Vallejo Semi Matte Aluminum paint consistency question

[PlasticHero]

I got this paint 77.716 and gloss black primer 77.660 for my T-bolt build. I can hear the primer sloshing in the bottle when I shake it but the aluminum seems much thicker then I expected. Thicker then all the Tamiya silver/aluminum paints I have. Is this normal for that for that paint? I sprayed over the black and it is so flat it looks more gray then metallic. The only good thing is it was on the engine, not the fuselage.

 

[fubar57]

This is my just sprayed Vallejo Metal over Tamiya Flat Aluminum though mine is 71.701 Aluminum. I've only used a black base coat once. As for the thick paint, I am a firm believer in shaking the bejaysus out of the bottle but first I give it a few bangs on the bottom to start loosening it up. Whe I say shake the bejaysus out of it I'm not talking 10-15 minutes, I'm talking an hour or more. When I feel I'm done shaking, I shake it some more. The paint seems to settle on the bottom harder than most other paints. I think this is why some people talk about problems with paint lift; the paint isn't fully mixed. I rarely have Vallejo paint lift and if it does, it no more than any other paint I use, usually less than a millimetre square. Anyhoo...that's my theory

 

[Vic Balshaw]

I have also found the metallic Vallejo paints quite thick, so after shaking like Geo mentioned, maybe not so long as I cheat and remove the pour top and break up the hardened bottom paint with a stick (bamboo skewer), then shake some more. If hand painting then I dispense a drop into a used medication pill sheet add a drop or two of Vallejo Thinner Medium, give it a mix and were set to go. As for metallic spraying, I tend to stick to the AK Xtreme Metallic paint, though enamel, they are a nice no fuss easy to apply airbrush paint that always gives good results.

 

[PlasticHero]

Thanks for the replys. I took the top off the aluminum and gave it a good stir with my best copper wire cutoff I've had since the late 60's. There wasn't any sludge on the bottom and it gets so foamy that you can't really hear or feel the liquid shaking so it was well stirred for the test. I went to youtube uni to see how the masters do it and set up this test.


First off, the photo's don't capture what your eyes see. The Tamiya gloss black is blacker then the Vallejo gloss black. The Tamiya flat white is over the black and really covers, better then I thought it would. The Vallejo over either black looks like new aluminum and over the white looks more aged. This is the shade that seems the best for natural metal. The gloss clear didn't make much difference. The Alclad chrome looks like the buffed show planes you see sometimes today and is shiniest over the white.

The Vallejo black peeled even after I cleaned the plastic with alcohol and it sat for a day. The next thing I'm going to try is covering this with Alclad Clear Base. The youtube said that this will protect the finish and the lacquer bites into the plastic and won't peel. I'm going to get that and a flatter Alclad and see how it looks. After the clear, I'll try Tamiya Panel LIne Accent.

 

[Vic Balshaw]

This is a great demo, thanks so much.