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I've been using this stuff since it came out, and I love it! The best analogy is that painting with normal acrylics is like cooking, painting with Xtreme Metal is baking. I prime with Vallejo black spray primer, then apply the Black Base. All of these paints require a vigorous mixing prior to use, especially the Base and Duraluminum. If it's not mixed correctly it can cause a lot of problems down the line, including durability and adhesion. Any residue at the bottom of the bottle after mixing means you're not done mixing. If you're doing a longer session, it's worth backflushing at least once to mix the paint in the cup, and giving the bottle a vigorous shaking before refilling your airbrush. I have never had a problem with it in regards to taping it even an hour after application. If you want to put a clear coat over I recommend either Ak's Gauzy or Testor had a really nice metallizer(?) varnish, but I haven't seen that in a while. Cheers, and best of painting to ya! Oh, and you're going to need the Xtreme Metal thinner. Nothing else I have will get the airbrush clean after spraying the Black Base.
I got all excited about this stuff a couple of years ago and bought about $100 worth of all the different shades they had. My experience with it is the stuff is it sprays beautifully and looks brilliant. The problem is not durable at all. It doesn't fully cure after a week. Upon handing it for a few minutes it melt under your fingertips and becomes tacky. Gloves do not help. It does lift of with Tamiya tape. It can be sealed with Gauzy sealer but you have to really coat it on or the Gauzy will lift off with Tamiya tape once again ruining the finish. This was the case for Polished Aluminum, Aluminum, to a lesser extent White Aluminum. For cost of this stuff I had high hopes but it failed to meet expectations miserably.
Sorry the product didn't work as hoped. Thank you for sharing, we want to know, good, bad or.... I only used it on ships props and loved it but, I haven't touched them much or masked them. Perhaps some of our subscribers might have some ideas you can try with it. Reminds me of Testors Metalizers. They were a very weak paint in my experience.
It is enamel paint so you can put acrylic clear or enamel clear over it. I would not use a gloss lacquer as I have had bad experiences with it over enamel. That being said, clear coats tend to greatly alter the look of metallic finishes. Many of them don't advise putting anything over them.
