hello, I am looking to have my aluminum captain america shield professionally painted, I am seeking guidance as to what the best method of painting this shield might be. I contacted a car painter who does custom paint jobs, he suggested powder coating the aluminum but said the etching process might discolor the aluminum. Does anyone have suggestions as to a alternative to this process. I don't want to risk damaging the color, but I also want it too look as screen accurate as possible, baring in mind me painting it myself is not an option, I am terrible at arts and crafts let alone a movie replica.

In know some will say take the professionals advice at the paint shop, but you know how it is they see a girl think quick money and wont really care how it turns out. If etching is my only option does anyone know how bad the shield might end up if things do go wrong??? Ill include an image of the shield I'm having ordered below. I figured if anyone is gonna have the does and dont's of best paints / colors / glosses / and coatings its gonna be this community :) Thank you for any feed back and or suggestions.

View attachment 483893

View attachment 483894
Click to expand...

Contact GeneralFROSTY (the OP of this thread). He offers finishing services.

While powder coating is a great finish and very durable, I have doubts that someone not in the prop community would understand the goal and be able to achieve the most screen accurate finish.
 

Your message may be considered spam for the following reasons:

If you wish to reply despite these issues, check the box below before replying.
Be aware that malicious compliance may result in more severe penalties.

Similar threads

AdamLeong5150
Captain America Shield Straps/Harness Straps
Replies
10
Views
1,313
rbarz
rbarz
ReadyPlayer25
Any recommendations on the best metal Captain America shield prop to purchase?
Replies
4
Views
1,408
ReadyPlayer25
ReadyPlayer25
NewmanAssembles
Captain America. Steve Rogers Case File
Replies
1
Views
521
NewmanAssembles
NewmanAssembles
FastballSpecial
Does anyone own the Marvel Masterworks Captain America shield?
Replies
10
Views
2,027
goldcylon
goldcylon
Nemesis9
Captain America Shield Painting
Replies
6
Views
1,480
NewmanAssembles
NewmanAssembles
Back
Top