We received this awesome finished Armorer helmet from MinuteFett a while back:
The paint scheme was based on the dark coloring seen in season 1... but after seeing the Armorer in BoBF... I knew I wanted something shinier! Not too long ago I saw a YouTube video showing someone using nail polish powder to add a chrome effect to a hood ornament. I've been using graphite powder for a little while now (with good results), so this sounded like a promising option to lack-luster spray paints and the uber expensive metallic paints. I picked up a couple of cheap 10g kits from Aliexpress:
www.aliexpress.com
Because the base of the helmet seemed quite green (and because it's what I had on hand), I used a red Paint/Primer combo as the base coat, masking off sections as I wasn't sure how fast I would have to work:
I used a heat gun for 30 seconds or so to quicken the drying while still leaving the paint plenty tacky. I started applying the powder using a make-up sponge... and the results started looking really good:
I will interject that this was very much a "trust the process" project as, at times, the gold came out looking really bright and gaudy. In the photo above, just to see how it'd look, I have already applied some dark brown (burnt umber) acrylic paint with a brush around the edges/seams. This really helped tie things together and de-cheese the gold effect.
I worked in sections just in case the paint dried to quickly for the powder to adhere fully:
The effect was not nearly as "glittery" as I expected, giving a fairly smooth appearance (this helmet has a LOT of texture, so this was best seen on the smoother parts which did end up with a pretty consistent finish).
Here is the top part with the dark brown acrylic added:
This part was really getting me excited... the aging REALLY started tying everything together.
For the horns I did the same thing (masking off all the area) then spray painted with gloss black. Again, I used what I had on hand and this one was a quick-drying paint (without the added primer) and I don't think it worked quite as well. So from now on I think I'll always use that Rustoleum Paint+Primer spray.
I used the silver powder for the horn... did a little more distressing and... Voila!
The gold shine effect is hard to show in photos, so here's a video showing the full effect:
All in all, I HIGHLY recommend this method for getting some great gold and chrome effects. The final result looks fantastic, it seems quite durable (once the paint is dry, the powder seems fully adhered to the surface), and is SUPER cheap (one $2 container did an entire helmet with a little left over).
Kind regards,
Indy Magnoli
The paint scheme was based on the dark coloring seen in season 1... but after seeing the Armorer in BoBF... I knew I wanted something shinier! Not too long ago I saw a YouTube video showing someone using nail polish powder to add a chrome effect to a hood ornament. I've been using graphite powder for a little while now (with good results), so this sounded like a promising option to lack-luster spray paints and the uber expensive metallic paints. I picked up a couple of cheap 10g kits from Aliexpress:
1.08US $ 50% OFF|1pc 19colors Nail Glitter Mirror Powder Chrome Dust Nail Art Pigment 0.5g Mirror Pigment Powder Nail Glitter Dip Powder ,jk47441 - Nail Glitter - AliExpress
Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com
www.aliexpress.com
Because the base of the helmet seemed quite green (and because it's what I had on hand), I used a red Paint/Primer combo as the base coat, masking off sections as I wasn't sure how fast I would have to work:
I used a heat gun for 30 seconds or so to quicken the drying while still leaving the paint plenty tacky. I started applying the powder using a make-up sponge... and the results started looking really good:
I will interject that this was very much a "trust the process" project as, at times, the gold came out looking really bright and gaudy. In the photo above, just to see how it'd look, I have already applied some dark brown (burnt umber) acrylic paint with a brush around the edges/seams. This really helped tie things together and de-cheese the gold effect.
I worked in sections just in case the paint dried to quickly for the powder to adhere fully:
The effect was not nearly as "glittery" as I expected, giving a fairly smooth appearance (this helmet has a LOT of texture, so this was best seen on the smoother parts which did end up with a pretty consistent finish).
Here is the top part with the dark brown acrylic added:
This part was really getting me excited... the aging REALLY started tying everything together.
For the horns I did the same thing (masking off all the area) then spray painted with gloss black. Again, I used what I had on hand and this one was a quick-drying paint (without the added primer) and I don't think it worked quite as well. So from now on I think I'll always use that Rustoleum Paint+Primer spray.
I used the silver powder for the horn... did a little more distressing and... Voila!
The gold shine effect is hard to show in photos, so here's a video showing the full effect:
All in all, I HIGHLY recommend this method for getting some great gold and chrome effects. The final result looks fantastic, it seems quite durable (once the paint is dry, the powder seems fully adhered to the surface), and is SUPER cheap (one $2 container did an entire helmet with a little left over).
Kind regards,
Indy Magnoli
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