Looking for advice on metallic black

[PhilB]

Hi Everyone,

 

I’m trying out a scheme for my Deathwatch project and struggling a little to get the finish I’m after with the black power armour.

Basically trying to get metallic black for the armour using the process below;

1. Airbrush black primer

2. Airbrush metallic black

3. Airbrush @ 90 degrees to model with dark silver

4. Airbrush @45 degrees to model with light silver

5. Airbrush all over with a very thinned down black metallic

 

I’ll try get some photos up of my progress but I feel like the end result is still very ‘metal’ and not enough black. I was thinking of replacing step 5 with thinned down black Templar contrast paint. Anyone have any experience in how that turns out?

 

Additionally, I was really struggling to pin wash the recesses with Nuln Oil on my first squad. Any thoughts on getting the wash to flow into the recesses a little better would be super appreciated. I’ve heard about spraying gloss varnish beforehand and that’s supposed to help the wash flow, anyone have any experience with this?

 

Thanks All!

[Cris R]

So the gloss varnish trick works but I usually mix Lahmian Medium with my shades - including non-GW ones - to improve the flow and preserve the shading I get using Zenithal priming like you’re using with your Deathwatch recipe. I do a 50/50 mix but vary it up depending on how much of the shade I want to add to the mini.

[Imren]

I suggest this instead, these paints are way smoother through the airbrush, and you can adjust to what extent you want the underlying metallic effect shine through the transparent black filter:

1. Prime black.
2. Base all over with Vallejo Metal Color gun metal 77.720
3. Do your (zenithal?) highlighting with Vallejo Metal Color Chrome 77.707
4. Dilute Tamiya Smoke X-19 1:1 with Tamiya X-20A thinner and cover the mini in thin layers until you're happy with the darkness. You can speed up this process with a tiny bit of Tamiya black XF-1 mixed into the cup along the smoke mixture.

 

Cheers,

Imren

[N1SB]

Brother, i sprayed mine with a Gunmetal spray (direct equivalent of Leadbelcher), then washed with Tamiya Smoke. Tamiya Smoke is like my equivalent of Agrax Earthshade but for metals when I want to keep a shiney sheen. Yours is a far more sophisticated version, so actually it's not my place to advise you, but here's what my dude looks like:

Very metallic, very black. There was some drybrushing of a silver just to bring out the edges. Actually I'm looking at mine and I'm wondering why I haven't done a Primaris Iron Hands army or something.

[PhilB]

So great ideas. Thanks for the tip on thinning the wash. I’m pretty new to painting/pretty bad, but learning as I go.

Alrighty, figured out how to get some pics up!

These are still very much a work in progress!

The below 3 are after washing;

These two are before washing;

So yeah, too metal/silver, not enough black, in my opinion.

[Bryan Blaire]

Check out this thread, PhilB: http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/367043-dark-metallic/

 

Lot of discussion on getting dark metallics/metallic black.

[PhilB]

Thanks for that, I’ll check it out.

[NiftyVT]

I just finished up my dark metal Necrons. I used Vallejo Black Metal followed by Mig enamel Black Wash (everywhere and wipe excess off after it dries) and then a little silver dry brush to make it pop. See signature link to my Cron thread for lots of pictures and a step by step.

DSCF0364 by nifty, on Flickr

[Imren]

If you have an airbrush you can easily blacken the silver with some filters, either dilute black paint alot and airbrush over the armour or (better) do the same with Tamiya X-19 Smoke, that one is true transparent paint that doesn't dull down the metallic sheen as much as regular thinned black paint.

[PhilB]

Thanks for the advice. I’ve stripped these minis back to plastic now and picked up some Tamiya smoke. I’ll give this method a shot soon. Thanks again.

[Lovecraft0110]

Hi Everyone,

I’m trying out a scheme for my Deathwatch project and struggling a little to get the finish I’m after with the black power armour.

Basically trying to get metallic black for the armour using the process below;

1. Airbrush black primer

2. Airbrush metallic black

3. Airbrush @ 90 degrees to model with dark silver

4. Airbrush @45 degrees to model with light silver

5. Airbrush all over with a very thinned down black metallic

I’ll try get some photos up of my progress but I feel like the end result is still very ‘metal’ and not enough black. I was thinking of replacing step 5 with thinned down black Templar contrast paint. Anyone have any experience in how that turns out?

Additionally, I was really struggling to pin wash the recesses with Nuln Oil on my first squad. Any thoughts on getting the wash to flow into the recesses a little better would be super appreciated. I’ve heard about spraying gloss varnish beforehand and that’s supposed to help the wash flow, anyone have any experience with this?

Thanks All!

You have an airbrush, obviously - do you have a booth/extractor and a respirator mask? If so, I have a suggestion for you for a really realistic finish.

[PhilB]

Apologies for the delayed reply Lovecraft, work has been pretty crazy on the lead up to the end of calendar year, so no time for hobbies.

Yes I have an airbrush, respirator & extraction booth.

I purchased some tamiya smoke & tamiya thinner a few weeks back.

Pretty keen to try a base coat in metallic black, followed by highlights in silver then lighter silver and finally tinting the whole mini in thinned tamiya clear black.

That said, if you have anything to add I’d love to read it as I’m about to try knock out a bunch of models over the holiday period.

Thanks again all for the advice everyone.

[Lovecraft0110]

Apologies for the delayed reply Lovecraft, work has been pretty crazy on the lead up to the end of calendar year, so no time for hobbies.

Yes I have an airbrush, respirator & extraction booth.

I purchased some tamiya smoke & tamiya thinner a few weeks back.

Pretty keen to try a base coat in metallic black, followed by highlights in silver then lighter silver and finally tinting the whole mini in thinned tamiya clear black.

That said, if you have anything to add I’d love to read it as I’m about to try knock out a bunch of models over the holiday period.

Thanks again all for the advice everyone.

No worries. We may have different understandings of whar "metallic black" means. For me, it would be like automotive black, with metallic flakes in it, but it sounds like what you want is blackened steel, which is totally different.

 

If you do want a blackened metal finish, then as much as Iike Tamiya smoke I would recommend a different approach. Prime black, basecoat with AK Xtreme Metal Steel or Alclad Steel, allow to cure for 48h. Then airbrush AMMO Black enamel wash all over the place (hence respirator). Allow to dry for 2h. Remove excess with odorless thinner. Then repeat if needed. Finally, add a lighter coat of other enamels (Dark, Track Wash) over certain areas which might get rusty.

 

I have a video on this very topic with an AT Warlord Titan - same principle but I used a greenish wash (Dark Wash) that time.

Edited December 19, 2020 by Lovecraft0110

[betrayer41]