Best Silver For Body Paint?

[oldcarfan]

I'm looking for a good silver to use for a build I'm planning. I've used some Duplicolor before, and one worked well, and one didn't. The main problem with a lot of brands is that the flake is really coarse and out of scale. As I said, one Duplicolor worked really well, but when it was empty, I threw away the can and couldn't remember which one it was. Anyway, I'd like some ideas for spray cans. Is Tamiya a good option?

[Ace-Garageguy]

One of the Tamiya silvers was recommended to me when I was in need of a very fine-flake silver to do a vintage Mercedes race car.

It looked good, but I can't recall the number fo' sho. TS-30 maybe? TS-76 perhaps?

EDIT: Note that TS-83 is intended to replicate bare aluminum, for aircraft fuselages etc., doesn't like clear or being masked over, and requires a black base "for best results".

Edited January 28, 2024 by Ace-Garageguy

[jaymcminn]

Tamiya TS-17 Gloss Aluminum is good stuff. Fine metallic flakes and doesn't mind clear coat.

[Richard Bartrop]

I liked Model Master German Silver for that, because it had some depth.  You might still be able to hunt down some jars.

[bobss396]

I have been going back and forth between Tamita TS-30 and TS-76. I believe that the TS-30 is a little nicer on a body.

[R. Thorne]

This might give you some idea of what the ts30 would look like.  

[DiscoRover007]

TS-17 Gloss Aluminum is probably the best in scale silver look from a spray can. It takes a lot of work and prep to make it look just right though. You could probably say that of most silvers. You need to wet sand your primer and get it very smooth. Use light coats from a heated can first. Keep your wet coats consistent but not too heavy so you can avoid dark spots. If you are using TS-13 to clear it, you need to again start with light coats to keep the color coat from re-activating.

TS-76 is a good silver too and is more forgiving than TS-17 but the flake is a little larger and has more of a sparkle (Still in scale in my opinion compared to most options).  A body with well prepped primer, and finely sanded color coats before the last wet coat of TS-76 will give you a very fine silver look.

TS-30 Silver leaf is very very fine. It's almost more of a plating than it is silver flake. This being the case your primer needs to be baby smooth to keep it looking "fine". It will not cover any flaws whatsoever in your paint. Its a good color but I think it so bare of "grain" that its not quite as pleasing to the eye as TS-17 is.

 

Edited February 5, 2024 by DiscoRover007

[bobss396]

I have a couple of cans of Black Gold Orion Silver. I have not used them, but I bought them to use under pearls and candies. I haven't seen the paint around for a long time, they were based in Texas.

[Claude Thibodeau]

Hi!

Silver leaf is nice, with radiance that is more "in scale" with model cars. However, it is trickier to apply, and sensible to "mottling" if you don't have a steady fan and stable distance from the model. Here's a sample of the final results. Good luck! 

CT

[keviiin86]

I've had great results with enamel dupli color silver caliper paint..used it on several occasions on my car, when last assembling my engine I painted the timing cover and valley cover with it and used some rustoleum enamel 2x clear over it..with minimal prep it turned out very nice.  The silver has a very fine flake to it lays down nicely, and the rustoleum clear gives it a very smooth finish.  Next time I decide to paint a model car body silver that's what I'll be using. I zoomed into the timing cover on my LS to show the finish as best as I can.