lacquer for polished metal

[Patrick Carnegy 1Participant @patrickcarnegy1]

metal finishing

[Patrick Carnegy 1Participant @patrickcarnegy1]

Advice, please, as to the best products and techniques for the prevention of tarnish on fine-finish brass, gunmetal and steel model parts.

I’m finding Rustin’s Metal Lacquer and Humbrol Satincote cloudy and unsatisfactory in use.

Patrick Carnegy 

[BogstandardParticipant @bogstandard]

Patrick,

 

About four years ago, I prepared half a dozen polished samples of brass, to try to establish what would be the best product for protecting the shine on my models.

 

I then gave them the coatings, from both spray cans and paint on products.

 

These were left in an open box on the top shelf of my shop, and after a year, all showed various tarnishes or breakdown of the coating, all except one.

It still gets the odd check now and again, and still hasn’t shown any deterioration, except for a few scratch marks where it has been kicked about a bit.

 

What was this wonder product?

 

Because I had it in my shop for protecting wax lettering I used on my model boats, it was in fact just tried for the sake of it being there.

It is Letrset 101, a fixative and protector for what I have already mentioned, and was put on as a superfine coat sprayed from arms length above the polished plate, just how you would normally do it with wax lettering.

 

I used it on a couple of my engines that went to other continents, so I can’t check it out to see if it is still working, but from the sample I have in my shop, I don’t doubt that it still is.

 

Protective coat

 

 

Bogs

[Patrick Carnegy 1Participant @patrickcarnegy1]

That’s hugely interesting, Bogs, thanks very much.

 

I note from your helpful link that Letraset 101 is Gloss. Have you also tried 102 (satin) and 103 (matt)?  Some of my fiddly Stuart beam engine parts may need the use of a brush rather than a spray can. How could this please be done?

 

All best, Patrick 

[BogstandardParticipant @bogstandard]

Patrick,

 

I suspect that might be your problem with other products. You are using too thick a coat by putting it on with a brush. The coating needs to go on as fine as possible. If from a spray can, just a very fine dusting

 

I used to use a lot of the Humbrol range on my boat models, satincote etc. But I used to thin then down to water consistency if I was applying by brush or airbrush.

 

 

Bogs

[Sam StonesParticipant @samstones42903]

That’s great news Bogs.

 

This has been of particular concern to me, since my skeleton clock had developed some ugly tarnish over the years.

 

I’ll try to find a local (Melbourne) supplier of Letraset 101.

 

I believe that Satin and Matt finishes are simply Gloss with a smattering of a fine particulate filler in the mix.

 

Sam

 

 

Edited By Sam Stones on 28/09/2010 05:42:04

[BogstandardParticipant @bogstandard]

Another thing that I have found is that if you buff finish your parts using a slightly waxy soap, then clean the residue off with Mr Sheen (household polish), it will stay with a full lustre for about a year, then another polish over with Mr Sheen then gets it back up like new.

 

That is the system I now use for my little engines. It seems to work on all metals.

What you are trying to do is to stop nasties getting under the coat and attacking the surface oxides.

In fact, with aluminium, the oxides start to form as soon as it’s new cut face is exposed to air, so the quicker you can protect it, the longer it will last.

 

I have just taken a picture of a finger engine that was given the Mr Sheen treatment about 3 years ago, when the engine was made, and hasn’t been ‘polished’ since. It has been handled and played with by almost every person and their dog who has been in my house since that time.

OK, it might need a bit of love and attention now, but as you can see, the protective coat has really done it’s job and with another quick wipe over. it will be back like new.

 

 

Bogs

 

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