But It Looks Like Metal??
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- Опубліковано 5 лют 2025
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Painting a 3D printed prop to look like metal. Is it worth it??
• But It Looks Like Metal??
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I am surprised that the "all out" version wasn't electroplating. That said, the lacquer version does look quite nice.
Yeah I was kind of hoping to see his take on electroplating...
I second that. Would love to see an electroplated one. I guess it would be nickel? What else could you use?
Ye EP with that conductive filament
I was hoping he would dark wash the crevices like they do in model to make the metal plates pop.
I've gotten mirror finishes from rattle cans.
Sand, primer, sand, paint, wet sand, paint again if you sanded too thin and primer shows through and then wet sand that down again. Then clear coat and wet sand that with a fairly high grit, then use micro mesh polishing pads up to a few thousand+ grit. Once it seems good, hand buff with car wax to get the maximum shine.
PVD gets used a lot for Hero props now. Powdercoating was popular for when you needed a lot of something.
For 'steel' we use an inky blue base with some lighter highlights. Takes a lot less topcoat and you get more interaction from light sources.
Great video and cool to see the comparisons of the different techniques. One tip If I may... The Alclad chrome and others like it work best when you dial down the pressure on the airbrush. I go around 8-10 PSI. Also, when you apply over the gloss black you do not apply the chrome to 100% coverage. The goal is about 70-80 percent. The chrome gives it a metallic tint but it's the gloss black showing through that makes it look like real metal. Also - another tip... I find using flat black primer as the base coat followed by gloss clear works best. The clear gloss goes down smoother than the glass black so you get a more even surface and less chance for orange peal.
I have to say I like how you handle putting an ad in your videos. You keep doing what the video is about with the smaller video overlay ad. With my ADHD I get bored quick so I usually skip ahead when there are ads, but yours I watch all the way through. Thanks for that.
Would be very interested in seeing how a resin print version of that stacks up with paints typically used for miniature painting. Across the 4 major paint lines you've got tons of Chrome, Metallic and Candy paint options, I'm sure you could get a hell of a result using those
I don't see why a resin print results would be any different from MDF other than the sanding.
@@scratchinjack608 resin can get finer details since there isn't a nozzle to limit the minimum layer size.
Yes, this screams for resin.
I've seen some prop makers actually use the HVAC Aluminum tape as an option as well. Then you can even polish it, or scuff it to make it more matte. It is very stiff so it might be a little rough for rounder surfaces like this, but that is also a possibility.
I made a Mando helmet at the beginning of this year and ended up doing a gloss black coat and then added graphite powder on top and it turned out "pretty great". This was after days of sanding, using filler primer, more sanding and wet sanding lol Just figured I'd share my process. Love your videos, man!
Just hope it doesn’t rain on it
Excellent work Bob! That Alclad is sooooo good! =D
Using Molotow Liquid Chrome Ink pen refill ink through an airbrush is a really good option for chroming. It's pretty cheap & has a mirror finish that is excellent.
I love Molotow's liquid chrome but the pens are 11 bucks a piece, I can't imagine refill ink for it being more cost effective than the bottle of Alclad chrome. Also in my experience if you so much as brush the stuff with your finger it loses its shine without applying some clear varnish over it, so there's a cost on top of just the paint.
@@SerenadeURA Bob said in this very video that Alclad is expensive. Molotow's ink refills aren't.
@@drakocarrion I know he said it was expensive, but my question was is it cost effective vs just spending the money on the Alclad paint.
I went and checked it just now - you pay 50 bucks according to him ($42 on amazon as of me posting this) for 4 oz of Alclad Chrome but you pay $28 (again, amazon as of this post) for approximately 1 oz of Molotow's ink refill. That's half the price of Alclad Chrome for 1/4 of the size. Absolutely nowhere near as cost effective. On the plus side, it's not lacquer if you're not comfortable working with it, but you'll still need to seal it with something so that your hands don't melt the paint off (presuming you're making a prop)
@@SerenadeURA The requirement of sealing paint applies to the alclad too. It's a moot factor.
@@drakocarrion The sealing paint isn't the point here, the point is that you're spending 112 dollars on 4 oz of Molotow ink refills vs 50 dollars at maximum on a bottle of Alclad.
"I don't like sand"... The perfect clip at the perfect time. Well done.
Spaz Stix mirror chrome, both the airbrush liquid and the rattle can, are pretty excellent. The 2oz bottle usually runs about $12-14 for the airbrush liquid. Same procedure: try to sand as smooth as possible, wet sand if you can, and try to get as glossy a black surface as possible. Dust on the Spaz Stix in a few coats, and then buff gently after it's pretty much dry. Any clear coat is going to dull it, so it's up to how durable you need it to be.
I love how you handle your commercials. The progress bar, the B-roll in the background, both really nice touches.
I was thinking the same thing. I usually skip the ads in videos as I already pay monthly for UA-cam but this was didn't get in way of the content as much so I let it go.
This is honestly one of the best ways to handle it. Well done
Love that fade-out logo at @14:36
This summer I had gotten on a kick of designing and 3D printing prop lightsabers. My first draft one that I completed had no sanding and was just painted without primer, and it looked awful. Granted, I knew it was just a draft to see if fits worked, but I haven't been able to get up the courage to print a finer detail one and put the time into sanding each little detail, let alone know how to go about priming and painting. This video is a god send, and I can't wait to take the knowledge forward into my own work. Thank you, keep up the content, we all love it!🤩
I don’t think that I have ever commented about a sponsor read before but I REALLY appreciated the Picture in Picture. I could watch you doing something that didn’t need narration and listen to your pitch for Simply Safe, I never thought about skipping. Wish everyone did it this way. Thanks for thinking of us👍
THANK YOU for the Shoutout! Loving the results, Alclad metallics have been a go to for me for a long time. The final detonator looks great. Also it was to great to see the ILTMS gang at SiliCon. Glad we got to visit for a bit.
I usually have great results by painting it gloss black, then doing a graphite rub. I clear coat after wards and when it is almost dry I do a graphite rub again, this helps to lock in the graphite
Alclad has some great metalizer paints no doubt, but for my money, I haven't seen anything that beats the chrome finish of MOLOTOW, it's usually a paint pen kind of thing but you can get a refill cartridge and use it straight in the airbrush with no real diluting and it has an amazing chrome finish.
THIS!
I started using Molotow when I saw Adam Savage use it on another prop replica and I haven't used anything else since.
Yeah Molotow chrome out of an airbrush is God Tier
Yep it's really unbelievable how good it looks.
MOLOTOW chome is basically liquid mirror.
Your channel has some of the best subtitles I've ever seen. As someone who struggles to hear, I have subtitles on all the time and yours are 💯
The karaoke style of them coming up when you are actually speaking makes a world of difference to me so I just had to say thank you 👍
A final touch or even a separate option to sanding is Alcohol vapor smoothing but for large objects the length of time need will just make the piece soft small objects only
Would love to see the rattlecan version after a wetsand and maybe a clear coat. I wonder if you knocked down the orange peel if it would more closely match the expensive one. Either way, great prop and great video!
I've used the rattlecan paint he used pretty extensively in my props, and can say from my experience the base doesn't matter quite as much since it usually has a "foily" look as long as its sanded to around 220 grit.
Clear coat on rattlecan metallic paint completely flattens it and removes the reflective properties - it would make it more of a shiny grey unfortunately. Would be cool to see rub n buff applied
Greg, youre right, but there are some metallic paints/brands that can look better with it. Like Rustoleum Gold looks better with a clear coat, while the silver flattens out. Its a trial and error thing. I actually made a video on my channel that deals with the optimized process I found when making an iron man helmet
@@ShayneHeluk ooo nice I will check it out! I'm currently 3D printing a life size R2D2 and am in the process of painting the dome silver. I'm going with gloss black, metallic silver rattlecan, then am going to use silver leaf rub n buff as a finishing coat
@@GregsnBacon sounds good! Just remember, the key to any shiny mirror finish is to use a filler primer, sand it, filler, wet sand, then when it’s smooth, apply super thin coats until its covered. If you go too thin, it will orange peel and break apart like with autobody paint. Good luck!
I’ve seen some videos where they spray the rattle can paint into a cup with a little thinner, then use it in an airbrush. Cheaper rattle can paint, but better application with the brush.
I'm guessing the next step up from this might be nickel electroplating. From the videos I've seen, you can coat the part with a carbon based conductive layer. Then copper plate it and finally nickel plate on top of the copper. A lot of work but it would actually have a metal finish that you can then polish.
Or just go all out and use physical vapor deposition 🙂
I used Tamiya TS83 metallic silver rattle can for my Razor Crest model. Came out looking great! Like the Allclad, it needs a base coat of gloss black.
From someone who paints props for a living the only thing I would have done differently on the “expensive” version is to hit your gloss black with a 2K clear and also sealing your Chrome with 2K clear as well. Fantastic work!!!
This is super applicable for the smarthome and IoT community as well, i can use this process to make a nice wall mountable case for my touch panels. Thanks Bob!
There is a product called rub ‘n buff by Amaco, it is essentially ultra fine metal powder in wax if I remember right. A lot of prop makers use it as a final step to bring up highlights and edges in things painted to look like metal. Really works well, I’ve seen Adam Savage use it on many of his prop builds. Comes in lots of different metal colors.
I like Rub n buff a lot, too, it goes a long way and looks better the less you use. BUT - for a project like this? Large smooth areas? I wouldn't use it for that purpose.
@@MarkusvonRentheFinkYou are right, not for large smooth areas. I think just a little on the detail lines where the ‘plates’ come together might be good though.
Thanks Bob. I am working on making my own 'neuralizer' from the Men in Black, and was considering 3D printing.... now I can with confidence it will look good!
I learned early on in my own DIY endeavors that wet-sanding makes a HUGE difference when trying to obtain a mirror finish from acrylic or lacquer paints, even if they're not metallic colored. Admittedly, it's been a while since I've personally done a project where I painted something to a smooth mirror finish, but the process was very repeatable even with basic rattlecan paints and wet/dry sandpaper from 200 to 1500 or even 2000 grit if you have, and maybe some clear coat and wax to seal afterwards if you wanted to be extra cautious.
My guy. That final result was amazing, seriously impressed
You can also spray the spray paint into a disposable cup until you have enough to pour into an airbrush if you want a better finish without buying a bunch of expensive paint. Ive done it several times with acrylic clearcoat spray paint with great results.
I find that doing the whole process needed for Alclad, even with a rattlecan, can yield really stunning results. I did a Din Djarin helmet with sanding and priming, Flat black, gloss clear, and then dark steel, with gloss again. It made a very nice finish without having to spend a ton of cash.
Alclad seems to be much cheeper if you're in the UK. Their UK branch recently rebranded to HR Hobbies and 30ml (1 oz) bottles are £4.40. So if you're in the UK, you don't have to spend that much to get this great finish.
Just remember to use a few very light layers when painting with it, you should barely see the first layer once you put it over the black. The heavier the coat the cloudier the finish is. With a really smooth prop and very light layers, you can get this stuff looking like a mirror.
Great video Bob! It's always nice to see people attempt these at different levels so that people should know what to expect when they tackle one of these projects. It keeps expectations in line and I hope it also keeps people from getting discouraged when their pieces don't quite come out like they expect.
I think this is the first time I've ever seen a 3D printing video trying several different options. Awesome job!
You can get super smooth prints if you put it in a chamber with Acetone vapor. Saves time on sanding. Idk how/what it'll look like with the finer details. But I'd love to see your take on it.
I used the gloss black undercoat and rub on graphite for my Mandalorian armor. It didn’t come out quite as shiny for film accurate, but for cosplay it worked great.
Amazing to see the difference an airbrush and some prep work can do! That last one looks so good! Cool demo of the techniques.
Excellent on all fronts: Content, organization, presentation, and delivery, clearly articulated and easily understood. Thanks.
You can actually use metal card scrapers (the wood working tool) and paint scrapers to remove layer lines in seconds rather than minutes and hours. I tried it expecting to destroy my prop only to fully sand a khopesh in 3 minutes.
Additionally, you can up the metallic look on things if you buff it with graphite powder.
I watched the video where the gentleman used acetone vapor to smooth out his project rather than sanding it seemed to work pretty well.
I didn't read all the comments maybe someone already recommended. There are huge amount of modell paints available online, model shops, toy shops. They are amazing for this type of projects, great quality, cheap, small amounts, some of them can go straight to the airbrush.
That $50 paint reminds me of the silver paint that were in the paint kits for model cars back in the 1950’s and 60’s we used straight out of the little bottle no sanding no priming with a small brush!
Great video! 3D printing is a great way to make props at home! One huge thing to note is that silk filament is highly dependent on printing speed and temperature. Your printed model seemed a bit dull which is typical of printing with too low of a temperature. Try even a small model at higher temps to see the difference!
you can buy cheap mirror chrome for 11€ per 30ml. it is called "minute mirror effect" from cadence. with included spay head, but also easy to airbrush. just like the expensive stuff.
Diamond needle files are great for sanding and cleaning up small grooves.
Great looking prop! The final step it weathering things that look dirty or used look more realistic. Some oil paints, black and browns will make your props feel like they have been carried around and used.
Awesome stuff guys. As a scale model car builder, Alclad is sort of the bench mark for chrome paint. The Aqua Gloss sealer is pretty cool and easy to use as well.
You should try smoothing out the print only one with acetone or other solvents depending on what it's printed with. It gets rid of layer lines and makes it extra shiny.
I'd like to see a comparison of layer height and printing time vs sanding time, to what extent does extra printer time save you effort sanding? Is there diminishing returns or do you go as low as you can?
LOVE that 80's logo thingy at the end!!
Engineered Angler Lures has the best break down of spraying chrome on plastic I’ve seen
It takes a hair-pulling amount of fine tuning, but if you can tune the printer to give you 0.04mm layers or smaller, it gets to the point you can hardly see the layer lines anymore. I'd definitely recommend upping the bed mesh setting to 7x7 for that.
If you are going to properly sand/fill/surface 3d printed parts or any prop and especially model parts get your hands on some Nitro-Stan Red Putty 9001. Its an auto body putty and is hands down the best thing I have ever found for filling cracks/textures and sanding a mirror finish. It is a go to in my model shop especially when we are making masters like for resin casting and need a perfect surface.
Absolutely! Take whatever time is needed to get to wet sanded to 600 with automotive primer
Metallic ABS printing with acetone vapor treating for glossy finish
use the paint from a molotow liquid chrome marker..... the marker itself costs around 6 dollars, the refill bottle around 20 👍. does a mirror shine over glossy black, fantastic results.... but it needs to dry at least 48 hours.
Spaz Stix Ultimate Mirror Chrome also works incredibly well for an airbrushed chrome finish.
I've switched to resin printing for the past couple of years and oh man post processing is so much easier. SOOO much more detail, hardly any sanding, you should really give it a try!
So true. We've got a project coming with a WHOLE LOT of resin printing 👀. Detail is fantastic.
The fumes from those though: Have good ventilation! They may not smell, but they are cancerous.
@@FindecanorNotGmail yeah I only use the one at my work and it is on a giant factory floor with plenty of ventilation. I have one at home but I never use it because I'm worried about the fumes. But a resin vent hood station/cabinet would be a great build video for ILTMS
Not certain if this product is still in the market, but in the 90s and Oughts, there was an incredible metallic paint line under the name Hammerite. It came in an array of metal finishes, but also had the amazing property of producing different finishes often seen on actual metals. Rolled on, the paint exhibited a hammered finish (hence the name), yet brushing it on resulted in a brushed metal look. The paints contained powdered metallic particles that would react and oxidize, etc. With an additional "wash" product, not only was it easy to create rusted plate steel, but it was unbelievably convincing, because it was actual rusted steel, or copper.
@TEXT+①⑥⓪⑨③⑧⓪③②②⑧ Golly! I won? Holy Cow!
Strange how your comment to me doesn't display the verified banner
seen on comments/replies posted to others by ILTMS.
This looks shady.
Also, when clicked your avatar takes me to your channel; with zero content. Clearly, you are not affiliated with ILTMS.
I wonder what Bob and the gang would think of this?
As soon as i heard "Alclad Laquer" i knew what was going to happen :D Awesome Stuff with an awesome finish (even works for primed and painted EVA-Foam as Armor)
That looks so cool! Would have made Jabba himself rethink his negotiation tactics. Love the comparison of the different efforts as well.
Wood PLA is also a very sand-able filament that makes like much easier for something like this that will be finished post print.
But resin printers would be the real way to go for things that fit in the print volume or can be effectively pieced out and printed.
Looks great Bob! Thanks for the information. I will be using this for future projects.
Thanks for the video, always enjoy watching!
Bob, you've definitely nailed integrating the sponsor into your videos. Much better than some other channels. 👍
What a cool project. I think I'll either resin print it or FDM with ABS or ASA so that I can vapor smooth it.
Metallic marker pen refill I've seen videos using that and it looks awesome.
Just as I’m looking to paint a full size Bolter! Good timing
I use Tamiya modeling putty to fill my prints. Sands great and takes paint well.
Might be worth trying abs and do a acetone vaporsmoothing to it before sanding/painting.
My solution is buy a live grenade, wire in some blinking lights for accuracy to source material, then put the whole thing inside a custom thermal detonator shell made of real metal. Simple, but effective. Hope this helps.
the chrome paint you used on version 2 can look nearly as good as the alclad with the gloss black base and care you gave version 3.The painted versions would get some depth and realism with a polish of graphite powder.
"I don't like sand" at 10:46 broke me. I can't stop laughing!
😄
The alclad chrome will work over gloss black or gloss white. If you get the base coat super smooth and shiny, the chrome will work very well. The trick with it is to only lightly fog the chrome over the gloss base coat. If you put it on heavy, it will just look like shiny aluminum.
I was just typing out 'what about Alumaluster' and then you talked about it lol. I've been going down this same path for my Mando armor, so this is good to see (though the paint of chosen is a bit different than yours, but still from Alclad).
That "What?" at 5:28 got me. LOL
Some (subtle) panel lining and wreathing would make that last one look even better!
Some say Nail polish chrome resin is the best for shiny metal. Would be interesting to try them all again with the acetone vapour treatment to remove the lines.
Thank you for this video! I'm at the point I want to start trying to do this but I've been terrified of starting. This helps me know what will work for me and the time I have to do stuff!
Use graphite powder for a perfect metal finish
In scale modeling you give stuff a panel line wash to weather it or make the details pop, that airbrushed one would look even better if you give it a wash.
My favourite method is rubbing graphite powder over a gloss black base, a small pinch goes a long way so is very cheap too
Thanks for the effort. This really helped remind me why I need an air brush kit...
I'm curious. Could you take that metal infused filament, sand it and then polish it back up to a shine?
Another option is to print, sand, finish to a good finish. Then mold it and either cast it out of metal or do cold casting.
Either way, that chrome paint one came out beautiful! I agree with the person who said weathering it will increase the metallic look. Esp. with star wars props this works well because most things are "dirty" anyways.
I really appreciate the "I don't like sand" joke, caught me off guard and made me laugh.
Excellent project. Now I'm working on one!
Btw would love to see you guys build a full scane K2SO Droid
Resin printer would save you a LOT of time. Also a black wash in those crevices would make the chrome pop better!
So well done Bob, really enjoyed this.
Great video! I tackled this project with mid level effort and supplies. Going to try again with a resin print as a base!
I’ve started using 3D resin that’s UV cured to hide layer lines, sand it down works great!
props to your use of picture in picture for your add. not only dis I not skip it but was entertained while it played. well done. curious about the beveled flaps in your spray booth. presumably these help keep your filter (presumably behind the flats?) from getting clogged as much? I may have to try that. I'm always blowing through filters.
Thanks! Yeah, it kind of acts like a baffle to grab excess paint. I actually think the older version we had (previous paint booth video) worked better for that purpose.
To be honest I would have loved to see a fourth Thermal Detonator but in shiny black. From what Bob showed of the one before he sprayed it Chrome it looked really nice.
For that prop you could probably use that aluminum tape. I have had good success using that on smaller pieces, you just need to take a little time cutting it and hiding the seams.
Would putting the black base aid in the chrome rattle can paint as well?
You should try black gloss, then rubbing on graphite powder, using a soft cloth and buffing it afterwards. Produces a very nice metallic finish, much like a gun metal... and a tub of graphite powder is very inexpensive, compared to many of the metallic paints... and goes a very, very long way.
But yeah, it's all in that sanding, filling, sanding, filling process. It's the part that takes the longest amount of time and has to be as close to perfect as you can get it. NEVER skimp on the sanding and if you really want a 3D print that is great fro sanding, go resin. Not only can many resin printers, produce way finer details and show far fewer layer lines, sanding s SO much easier and wit enough grits, yo can produce and almost polished finish, especially with wet sanding at the end
Anyway once you've buffed and buffed the graphite finish, you will find that finger marks are easy polished/buffed out.. Not so easy on the painted versions and YES, you will want to wear gloves, and protect the work surfaces too, because graphite powder, being so incredibly fine, will get everywhere..Whatever you do, don't sneeze with tub nearby and lid open..
Alternately. Spray paint a high quality gloss black, then use silver rub n buff over the surface. Its about 6 or so bucks per tube and one tube lasts a long time. Rub it on, buff it off, polish with a soft cloth and done
The mirror paint and maletow( if I spelled it correctly) sprayed through airbrush are only paints to really give a super reflective surface. Alclad is crap. Problem with metallic finishes is the clear coats dull it back down
Pretty Great video! it really shows were you need to put the effort considering the use the prop will have. There is a video from Adam Savage Tested where he uses Molotow Liquid Chrome refill and it's just amazing how the finish turned out. I bought and it has a mind blowing coverage. In terms of cost it is on the pricier side when compared against rattle cans.