ATOM METALLIC Brass

AMMO ATOM METALLIC Brass - Acrylic Metallic Paint, 20 ml

ATOM is a range of water-thinnable acrylics from AMMO of Mig Jimenez, and METALLIC is its metallic sub-range. The binder is the same as in the other ATOM paints - a water-thinnable acrylic - and the difference is made by the pigment: it contains metal particles that make the surface genuinely reflect light like metal. The bottle holds 20 ml. The paint levels itself out as it flows, dries quickly and covers solidly; it can be used with a brush and with an airbrush, and for spraying the manufacturer recommends adding about thirty percent of thinner from the ATOM range. A dry coat will carry further acrylics, enamels and decal softeners.

Brass, Not Copper - Where the Difference Lies

This is the most common mix-up in the whole metallic sub-range, so let us clear it up right away: brass is yellower and lighter, copper is reddish and darker. Brass is an alloy that belongs on models everywhere something was manufactured, machined or polished: cartridge cases and artillery components, fittings and hinges, locks, decorative elements and plates, instrument bezels, binoculars and periscopes, ship fittings, historical accessories, musical instruments. If you are not sure whether a given part was brass or copper, go by function: conducting heat and water means copper, mechanism and ornament mean brass. When a model needs both, the contrast of the two shades side by side makes the metal detail legible.

How to work with metallic paint

• Shake it until the ball rattles. The metal pigment is the heaviest component of the paint and sinks to the bottom between coats. Without proper mixing you will mostly apply binder and the brass will come out pale and without sparkle.
• The base decides. The smoother and glossier the surface, the sharper the metallic reflection. On a rough base the reflection scatters and polished brass turns into a flat ocher.
• Save it for the end. A metallic surface is hard to overspray and masking tape likes to mark it - so apply the brass after the other colors.
• Thin coats and patience. The metallic effect comes from evenness, not from the thickness of the coat.

Who the paint is for

For modelers of artillery and figures, builders of historical ships and interiors, collectors who want small fittings and instruments to stand apart from the surrounding steel - and for anyone for whom it is not enough that brass is just some kind of yellow.

Keep tightly closed and out of the reach of children. Wash brushes and the airbrush immediately after work, as dried metallic paint comes out of the fiber only with difficulty.