[TIP][DIY] Metallizing normal color paints with my 'Semen Sample'

How to 'metallize' your paint

Picture from homedepot.com

 どうも！
Here is a good tip for 'metallizing' your normal colored paint.  I'll also teach you how to decant your paint from the spraycan for airbrushing.

Info about metallic paints

Simply speaking, metallic paints are just normal paints with a special metallizing particles mixed in it.  Usually the finish for this type of paint are very glossy and shiny, with a kind of a 'metal' feel to it.
The metal look is probably caused by the extra light being reflected by the metallizing particles in the paint.

A sample of Metallic Blue
Picture from http://www.imsupplies.co.uk

Sometimes, if the particles are fine enough, it may be loosely referred to as 'pearl' coating (I maybe wrong on this claim though).  Pearl coating produces a good shiny, glossy and metallic finish and are usually achieved by using special paints as well.

Making pearl-ed paint colors is just a matter of adding an amount of 'pearl powder' to your batch of paint.

White pearl powder
http://www.robotines.com

I don't have any pearl powder at my disposal and so I will just try to teach here how to get that metallic look that we all know.

Note: I have to say that the end product of this method is best suited for airbrush use.

For this sample, I used the following 'ingredients' and tools: 

• Bosny Dark Blue (No. 28)
• Bosny White Pearl (No. 1130)
• Drinking Straw
• Masking tape
• Solvent-resistant container (or glass jar just to be sure)

Decanting Paint

Since I use spraycans as a source of my paint for airbrushing, here is the basic process for decanting paint for your airbrushing use.

First step, firmly align and attach a short segment of drinking straw to nozzle of the spraycan.  Here I used a drinking straw that we usually get from fastfoods (so now you know where to get an unlimited supply of straws for decanting purposes).  Bendy straws are also advisable and might help in getting a cleaner decanting result.

Fix and seal properly using masking tape

Shake the can as you normally would do as preparation for the spraying process.  This would ensure all pigments will be properly distributed over the carrier liquid.  The next thing you will have to do is of course just spray into the container of your choice.
When spraying the paint, I suggest spraying in steady stream and not in bursts.  This will help you avoid a mess when as burst-spraying will displace any paint you already collected in the container.

I usually take a break when it is half-filled to shake the spraycan and redistribute pigments inside.
Look at that 'semen sample' I've just collected.

A nice amount of semen sample out in the open

Using any stirring rod of your choice (mine is a thin skewer), stir the paint very gently for a few times.

Stirring the paint will help get rid of the aerosol/propellant mixed with the paint.  Getting rid of the aerosol will ensure that the paint will not build up pressure while it is capped and in storage which might give you a surprise facial the next time you open the container.  After this, shake the can again then continue ejecting the paint to your desired amount.

That's a lot of 'sample' in one session

Once satisfied, I usually leave the container partially covered like above.  I also placed the container in my spraybooth so that my exhaust fan can help purge both smell and aerosol from the vicinity.  Technically, the paint is now ready to use.  For my case, I stir the paint every 15 minutes for the next hour (i.e. stirring it 4 times in a span of an hour).  Letting it sit for an hour will ensure that aerosol will pretty much gone and the stirring will help hasten the process.  After an hour, your paint will also be ready for storage if needed.
A good advice when stirring the paint: make sure to dip your stirring rod into the paint gently before actually stirring it.  Sometimes, the paint is so dense that it tends to trap the aerosol within it.  Introducing a foreign object might give that trapped air something to help it escape and will cause a Mentos+Diet Coke effect which is a complete mess and a waste of paint.  Also, remember to always stir your paint gently.  Now that the paint is out, time to use it!

Time to metallize

For this sample, I used Bosny Dark Blue for my base color.  Sorry I forgot to snap a solo pic of the color by itself but I don't think it matters.
Anyway, I loaded the paint into my airbrush and this is where the magic happens.  Remember that I said before that you can use pearl powder for this?  Well, since I don't have one, I used the paint I just decanted - Bosny White Pearl.

 
Bosny's White Pearl paint is very translucent and so I thought that it will not change the shade of the base color that much.  Using a pipette, I added several drops to the dark blue.  I don't actually have ratio to follow.  I just added the paint by eye as this was just a test but I guess if you're doing this for an actual project, you might want to set a number of drops to keep things consistent.  Just remember, the more white pearl you add in, the more sparkly it will become.  With the mix I have, I sprayed it and here is the result:

I actually liked the result for this.  The result has the illusion that the metallized layer is beneath the blue color with blue just sprayed over it.  I initially though that it would be like metallic particles evident on the paint surface but instead it resulted to this 'layered paint' look.
Here is the comparison of metallic dark blue and the normal dark blue (left to right):

LOL, you can see my reflection in to photo

As you can see, the dark blue's shade is not affected [that much] at all.  It just added a new metallic layer to it thanks to the White Pearl added to the paint.

Now you might asking, why don't I just buy the ready to use Metallic Blue in the first place?  Well, that of course is up to you.  So far, you might only get colors like Metallic Blue, Red, Green etc.  But having this knowledge means you can turn virtually any opaque colored paint into a metallic one.  You can choose any shade of color you like and turn it metallic.  You can also control the level of metallization because you can control the amount of White Pearl in the mix.  In short, this method will give you access to more color possibilities for your projects in the long run.

Beside this, if you manage to get your hands on the pearl powder I mentioned, try it as well.  It might produce better results than this.

Hope you learned something from this - until next time! :D