Looks like metal because it's metal

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ghamilt1

PlanetFigure Supporter
Joined
Mar 13, 2005
Messages
1,584
Location
St. Albert, Alberta, Canada
I recently revisited this classic Soldiers 90mm knight in white metal, which is I believe a tin/pewter alloy, but don't quote me on that. It has sat, unfinished in the grey army for about 10 years. In fact I lost the scabbard, so I had to scratch-build one out of card stock to replace it. Coming upon a burnishing tool in the local art supply store was the inspiration I needed to dig him out of the pile and start again. After burnishing the metallic parts to a chrome like finish, I used a heavy oil wash to tone down the armour and make it look more like weathered steel. Except for the sword, that part I left as polished as I would imagine a knight might have insisted upon. The heraldry represents mid 14th century Sir Nicholas D'Aundeley from the Falkirk role, or so my quick internet search informed me. All in all, a very enjoyable reclamation project. Now let the debate on Metallic vs non-metallic finishes commence! (spoiler alert, this technique does NOT work on resin figures! ;)
knight1.jpeg
knight2.jpeg
knight3.jpeg
 
Do you have to seal the polished surface? I imagine it would tarnish quite quickly.
Thanks to all for your kind support. To answer your question Bundook, I have found that the oil wash seems to do the trick. Mind you, I have some other figures where I did not use any oil washes, and they seem to have retained their finish completely free of any tarnishing. I have a couple of Pegaso Samurai I did a decade ago, and burnished the swords, and they are still as bright and shiny as the day I put them in the display cabinet. Perhaps it's the type of alloy used that prevent tarnishing?
 
Lo0oks great, you can't beat real metal for a realistic looking figure IMO. You did a great job here.

Have 20 yr old figures I did with 4000 steel wool...no tarnish yet..
Me too, I have a metal winged hussar figure I polished over 40 years ago and still haven't finished. No tarnish. One day I will do it!
 
Funny how metal looks like metal...

In my experience most metal figures stay shiney once you've burnished/polished them. In fact, you need to tone the finish down with some oil washes.

I seal my white metal with Tamiya Smoke and brass with Tamiya Clear Yellow. Both of these paints stink and you have to paint quickly as they dry on the brush. I don't like working with them, but I like the finished effect. I used to use an equally stinky thinner to clean the brush. But I have now discoverd that Isopropyl alcohol works so much better. You can use the isoprop as a thinner so that you can easily do two thin coats of paint rather than one thick gloopy layer. And when you're finished painting it's good for cleaning your brush. I reckon the yellow metal on this excellent knight is painted with Tamiya Clear Yellow, I kind of recognise the colour.

Or do my eyes deceive me?
 
"I reckon the yellow metal on this excellent knight is painted with Tamiya Clear Yellow, I kind of recognise the colour."


Lol! Guilty as charged! The clear nature of that paint really allows for the polished metal to shine through. I once used tamiya clear orange to do a bronze/brass finish on a 75mm Napoleonic Carabinier and after some oil washes and shading the effect was really convincing. I love the alcohol tip and plan to use that next time out.
 
And because nobody asked me, things you can do with Isopropyl Alcohol and why you should always keep a bottle by your side:
  1. Dip a cotton bud in isoprop and clean the slippery mould release residue off your resin figures. Takes the paint better.
  2. Smooth down gaps you've filled with Milliput. Being primitive, I used to use spit on a paintbrush to finish off my Milliput surface. Now I know better, I dip my old paintbrush in isoprop and gently stroke the putty. Smooths and blends a treat.
  3. Cleans and thins those whacky Tamiya paints and, should you own a jar of X21 Flat base, top it up with isoprop when it starts to dry out.
  4. Just a good all round cheap cleaner and thinner which doesn't stink.
But it's no good with whisky.
 
I used to use Tamiya on metal figures, but I packed in as I couldn't work with it. I found it dries waaay to quickly for me to work with.

With resin figures, I have in the past put W & N silver printers' ink straight on the primer, and then after I was 100% sure it was dry I treated it as white metal.
 
Lovely old style work burnishing the white metal on this figure Glenn.
It's come out a treat.
The superb heraldry finishes it off perfectly.
Very, very well done.

Cheers,
Andrew
 
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