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

[TheGeekFoundry]

Sorry if someone has already addressed this question, but is it possible to avoid clear coating a shield? Is it guaranteed to corrode or tarnish if I don't clear-coat it? I've always clear-coated my shields, but even when it comes out smooth, I hate the look of the clear.

 

[Kevin Gossett]

Why do you hate the look of the clear? What type of clear are you using? If you don't like the glossy look, go for a satin clear. Much closer to the movie shields anyways.

 

[SchubroProductions]

So I've been reading this thread for quite a while now, I'm up to page 58, but this week I decided to start painting.
I cleaned the oil and fingerprints using regular nail polish remover, which worked fine, used green frog tape to mask the rings, and painted vertically using a stand I made out of a parasol base.
Being in the UK I couldn't get hold of the Duplicolor paints, so I used VHT Anodized paint.
I started with the blue and it didn't turn out too bad
View attachment 536111
View attachment 536112
With the red I seemed to get a better technique, starting thin and getting thicker. I did about 7 coats in the end!
Now here's my only problem... Peeling the tape off the clean aluminium was perfect, the lines were great. Peeling from the blue section however caused the paint to peel from the groove. So frustrating!
I really don't want to strip the whole thing down and start again, so I'm thinking of spraying some blue into a jar and touching up with a really small brush. As its only in the grove it won't be terribly noticeable, and then clear coat. What are everyone's thoughts?
Thanks for all the input and experience everyone has provided on this thread, I couldn't have even got started without it!
Here's some pics
View attachment 536113
View attachment 536114View attachment 536115View attachment 536116


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The paint in a jar method will work. Also, once I sealed my shield, I hit small small spots with a blue sharpey using the paint and dab method.

 

[TheGeekFoundry]

Why do you hate the look of the clear? What type of clear are you using? If you don't like the glossy look, go for a satin clear. Much closer to the movie shields anyways.

I'm using rattle-can gloss clear. I just don't care for it. Even when it comes out with no orange peel, I don't like being able to tell that it has clear on it, especially on the bare stripe and star. The clear shines like paint, not like metal. I want the same look that the shield has in the Stuttgart scene in The Avengers.

I've never tried the satin, though. I might try it if I repaint my current shield (unless I find a way not to clear-coat at all).

 

[Johnnyfl]

Silvertron, I think the shield looks great and would go for the jar and brush method suggested to touch it in as it would be a shame to mess with the rest of the finish. I had thought of using the VHT paint myself but as I was in the US recently I picked up the Duplicolor to use on mine. This will be my second shield but my only problem now is potentially 6 months of Winter weather, so this will have to wait until Spring. Good luck finishing yours off :thumbsup

 

[superyesway]

Here's a shield I picked up at Tampa Bay Comic Con. You can find these from time time on ebay.



NOT screen or comic accurate AT ALL. But it is 27" in diameter and made of steel which is cool. Note the rivets.



BUT THANKS TO THIS THREAD AND ALL OF YOUR CREATIONS, I stripped it (using Klean Strip)



Sanded it down starting at 60 grit (sat around for a few days so had to fight off rust by dousing it with Break Free CLP lubricator. I used Awesome brand degreaser to clean it off before painting)



and advancing to 1200 grit



In the meantime I had to glue down the star points before masking it off and painting with Duplicolor (Note: after horizontal painting at first, vertical painting is the way to go.)




And the BIG REVEAL!



slight wet sanding.. no clear coat... and to my surprise, the star suffered some cool weathering from the Klean strip and sanding.

 

[SuperheroDIY]

Alright, I've been researching and researching and just need some help. I was going to paint my phebert shield the normal red and blue, but both my wife and son say I need to do the STEALTH version since I already have the normal version. Mostly, my son (3 y.o.) wants it to match the toy stealth shield he has.

Problem is, I cannot find any solid info on what that lighter blue color is! I've been through this thread over and over but still can't find it!

This is the color I want:


Does anybody have any idea what color that is? I don't really have access to a paint shop that could put a custom color in a can, so something that I can get off-the-shelf would be best.

I already have the Duplicolor Metalcast MC201 Anodized Blue -- but that will only work for the inner blue around the star.

So - what paint can I use for that blue? Thanks in advance!

 

[SuperheroDIY]

Well, I didn't hear from anyone so I gave it a shot on my own. Here's what I ended up with, coated in a matte coat as I don't want any shine ... it is a stealth shield after all!!

 

[AgentOfShield]

The colour is more accurate in the second two shots, which I'm assuming look closer to what it looks like in person. Great job!

 

[SuperheroDIY]

The colour is more accurate in the second two shots, which I'm assuming look closer to what it looks like in person. Great job!

Yep, that first shot was up close with the phone's flash so it threw off the color a bit.

 

[Fly4v]

Looks great! So did you go with a custom mix or off the shelf paint?

Well, I didn't hear from anyone so I gave it a shot on my own. Here's what I ended up with, coated in a matte coat as I don't want any shine ... it is a stealth shield after all!!

View attachment 558984
View attachment 558985
View attachment 558986

 

[Tengu3]

Fantastic! Great colour.

So, how'd you do it?. What paint is it please?

Great job.

 

[SuperheroDIY]

Fantastic! Great colour.

So, how'd you do it?. What paint is it please?

Great job.

Here's how I did it (pic)! The light blue is Duplicolor BGM0935 - Perfect Match Light Blue Metallic to match GM colors. Used that ground coat underneath, but it's not necessary.

I also used the Duplicolor Removable Clear Coat as a clear mask, but I'd actually not recommend it as it was harder to apply and remove than something like Frog Tape would be. And Frog Tape is sticky enough to do a good job.

It actually looks GREAT left shiny, but I didn't want any shine on this one so took it down with Duplicolor Clear Coat Matte.

 

[Tengu3]

Thank you so much, Streeter1981, for sharing that with us.

Here's how I did it (pic)! The light blue is Duplicolor BGM0935 - Perfect Match Light Blue Metallic to match GM colors. Used that ground coat underneath, but it's not necessary.

I also used the Duplicolor Removable Clear Coat as a clear mask, but I'd actually not recommend it as it was harder to apply and remove than something like Frog Tape would be. And Frog Tape is sticky enough to do a good job.

It actually looks GREAT left shiny, but I didn't want any shine on this one so took it down with Duplicolor Clear Coat Matte.

View attachment 559161

 

[Fly4v]

Streeter1981, so ends the speculation!
Thanks for solving the mystery and more importantly sharing the results.

 

[Kevin Gossett]

Somehow I forgot to post my stealth shield here. I went with that same blue. My shield is fiberglass, so I had to undercoat in silver first

Still need to spin some texture into it and then knock down the finish with matte

 

[antneb]

after struggling to keep my paint job clean ive decided to attempt some battle damage on my shield until the weather gets better and i can repaint.

whats the best techniques for this? ive stripped the patches with acetone but im not sure how to simulate the charring around the bullet dings. do you guys just dab around with a dry brush with black paint on it? then lightly spray a black mist over?

 

[Fly4v]

For my battle damage I used acrylic paint and brushes it on using a screen cap as a reference.
Since acrylic was easier clean than the spray thought this was better when I screwed up the details

 

[drakeprimeone]

Somehow I forgot to post my stealth shield here. I went with that same blue. My shield is fiberglass, so I had to undercoat in silver first

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h33/wkevingossett/20151015_135933_zpsktnlsn4j.jpg

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h33/wkevingossett/20151015_183507_zpsd4hb7zt4.jpg

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h33/wkevingossett/20151016_081813_zpsa1nfv3bb.jpg

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h33/wkevingossett/20151019_130222_zpsyp5zlspk.jpg

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h33/wkevingossett/20151104_005845_zpsh5mm3aou.jpg

Still need to spin some texture into it and then knock down the finish with matte

Kev, is that Artfunks fiber glass shield? I noticed there is no leather work. Are you still able to add your own the way you have it there? How's the weight / sturdiness?

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[Kevin Gossett]

Yes, it is from ArtFunk. I ordered it completely in kit form, so it came in two pieces, front and back. They needed to be joined together which left an empty gap along the entire perimeter on the back, and that needed to be filled in to get the ring of the bracket. I definitely suggest having that done by him if anyone else happens to order from him! Wasn't terribly difficult, just time consuming and tedious.

I haven't gotten around to the leather yet, but the back piece actually has nuts embedded in the cast so you can bolt your pieces directly to the shield, which helps with the sturdiness. It's probably half the weight of my aluminum shield, which will be nice for cons. I rushed to get this one done for Fan Days in October and didn't even wear my stealth suit, so I plan on going back and fixing a few things. Very happy with it though!