Vallejo Liquid Metal Line

[Brother Heinrich]

Anybody have experience with these? They look fantastic and seem like they go on super smooth. Any tips for what to rinse the brush with, etc..? Thanks!

[Bartali]

Perhaps the most important thing to note with Vallejo Liquid metals is how you thin them. They're actual metal flakes suspended in alcohol, so thinning with water is out. Use IPA/rubbing alcohol or similar, and if you live in a place where that isn't readily available (hi, UK), Tamiya X20A thinner does the job pretty well,

I find you need a couple of drops of thinner to get the paint to flow nicely.

 

Brush wise use a synthetic brush, and I end up cleaning it with White Spirit. The paint will wear through your brush faster than water based acrylics.

 

In use, I tend to use acrylic metallics as a base as I normally use a gloss coat pre-wash, then a matte coat post wash. Adding Vallejo Liquid metallics after as a kind of highlight on metals can make them pop quite nicely.

[Lucien Eilam]

Use IPA/rubbing alcohol or similar, and if you live in a place where that isn't readily available (hi, UK)

 

What? A lot of high-street chemists generally won't carry it any more, but IPA isn't remotely difficult to buy in the UK.

[Subtle Discord]

Taken from another thread I commented in about this wonderful product.

Vallejo Liquid Gold, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways!

But seriously, Liquid Gold (LG) is absolutely amazing. It doesn't completely replace acrylic Gold paint, but it does most of the heavy lifting. This stuff is almost like liquid chrome in a bottle; a smooth coat (2 layers plus a bit of touch up) will create a bright smooth gold. It does have a bit of a learning curve, since it's an alcohol product, but it's 100% worth the effort. I'll answer your questions, and then perhaps ramble some more...

1) Once it's dry it is very stable. You must not use water in any way while painting this product, but once it's dry you can paint water based paint or washes over it. It comes in many tones of Gold; Gold, Old Gold, Red Gold, Copper, Green Gold, Silver, White Gold, and maybe one or two others I'm forgetting. So you can easily start with Old or Red Gold, pick out raised areas with Gold, and highlight with White Gold. Naturally you could mix any of them to taste. But this is also where I say that LG does not necessarily replace acrylic Gold paint; I prefer to use LG to make a nice base, wash to add depth/tarnish, and then highlight with acrylic paints. You have more blending control with acrylic, so I prefer it at that final step. The general upshot is that either way will work, find the method that you like.

2) Any wash is going to dull the Gold some, but it depends on how much you use. The great thing about LG is that it creates a very clean bright base without having to do layer-after-layer to get it even. If you do a carefully placed light wash you can add some depth and shadow to the gold while it stays very bright and polished looking. Build it up and it will quickly take on a tarnished look but still have a nice Golden sheen.

3) Matt varnish will dull the sheen some, but again, the Gold is so smooth and bright that you might not find it to be a problem. A little satin or gloss can bring it back, but it's totally up to you if you think it needs it.

4) One of the great things about this product is how well it covers larger areas. Once you get the hang of using it (not that hard) you will never want to base-coat Gold with acrylic paints ever again. Like I said, it should take 2 coats with a little extra touch-up for the odd spot (it dries very thin) and it will be ready for the next step.

A few things you should keep in mind:

This is a metallic aluminum flake suspended in an alcohol based fluid; it will separate and settle very fast, and if you don't use it for awhile it will need to be mixed extremely well to get it ready to get the cake of metal particles off the bottom of the bottle. Always keep swirling and mixing it while you use it.

It is very serious about not using any water while applying LG. Even trace moisture in a brush can cause the LG to oxidize and clump almost instantly. Dip your brush in 90%+ pure alcohol before starting to flush any moisture, and don't use a really good brush. It is somewhat harsh on natural bristle brushes. Read the bottle of rubbing alcohol your getting for thinner/cleaner; make sure it's 90%+ pure alcohol (95%+ is better) or the moisture could cause problems. It's not all the same, some cheap varieties are as much as 50% water. Not good.

LG evaporates very quickly, which is a mixed blessing. When you paint it on it will dry very quickly; this is good. It will also dry in the bottle, in your brush, and on the pallet very quickly: this is bad. I use a straw to 'lift out' several drops to a pallet so I can close the bottle. Remember to keep mixing it on the pallet as you use it, it starts settling almost instantly. I prefer to use drops of thinner taken from the bottle to keep it flowing nicely as I paint; the alcohol can work for this too, but I've found it can cause a cloudy residue. nothing a bit of touch up can't fix, but still annoying.

Finally, when you're painting with LG it takes a bit of a different technique to normal paint. It is very thin and will flow quickly; I tend to paint on a bit extra so it's almost a thin puddle, and then let it settle and dry. You can literally see the pigment particles shimmer and settle into a layer of colour as the fluid dries, it's amazing. Especially on larger areas, you'll want to flood the surface in a controlled manner, and let the puddle dry. Practice on a test piece first and you'll quickly see; it almost seems like it will ruin the finish, then it settles and dries into a perfect surface.

Ok, I'll shut up now. (Can you tell I like Liquid Gold?)

[Wendigo]

I can only add one thing to Subtle Discord's informative post: if you can't find Vallejo Liquid Metals, there is at least one possible substitute: AK Interactive's True Metal line. 

 

Check out the Product Guide as well -- these paints are wax-based, not alcohol-based.  Note also the part about buffing/polishing to a realistic metallic sheen. 

 

To be clear, I haven't used this line of paints myself.  Hopefully someone can provide a review. 

 

W.

[Lucien Eilam]

there is at least one possible substitute

 

It's worth pointing out that, in both cases, the arts and crafts/furniture restoring markets have had these products for decades. Try Liquid Leaf (alcohol-based, like VLM) and Rub n' Buff (wax, like AK TrueMetal) to avoid miniature painter's tax.

 

(Forge World Model Masterclass Volume 2 mentions that the Imperial Reaver Titan was done with Gold Rub n' Buff, if you're having doubts.)

[Flint13]

To add to Luciens bit, ForgeWorld make *extensive* use of the Rub n Buff line. Their Iron Hands, Night Lords and Word Bearers all start with a RubnBuff basecoat loaded down with different washes.

 

In the case of e Night Lords, it's RnB Pewter, washed with many thin coats of a 50/50 mix of Tamiya clear red and clear blue to make a clear purple.

[Wendigo]

Thanks, Lucien Eilam and Flint13 -- that's news to me.  I'm always grateful for advice on avoiding 'mini-painting taxes'...

[Flint13]

Yep yep, glad to help. 

 

I'm getting decently experienced now. Feel free to PM if you have any pressing questions ^_^

[Bartali]

 

Use IPA/rubbing alcohol or similar, and if you live in a place where that isn't readily available (hi, UK)

 

What? A lot of high-street chemists generally won't carry it any more, but IPA isn't remotely difficult to buy in the UK.

 

 

Great, can you list where on the high street I can buy IPA ? I can readily get Tamiya X20A on the high street

[Lucien Eilam]

I don't think "readily available" means "must be available from a high street retailer". You can get a gallon of 99.9% IPA delivered to your door next day for less than 20 quid. By any sane measure, that's ready availability, and no cause to start looking for vastly more expensive alternatives.