Captain America shield finish- SUCCESS!!

[GBrittelleJr]

So, it's about time to start painting my aluminum shild. But I have a question for those in the know...

How do you make the aluminum seem more white than highly polished? Here's what I mean

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My apologies to the owner of the first shield. I believe they're a member here, but I saved the photo without remembering who it belongs to. All credit to them, and if you'd like me to take the photo down, I gladly will. It's just the best example.

The aluminum, white still bare, isn't clearly as polished and reflective as the movie shield in the second photo. I much prefer one over two.

Does anyone know how to accomplish this? Thanks!!

Greg

 

[MooMooEgg]

Re: Captain America shield finish

I think the aluminum in the fist pic looks whiter simply due to the lighting...

 

[Zadkiel]

Re: Captain America shield finish

I'm not sure but have you considered looking into a very fine brushed finish? That may be what we are seeing in the first shield in combination with the lighting like MooMooEgg said.

 

[giric thren]

Re: Captain America shield finish

I agree that the lighting might have something to do with it. Although the first one isnt as reflective as the movie one. Could this be because of a different finish, or type of metal?

 

[Kevin Gossett]

Re: Captain America shield finish

A brushed finish, as well as using more of a matte clearcoat will give you that look

 

[Valor]

Re: Captain America shield finish

You're looking at a matte finish on the shield. It will even out the shininess and create a more frosted/white look. IMHO.

 

[Chris Fields]

Re: Captain America shield finish

Brushed aluminum, at 120 grit is what the top shield is. Also has a semi gloss clear coat on it.

Bottom shields is polished out from 240 grit or higher and buffed with aluminum compound to bring the mirror look out. Also has a semi gloss coat.

Hope this helps.

 

[roguepatriot]

Re: Captain America shield finish

Hey guys I'm new to the site but I've been working on getting the paint right for 2 weeks and 5 restarts. I've got the red and blue duplicolor anodized paints but I'm having trouble getting either the colors correct or getting the paint to adhere to the aluminum. For example, if I'm to close with the spraycan, it sticks ok but the color is too dark, if I'm too far away I get the right color but I also get a powdering effect that won't stick and generates little "paint puffs" that turn dark when clearcoat is applied. Any details on proper technique is appreciated.

 

[Valor]

Re: Captain America shield finish

2-3 light coats with the Duplicolor Metalcast. Move evenly over the shield with the can, holding it 6-10 inches from the shield. Wait maybe 5-10 minutes between coats. The last coat can be a bit heavier. The powdering is likely from misting a thin coat on the shield after you have waited too long between coats. You want to apply ALL the coats within 30 minutes, that will cause the coats to stick together and not separate.

 

[Crusaderman2004]

Re: Captain America shield finish

Any tips on applying the clear coat, guys? What's the best process to follow after paint is done?

 

[roguepatriot]

Re: Captain America shield finish

Yeah, is there a better brand to use? I've been using duplicolor clear but it comes out of the can very unevenly

 

[roguepatriot]

Re: Captain America shield finish

Oh, and thanks valor for the painting tips!

 

[GBrittelleJr]

So here's my shield. It had a few surface scratches that I had to take care of. I bolted a metal ruler wrapped in masking tape to the center hole and re-spun the shield with 3M fine and ultra fine scotch brite pads (07447 and 07448) to get this

Then I masked off the body of the shield, painted it blue, then the red. And here's the result

The paint is a little iffy in the grooves. For the most part they came out nice, but there's a little over or under spray where it didn't fully go perfect to the \/. I'm not sure what I can do to fix this without stripping down the whole shield again. Thoughts?

Once I get Valor's star in the mail, I'll attach it and give it a nice clear coat. This is shield is more of a movie/comic hybrid design, where it's the movie shield on the front, but comic accurate in the back. A friend of mine designed an amazing strap design to allow both arm and shoulder wear. I'm really excited to show it off.

So what do you guys think?



---
I am here: http://tapatalk.com/map.php?lpw0hs

 

[Zyclonis]

Re: Captain America shield finish

I think it looks amazing so far. Can't wait to see the finished product. Good job man!

 

[Chris Fields]

Re: Captain America shield finish

looking good!

 

[GBrittelleJr]

Re: Captain America shield finish

Another thing about this paint job that makes me think I need to strip it and try again- there are parts where the paint is glossier and parts where it's a bit duller. It's not darker or lighter, so I don't think it's where it was painted too heavy or anything. I've just never used this paint before so I don't know it's unique properties (duplicolor metalcast). Would a different paint work better? Does anyone have any suggestions?

 

[Valor]

Re: Captain America shield finish

The glossy or duller parts do not matter. The clear coat WILL even those out. I will tell you the Metalcast paint (in my opinion) is the way to go. There are other candy paints, but in my tests, they just didn't give the anodized look. And, I'll tell you that I repainted each of my shields at LEAST twice before I was happy. It's just paint. A little acetone and you forget all about those mistakes you made

 

[fettster]

Re: Captain America shield finish

That's my shield in the first pic.

I used a satin clear coat so that's why it' looks lighter, it's cuts down the reflectiveness.

 

[disposablepal]

Re: Captain America shield finish

it looks really good so far! i'm preparing to paint my shield probably today, i picked up the Duplicolor Metalcast in red and blue so i'm excited to see how it comes out.

 

[GBrittelleJr]

Re: Captain America shield finish

Well, attempt #2 yielded mixed results. While the blue came out beautiful and deep, the red is rather dark. I'm not sure if I'm painting it properly or what, but it's like a blood red, and slightly hazy or foggy. I'd like the brighter shades of red you pros are producing. What's your technique? Are you using the adheson promoter? Also the grooves are rubbish. I took extra care to mask them properly, there were a lot of areas where it appears the tape lifted during the painting process, resulting in **** poor grooves. Any way to fix this, or am I going to have to strip it and go for attempt #3?