Help please with paint job!

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scifirex · #1 Post by **scifirex** » March 5th, 2009, 7:34 pm

I thought I'd ask the experts here since I've been having such a hard time with this paint job.

I am repainting a Bowen Iron Man statue for a collector. I fixed up a Silver Surfer statue that had fallen off his shelf, and got great results using Krylon "chrome" paint to repaint it. My collector friend asked if I could repaint his Bowen Iron Man using the same paint as a base.

The chrome went on well, and I waited almost 2 weeks before working on it further. I know this stuff is touchy and even long after curing will still fingerprint easily. I also found that the solvents in most laquer or enamel paints will dissolve or dull out the chrome paint, so I decided to proceed only with acrylics for the rest.

I airbrushed on a transparent yellow paint from a brand called "Auto-Air Colors"-- acrylics made to be used over standard factory paintjobs and the label says "suitable for all exterior applications". I thought this stuff must be pretty durable when dry.

I gave that 2 thin coats of Future clear acrylic to seal my work. Then I used liquid latex mold builder to mask off the gold areas of Iron Man's armor. When that was dry I sprayed the remaining red portions of the armor and sealed that with Future also.

My next step was to gently remove the latex mask. The yellow paint underneath and layers of Future sealer sheared away from the chrome paint in big chunks. The yellow auto acrylic hadn't adhered to the "chrome" well at all. I wanted to bash the statue into a wall!

Please, can any of you give me some advice on how to keep paint on this statue? I am about at my wit's end!

Thanks, John

#2 Post by **ignatz** » March 5th, 2009, 7:49 pm

Maybe the ammonia in the mold builder is weakening the underlying layers of paint. Have you tried a different masking medium? Maybe Silly Putty or Parafilm M will work for you.

jackshield · #3 Post by **jackshield** » March 5th, 2009, 7:52 pm

OR SIMPLE LIQUID LATEX WORKS FOR MASK, GO TO COSTUME STORE, PARTY GALAXY, SOLD AS LIQUID SKIN, JUST DONT GET ANY THAT ALREADY HAS PIGMENT, IT WILL SET UP IN BOTTLE IF YOU DONT USE QUICK.

scifirex · #4 Post by **scifirex** » March 5th, 2009, 8:11 pm

Thanks for the advice ignatz! I've heard of people using Silly Putty, but I haven't seen it in stores in my area. The Parafilm I've never heard of and had to Google, but both sound like better alternatives than the latex masking.

kitator · #5 Post by **kitator** » March 5th, 2009, 11:45 pm

There was a thread a few days ago about Frog tape.Might be a good masking tape,but not sure if this is the advice you wanted.

DisturbedEarth0 · #6 Post by **DisturbedEarth0** » March 6th, 2009, 2:41 am

scifirex wrote:Thanks for the advice ignatz! I've heard of people using Silly Putty, but I haven't seen it in stores in my area. The Parafilm I've never heard of and had to Google, but both sound like better alternatives than the latex masking.

If you're looking for Silly Putty try Michaels craft store. In fact they have it in the $1.00 bin at the one i shop at.