My last Cap shield ... seriously!

Paint get's dusty or gritty for a couple reasons. You might be waiting too long between coats. Recoat within 10 minutes. All 3-4 of your coats should be done within 30-40 minutes. Or, you could be spraying too far from the surface, meaning the paint is drying before it lands. Don't get too close, but 10-12" away should do.

Valor
 
Hmm. I was really careful to not go past 10 minutes when I painted and I know I was within 8-10 inches. I've already stripped my shield again, though. I think I'll wait a little less time in between coats. I'll also follow your tip (which I thought of doing in the first place, but foolishly didn't) and warm up the cans in some water.

All I know is my paint was dusty/gritty and definitely not the smooth texture I'm seeing you experts come up with. I was immediately concerned when I started painting because the paint was hardly adhering to the metal and came out very "misty". I'm assuming this means I may have been a bit to far, yes? Or maybe I didn't give a proper shake to the can? It's just paint, right? :)

Thanks as always, Valor.
 
Success! Incorporating Valor's suggestions, this is what I did:

I opted to start with the blue center so as not to waste paint on failed attempts. This was my third attempt as I too found my first attempts to be course, grainy, rough, uneven, etc.

This time I:

1. Took the shield outside and allowed the shield to acclimate to the outside temperature. Living in Florida I wanted to avoid any condensation forming on the surface.

2. I propped the shield up on an old chair so that it was standing up almost vertically. The first two attempts at it I had the shield lying flat on the ground. I just knew that was a mistake and went ahead and did it anyway. With the shield upright, the paint flowed out of the can much, much smoother.

3. Shake the can for at least 2 minutes.

4. Make sure the blue masking tape, or whatever you used and cut into the shield's grooves, are properly adhered to the surface. I almost blew my third attempt when I noticed tape inside the grooves had apparently lifted up in some spots over night. I was able to quickly lay it back down with a tiny flathead screwdriver.

5. Keep an xacto knife nearby in case a bug or large particle of dust or dirt lands on the paint. I acted quickly and was able to remove two foreign particles with no problems.

6. Again, with the spray cans upright, the paint flowed so much nicer and smoother onto the surface. I used quick back and forth overlapping strokes about 8-10 inches from the shield. If you hesitate for an instant too long on one spot, you'll get a buildup of paint that will result in a "wet" spot. Of course if you lay down too much, it will run.

7. I waited about 5 minutes between coats. Shaking the can each time.

8. I followed Valor's advice and aimed for a nice even color throughout. I think I nailed it.

Good luck to all.
 
Valor said:
Yes, and I'm glad I did. THe star look much more finished when attached. I'm pretty sure the fingerprint issue of my previous shield was either due to using crappy acetone, or that the clear I was using was laquer clear coat – which never really "dries".
Click to expand...

Hey Valor, finished painting my shield, and it's looking pretty good. Not perfect, but I am happy with the results. Did I understand the above correctly, that you had the shield and star clear coated separately, AND THEN you attached the star? If so, just so I understand the reasoning, why? What do you mean by the star looked much more finished when attached?

Thanks.

Louis
 
Yes I did. I'm a fan of painting THEN assembling. It allows you to control each item. With the star, I was also worried about the fact that there might be a bit of a gap in some spots between the star and shield that might make a bad paint transition. Meaning, the paint light go over a joint between the star and shield that wasn't solid and crack later. Glueing it on after finishing meant everything looked stronger. I'm kinda picky about details :)
 
Last edited:
Thanks. I see what you're saying. I'm gonna treat the star like a car's emblems which are attached after the car has been painted and clear coated. Now to find a local body shop that doesn't think I'm crazy bringing in a Captain America shield.
 
Hey guys, I get repeated questions about how big the shield should be and proportionally how big the star should be. First a disclaimer. I have never personally seen or examine a movie shield. I know Chris Fields has. And he may have additional opinions. So, I'm basing this on what I have heard from people who have seen it, dimensions given for the auction of the screen-used shield, and primarily .... my own discernment of what looks "correct" to me. Your milage may vary :)

So, my shields are a 25" diameter shield with a 10" diameter center circle. Each of the three rings is 2.5" thick. For me this got damn close to the proportions of the movie shield. I also chose a 25" shield cause I ain't that big. The movie used both 25" and 26" shields. Below is a link with this info, and also an image that shows this proportionally.

Hope this helps.
 

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Valor said:
Hey guys, I get repeated questions about how big the shield should be and proportionally how big the star should be. First a disclaimer. I have never personally seen or examine a movie shield. I know Chris Fields has. And he may have additional opinions. So, I'm basing this on what I have heard from people who have seen it, dimensions given for the auction of the screen-used shield, and primarily .... my own discernment of what looks "correct" to me. Your milage may vary :)

So, my shields are a 25" diameter shield with a 10" diameter center circle. Each of the three rings is 2.5" thick. For me this got damn close to the proportions of the movie shield. I also chose a 25" shield cause I ain't that big. The movie used both 25" and 26" shields. Below is a link with this info, and also an image that shows this proportionally.

Hope this helps.
Click to expand...

Another reason I wish my other thread was still around, we all went into this discussion at great length then. The movie used approx 24" - 26" shields. For a 26" or 25" shield, 10" center circle is good.

I painted up my first attempt at a grooved out star, but I am hesitant to post any pics of anything around here. Even though I am clearly not selling this, I still don't want any issues.
 
Completely understand your hesitation, Chris. Though I would think with a disclaimer of "THIS IS MY PERSONAL SHIELD, I AM NOT SELLING ANY" would suffice, I get where you're coming from :lol

I've sent you a PM by the way
 
Chris Fields said:
Another reason I wish my other thread was still around, we all went into this discussion at great length then. The movie used approx 24" - 26" shields. For a 26" or 25" shield, 10" center circle is good.

Thanks for the confirmation Chris. Seems like we're kinda on the same page. Good to hear from you again. We miss you and your work.
Click to expand...
 
Hey Valor, if you could get your shield autographed, would you?

I just heard about the Florida Supercon taking place later this month down here in South Florida. Allen Bellman is scheduled to be there. He's one of the originals. Did background art for Captain America back in the 40's and 50's. Neal Adams and George Perez are also set to appear. My shield is almost finished and I'm awfully tempted to take it down there and have them sign the back side. Hmmm Decisions, decisions.
 
I don't know. I've never been particularly interested in autographs. My personal opinion. If it's something you dig, you should go for it. Certainly makes it more one of a kind!
 
Chewie Louie said:
Hey Valor, if you could get your shield autographed, would you?

I just heard about the Florida Supercon taking place later this month down here in South Florida. Allen Bellman is scheduled to be there. He's one of the originals. Did background art for Captain America back in the 40's and 50's. Neal Adams and George Perez are also set to appear. My shield is almost finished and I'm awfully tempted to take it down there and have them sign the back side. Hmmm Decisions, decisions.
Click to expand...

Valor said:
I don't know. I've never been particularly interested in autographs. My personal opinion. If it's something you dig, you should go for it. Certainly makes it more one of a kind!
Click to expand...

I don't think I'd want an autograph directly on my shield. It could be cool to have them sign a picture/poster/whatever to hang next to it though...just a though.
 
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