Tinting Molotow with alcohol inks?

[Evil Eye]

Molotow Chrome is one of my favourite paints, due to its ease of use and incredible results. However, for chrome colours other than silver it can be a bit of a pain to use, as a lot of clears don't play nice over it; due to being an alcohol-based ink it is quite chemically fragile, and lacquer paints such as Mr. Color will reactivate it and ruin the finish.

 

I have some UV resin colour tints, which I have discovered can be mixed with clear paints and might be useful combined with the (much gentler) Tamiya clear for custom colours. However, I had another idea- directly tinting the chrome itself. The UV resin tints don't work for this as they refuse to mix at all with the chrome, but I'm wondering if clear alcohol-based inks would work (being as they are essentially the same stuff as Molotow)? I don't want to rush out and buy them if they don't work for this, but I am curious.

[Evil Eye]

Update: Nope!

[space wolf]

So I've used Tamiya clear over molotow chrome, it works ok. I'd suggest perhaps a gloss varnish over the chrome, then tint with paint of choice. That may work.

[pawl]

2 hours ago, space wolf said:

So I've used Tamiya clear over molotow chrome, it works ok. I'd suggest perhaps a gloss varnish over the chrome, then tint with paint of choice. That may work.

For a tint over the top would an ultra matte acrylic varnish not work better? Glazes or washes over gloss would act like super Contrast, and refuse to stay on the raised or middle areas, no?

[Evil Eye]

Yeah, clear paints over the top of chrome is the more normal approach (and incidentally the alcohol inks DO mix very nicely with Tamiya clear!). I was wondering if it was possible to sidestep the topcoat stage altogether. As it turns out, no.

[space wolf]

On 4/14/2023 at 6:18 PM, pawl said:

For a tint over the top would an ultra matte acrylic varnish not work better? Glazes or washes over gloss would act like super Contrast, and refuse to stay on the raised or middle areas, no?

The reason I suggest gloss, is because if you go with matte, the shine from the chrome is just gone. At that point, what's the point?

[pawl]

6 hours ago, space wolf said:

The reason I suggest gloss, is because if you go with matte, the shine from the chrome is just gone. At that point, what's the point?

Fair point, hadn't considered that!

[Firedrake Cordova]

18 hours ago, space wolf said:

The reason I suggest gloss, is because if you go with matte, the shine from the chrome is just gone. At that point, what's the point?

You could put a final varnish of gloss over the top once it's fully painted?  

[space wolf]

Indeed, but that's an extra step. Efficiency is big for me, but maybe not as important to others. :)