Molotow Pen Question

[jaxenro]

So I bought a Molotow pen to do some chrome trim with little things. Do I apply to bare plastic, primer'd plastic, or over gloss paint. And is it compatible with different paints like lacquer and enamel?

[StevenGuthmiller]

You can use it over basically anything.

Any smooth base will give you a shiny finish.

 

Steve

[bugman9317]

Yes you can apply it to pretty much anything. They work really well if you take a little out of the pen an airbrush with them also. Here are some bumper I just did using an airbrush

 

 

 

[Snake45]

1 hour ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

You can use it over basically anything.

Any smooth base will give you a shiny finish.

 

Steve

What he said. 

[Ben]

Has anyone painted or clear coated over the ink (paint?) 

if so, what were the results?

[jchrisf]

I tried to use my Pens over Duplicolor Acrylic Enamel gloss white the other day and I thought my pens had run out of paint because the chrome would not stick.  Tried them on bare plastic and they worked fine, so, I stripped the paint off and used them on the bare white plastic instead and they worked fine.  I don't know what the problem was but that is the first time I have experienced a problem with them.

[dshue76]

6 hours ago, jchrisf said:

I tried to use my Pens over Duplicolor Acrylic Enamel gloss white the other day and I thought my pens had run out of paint because the chrome would not stick.  Tried them on bare plastic and they worked fine, so, I stripped the paint off and used them on the bare white plastic instead and they worked fine.  I don't know what the problem was but that is the first time I have experienced a problem with them.

Did it seem like the ink was softening the paint? I've had silver Sharpies do this with water based acrylics that weren't fully cured. The Molotow is an alcohol base and therefore will likely soften fresh paint and this would be more noticeable when using the tip of the marker(rubbing) as opposed to airbrushing.

[jchrisf]

 

34 minutes ago, dshue76 said:

Did it seem like the ink was softening the paint? I've had silver Sharpies do this with water based acrylics that weren't fully cured. The Molotow is an alcohol base and therefore will likely soften fresh paint and this would be more noticeable when using the tip of the marker(rubbing) as opposed to airbrushing.

No, it didn't soften the paint.  It just would not put any chrome on the paint.. as though my pen was out of chrome, but it was not.  Actually, I did not use the Duplicolor Acrylic Enamel Gloss white as I first noted.  I just check the can and it is Duplicolor Acrylic Lacquer gloss white.  Sorry for any confusion.  Also, I waited several days after painting before trying to apply the Molotow so the paint was definitely dry.

[StevenGuthmiller]

If you have ever witnessed the phenomena of trying to write on glossy paper with an ink pen and having no ink appear on it, this might be the same type of deal.

Maybe your paint is too shiny?

 

Steve

[bugman9317]

That's weird. I have used it with no problem over high gloss black  because they were pieces I prepped for Alclad.

[jchrisf]

2 hours ago, bugman9317 said:

That's weird. I have used it with no problem over high gloss black  because they were pieces I prepped for Alclad.

 

4 hours ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

If you have ever witnessed the phenomena of trying to write on glossy paper with an ink pen and having no ink appear on it, this might be the same type of deal.

Maybe your paint is too shiny?

 

Steve

I will definitely take note on future builds to see if there is any similarities and report back.

[jchrisf]

22 hours ago, bugman9317 said:

Yes you can apply it to pretty much anything. They work really well if you take a little out of the pen an airbrush with them also. Here are some bumper I just did using an airbrush

 

 

 

That looks fabulous!  What airbrush did you use and how much did you take out of the pen?  Those Molotow refills are expensive compared to Alclad.

[bugman9317]

I use a GrexTS3 airbrush. Those probably took half a cup for all of them. It is more expensive than Alclad, but for some reason I only could get mixed results with Alclad. It always came out looking like old chrome for some reason.

[Speedfreak]

James,  those bumper look fabulous!

[jchrisf]

17 hours ago, bugman9317 said:

I use a GrexTS3 airbrush. Those probably took half a cup for all of them. It is more expensive than Alclad, but for some reason I only could get mixed results with Alclad. It always came out looking like old chrome for some reason.

Do you know about how much chrome is in a pen?

[bugman9317]

2 hours ago, jchrisf said:

Do you know about how much chrome is in a pen?

I am going to guess probably 1/2 oz, maybe less. The refills come in a 1oz bottle.

[James2]

On 8/18/2018 at 8:10 PM, jchrisf said:

That looks fabulous!  What airbrush did you use and how much did you take out of the pen?  Those Molotow refills are expensive compared to Alclad.

Your comment interests me. I am considering this Molotow option for chrome. I have a local source but have no idea of cost yet.

Molotow is basically a one coat application, correct?

Alclad if done correctly is three coats, gloss black, clear and chrome. Primer not counted in either application.

Does the cost equal out better considering this?

[jchrisf]

For $30 an ounce for the Molotow I would say the Alclad is a little less expensive but I have not  really investigated further... you do bring up a good point though that I will consider.  And the Molotow process is much easier it appears and gurus like Bob Downie love Molotow.  

[89AKurt]

Since using these is new for me, am going to watch this topic.  All I know, when you paint it on, do not go back over the spot, looks like *#@%.  I'm also leery of touching it.

[StevenGuthmiller]

At $30.00 an ounce, I really question the cost effectiveness of using the Molotow ink for bumpers over having parts re-plated.

You can send an entire rack of parts to Chrome Tech, (I can usually fit all of the parts for about 8 or 9 kits on one rack) and have them re-chromed for $23.95.

The finish of a re-plated part is undoubtedly more durable than a part finished with Molotow ink.

I really don't know what the advantage would be for using Molotow other than the time factor.

I can understand using the Molotow ink for a part here & there, but if you need a bunch of parts done & want to be certain that they will be professional looking and will hold up over time, I would go with a plating service without question.

 

 

Steve

[Michael jones]

Molotow can be thinned down about 3 or 4:1 with lacquer thinner for airbrushing. I'd say a lot more cost effective than alclad and easier to get a good result. The more layers you have to add to a paint job, the more chance of failure. That is where Molotow wins. However the downside is Molotow is quite fragile without a clear coat.

[James2]

50 minutes ago, Michael jones said:

Molotow can be thinned down about 3 or 4:1 with lacquer thinner for airbrushing. I'd say a lot more cost effective than alclad and easier to get a good result. The more layers you have to add to a paint job, the more chance of failure. That is where Molotow wins. However the downside is Molotow is quite fragile without a clear coat.

So is Alclad...

Plating is good if time is not against you. But then the question of "TOY LIKE" comes into play.

[StevenGuthmiller]

48 minutes ago, Michael jones said:

 However the downside is Molotow is quite fragile without a clear coat.

That's my biggest fear.

I have not used it for anything larger than something small like mirrors or window cranks.

Will it retain it's mirror qualities with a clear coat, or is it like most other things and loses that quality.

Even spraying a clear coat over kit chrome changes the chrome like finish.

 

Steve

[StevenGuthmiller]

1 minute ago, James2 said:

So is Alclad...

Plating is good if time is not against you. But then the question of "TOY LIKE" comes into play.

I'm not sure what you mean about "toy like" with "real" chrome.

Please explain.

 

Steve

[James2]

I see some chrome in modern kits that appears more like a toy than would be desired on a scale model. 

All chrome is not the same, kind of like all that glitters is not gold...