BD Jones
Member
I finally finished my Captain America heater shield. I got the basic shield back in the last week of May, but due to things getting in the way, I just now finished it. I also did something thing different that I haven't seen done on on any shields like this. WARNING: THIS POST IS LONG, AND MY CAUSE DROWSINESS.
First, I used the same heater shield that most have used:
But the back has a strip of metal that welded around the edge (used to reinforce the shield) that makes it look less than authentic (used to reinforce the shield). So, I decided to do something about that. I filled in the back back of the shield from the reinforced edge to about three to four inches in with Bondo.
Next, I sanded the Bondo smooth and feathered it into the metal as best as I could. Then, I primed the back with Rust-oleum Filler Primer, wet sanded it smooth, and filled in little pinholes with Bondo Glazing and Spot Putty.
I next re-primed and re-wetsanded the back.
Next, I painted the back. This was the first big paint decision. I tried four different gold paints. I tested each one on an extra piece of aluminum that I primed with the same primer as the shield. The four were: Rust-oleum Universal Metallic Gold, Dupli-color Gold, Rusto-leum Specialty Metallic Gold, and Design Masters Premium Gold Medal. Here are specifics on each:
Rust-oleum Universal Metallic Gold = Very durable, but more greenish-brown than gold
Dupli-color Gold = Bright, with a nice "shine", durable but gold rubs off just a bit
Rusto-leum Specialty Metallic Gold = Best gold color, also the brightest, but not durable at all. Rubs off very easily
Design Masters Premium Gold Medal = About the same color as the Dupli-color, but not as durable
All of these except the Rust-oleum Universal Metallic Gold use real metal flakes in the paint. This means that the paint will rub off a bit, but it give a nice color/shine. The various paints can be seen at the end of the post.
I went with the Dupli-color. Dupli-color recommends using the adhesion promoter (can be use on barre metal or smooth (wet sanded) metal. On my test piece, I found that it made the paint lose a bit of luster and that it didn't allow the paint to lay even coverage. I went without the adhesion promoter on the shield. I also used the Rust-oleum Painter's Touch 2X Ultra-Cover Gloss Clear on top of the gold. It took off a bit of shine, but not too much. It also added needed durability.
Next up was the front. I won't go through a step-by-step for the from as it is pretty straight forward and there are plenty of references on here for painting the front. I went with a little darker blue and red than most seem to. So I used the Rust-oleum Painter's Touch 2X Ultra-Cover Gloss Navy Blue, Gloss Colonial Red, and Gloss White. The stripes are 2" wide. The middle star is a little larger than others, but I wanted it to stand out a bit.
For the arm strap and handle, used dog collars. They are darker than the leather used on the original, but I like the color better. The arm strap is adjustable so it can be fitted it wearing a jacket (which I need to look for Cap's leather "Bucky Rescue" jacket) or just a shirt. The arm actually under the lower strap and against the shield itself. The handle is attached using a leather wrapped piece of 1"x1" wood. I reused the hardware that came with the shield (slightly modified) and some brass wood screws. Eventually, I will change out the buckle and keeper on the arm strap to brass ones.
Here is a shot of the completed back. The cards are from someone here (can't remember off the top of my head, but if they are yours, THANKS A BUNCH!). The paper used is actually a manila folder. Nice card stock feel, and a old look. The tape is just masking tape.
You can see some faint lines on the back. That came from the Frog Tape use in that area. Frog Tape sucks. The rest of the stuff was taped off with 3M painters tape or 3M Automotive Painters tape.
Here is it's final display location. The paratrooper helmet, holster, and ammo belt rig will go on the other side of the Martin…when I get around to getting that done.
As for stuff used, the Bondo products are above. The paints used are below (as are the gold paints and primers mentioned above). The tape used was the regular 3M painters tape (blue). I also used 3M Automotive Painters Tape (thin green) to tape off the curve between the field of blue and the stripes. It curves easily and you can do it in one strip.
Here are specifics on the paints used (including product codes):
Overall, I'm happy with it. I do wish I would have spent a little more time on the back. The Bondo is not evenly distributed from the edge all the way around on the back. But, the technique is solid if anyone else wants to use this one a future shield build using the same type of heater shield base. On a related note, it does make the shield a little heavier. It is now about 5 lbs (not sure of its beginning weight, but it was lighter).
Thanks for reading.
First, I used the same heater shield that most have used:
But the back has a strip of metal that welded around the edge (used to reinforce the shield) that makes it look less than authentic (used to reinforce the shield). So, I decided to do something about that. I filled in the back back of the shield from the reinforced edge to about three to four inches in with Bondo.
Next, I sanded the Bondo smooth and feathered it into the metal as best as I could. Then, I primed the back with Rust-oleum Filler Primer, wet sanded it smooth, and filled in little pinholes with Bondo Glazing and Spot Putty.
I next re-primed and re-wetsanded the back.
Next, I painted the back. This was the first big paint decision. I tried four different gold paints. I tested each one on an extra piece of aluminum that I primed with the same primer as the shield. The four were: Rust-oleum Universal Metallic Gold, Dupli-color Gold, Rusto-leum Specialty Metallic Gold, and Design Masters Premium Gold Medal. Here are specifics on each:
Rust-oleum Universal Metallic Gold = Very durable, but more greenish-brown than gold
Dupli-color Gold = Bright, with a nice "shine", durable but gold rubs off just a bit
Rusto-leum Specialty Metallic Gold = Best gold color, also the brightest, but not durable at all. Rubs off very easily
Design Masters Premium Gold Medal = About the same color as the Dupli-color, but not as durable
All of these except the Rust-oleum Universal Metallic Gold use real metal flakes in the paint. This means that the paint will rub off a bit, but it give a nice color/shine. The various paints can be seen at the end of the post.
I went with the Dupli-color. Dupli-color recommends using the adhesion promoter (can be use on barre metal or smooth (wet sanded) metal. On my test piece, I found that it made the paint lose a bit of luster and that it didn't allow the paint to lay even coverage. I went without the adhesion promoter on the shield. I also used the Rust-oleum Painter's Touch 2X Ultra-Cover Gloss Clear on top of the gold. It took off a bit of shine, but not too much. It also added needed durability.
Next up was the front. I won't go through a step-by-step for the from as it is pretty straight forward and there are plenty of references on here for painting the front. I went with a little darker blue and red than most seem to. So I used the Rust-oleum Painter's Touch 2X Ultra-Cover Gloss Navy Blue, Gloss Colonial Red, and Gloss White. The stripes are 2" wide. The middle star is a little larger than others, but I wanted it to stand out a bit.
For the arm strap and handle, used dog collars. They are darker than the leather used on the original, but I like the color better. The arm strap is adjustable so it can be fitted it wearing a jacket (which I need to look for Cap's leather "Bucky Rescue" jacket) or just a shirt. The arm actually under the lower strap and against the shield itself. The handle is attached using a leather wrapped piece of 1"x1" wood. I reused the hardware that came with the shield (slightly modified) and some brass wood screws. Eventually, I will change out the buckle and keeper on the arm strap to brass ones.
Here is a shot of the completed back. The cards are from someone here (can't remember off the top of my head, but if they are yours, THANKS A BUNCH!). The paper used is actually a manila folder. Nice card stock feel, and a old look. The tape is just masking tape.
You can see some faint lines on the back. That came from the Frog Tape use in that area. Frog Tape sucks. The rest of the stuff was taped off with 3M painters tape or 3M Automotive Painters tape.
Here is it's final display location. The paratrooper helmet, holster, and ammo belt rig will go on the other side of the Martin…when I get around to getting that done.
As for stuff used, the Bondo products are above. The paints used are below (as are the gold paints and primers mentioned above). The tape used was the regular 3M painters tape (blue). I also used 3M Automotive Painters Tape (thin green) to tape off the curve between the field of blue and the stripes. It curves easily and you can do it in one strip.
Here are specifics on the paints used (including product codes):
Overall, I'm happy with it. I do wish I would have spent a little more time on the back. The Bondo is not evenly distributed from the edge all the way around on the back. But, the technique is solid if anyone else wants to use this one a future shield build using the same type of heater shield base. On a related note, it does make the shield a little heavier. It is now about 5 lbs (not sure of its beginning weight, but it was lighter).
Thanks for reading.
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