LadyInWhite Phasma Build

[LadyInWhite[TK]]

Of course! Steal away!

 

I have finally made the leap and ordered my spray chroming materials from http://angelgilding.com/.

 

Based on gordontarpley videos on YouTube, as well as his personal assistance (I'm sure he cringes every time Messenger shows me pinging him!)... I'm doing the Alclad system. 
 

That said, Gordon has a lot of tips and tricks for saving both time and money... So instead of ordering an entire kit, I am ordering:

 

• 2-Part Spray Silver Concentrate, 120 ml
• Uni-Coat Lightfast Tint - Violet, 2 fl oz
• Sensitizer for 2-Part Silver, 30 ml
• Wetting Agent, 60 ml
• Measuring Cylinder, 250 ml
• Measuring Cylinder, 50 ml

Then, at a local car shop / PepBoys, I'll get a urethane clear coat & hardener as the final step, rather than the super expensive stuff on Angelguilding.com. (Naturally I expect to find it expensive everywhere.)

 

I already have a few other items, such as Turtle Wax polish; I need to get more cans of Krylon gloss black, I have a trigger, a 1000 ml cylinder, I need a proper respirator. The final killer will be to find an airbrush, ideally to borrow from someone, but at worst I'll buy one, and an air compressor, which I can buy, borrow, steal, or rent, and two gravity-fed bottles, and two regular spray bottles, and I have sandpaper galore.

 

This is how I understand the procedure at this time:

 

Step 1: Wash the dust, static, tape grime, and so on off in a warm bath; rinse with distilled water.

Step 2: When dry, paint gloss black. Sand with 2000 grit if needed to smooth finish. Buff.

Step 3: Wipe on car polish with a barely damp paper towel until the mirror reflection is incredibly sharp in the paint. Buff lightly.

Step 4: Dilute and spray on Wetting Agent with spray bottle, as evenly as possible.

Step 5: Dilute and spray on Sensitizer. (Gordon is mixing them and doing it in one step, we'll see if I can get clarity on measurements.)

Step 6: Mix and airbrush silvering agent onto parts using finest spray setting and 15-20 PSI, 2-3 inches from the part, in sweeping motions.

Step 7: Buff lightly with tissue or toilet paper frequently during silvering; touch up any exposed parts.

Step 8: Mix violet tint into clear coat and coat the parts; follow up with hardener.

Step 9: When cured (not dried), paint on Elmer's Glue for weathered look. Scrape or rub off areas to reveal shiny.

Step 10: Assemble parts.

 

I estimate 4 full days, including Thanksgiving Day if my husband is cooking and I don't get my stuff until Monday: Tues, Weds, Thurs, Fri. This weekend is all washing, painting, polishing, and maybe doing some more cape prep if I need a break. I do have one child's soccer game and one Make-a-Wish appearance tomorrow, but WE CAN DO THIS!

 

Hopefully in that span, my new accessories from Thorssen will arrive and I can chrome them too; if not, I'll be using the stretch vinyl chrome on all those temporary parts.

 

 

I seriously am crazy.

[Toddo[TK]]

You are crazy Ingrid, and I can't wait to see your results.

[pyrofighting[501st]]

I have some paint questions, suggestions for you.

 

May I ask why you would sand with 2000 grit? Most paint requires 400-800 grit before top coat. Any finer and it won't stick. Paint sticks in two ways chemically bonds or mechanically. Only the final clear coat chemically bonds.

 

Is this before laying down the black paint? Why use rattle can black? If your gonna have a spray gun you would be better off buying a gallon of single stage black (Mercedes is darkest). It would cost about as much as rattle cans and look waaaaay better.

 

Edit... Also, using rattle can paint will cause more orange peel which will ruin the look of the chrome.

 

Back to rattle can clears. I would stay away from clears for a job like this. Get a good European urethane clear from the paint shop, not pep boys. Again, this is the most critical part of the caroming job. This is where most people ruin it (like myself). Clear coat will alter the sheen of the chrome look based on mixing, air temp, etc. I would practice an entire piece first before trying on your real armor.

Edited November 21, 2015 by pyrofighting

[pyrofighting[501st]]

A good place to order paints, spray guns, etc. is TCPglobal.com. I have never ordered form them but friends have. I have a local paint shop nearby.

[LadyInWhite[TK]]

I have some paint questions, suggestions for you.

 

May I ask why you would sand with 2000 grit? Most paint requires 400-800 grit before top coat. Any finer and it won't stick. Paint sticks in two ways chemically bonds or mechanically. Only the final clear coat chemically bonds.

 

Is this before laying down the black paint? Why use rattle can black? If your gonna have a spray gun you would be better off buying a gallon of single stage black (Mercedes is darkest). It would cost about as much as rattle cans and look waaaaay better.

 

Edit... Also, using rattle can paint will cause more orange peel which will ruin the look of the chrome.

 

Back to rattle can clears. I would stay away from clears for a job like this. Get a good European urethane clear from the paint shop, not pep boys. Again, this is the most critical part of the caroming job. This is where most people ruin it (like myself). Clear coat will alter the sheen of the chrome look based on mixing, air temp, etc. I would practice an entire piece first before trying on your real armor.

 

 

A good place to order paints, spray guns, etc. is TCPglobal.com. I have never ordered form them but friends have. I have a local paint shop nearby.

 

Peter, where have you been all my life!

 

The 2000 grit is after the paint to get rid of orange peel. The turtle wax is to shine, polish, and fill in any "orange peel" variations so the thing is smooth. I am just doing what Gordon recommended and what he does, but I most certainly don't want to ruin the very bottom layer, so I will look for the higher quality paint. I don't already have a sprayer so I still have options. Angelguilding sells a compressor-less sprayer in their kit but it's one more thing to have to learn.

 

For the urethane clear coat, I wasn't talking rattle can Can't mix the tint in that anyway. I am looking for higher quality which is why I thought a car shop might work... but if they don't carry better clear coats, I'll shop around. It's the last step so I have a day or two to figure that out and get it ordered if it isn't local. Suggestions for that?

[Darth Aloha[Admin]]

Have you seen this sawzall attachment to shake rattle cans?

 

http://www.amazon.com/MixKwik-MK2-Tool/dp/B0055S7DJS

 

I think Irish Pete of my Garrison used one for his TFA TK. 

 

-Eric

[ukswrath[Staff]]

Have you seen this sawzall attachment to shake rattle cans?

 

http://www.amazon.com/MixKwik-MK2-Tool/dp/B0055S7DJS

 

I think Irish Pete of my Garrison used one for his TFA TK. 

 

-Eric

 

Love it! Headed to Amazon to get one, thanks boss

[pyrofighting[501st]]

It will be impossible to sand parts like this to remove orange peel. Adding the wrong wax will prevent any further paint from adhering and I guarantee fish eyes. Not good.

 

Also, 2000 grit isn't used to remove orange peel. You would start with 800-1200 pending on how much there is. But you will probably just breakthrough to the plastic. Your not gonna want to sand this.

 

I would pay a paint shop to shoot the armor two stage black, no clear (My last post I said single stage, I typed that wrong). Then you can add this chrome process to painted pieces. Then take them back to the paint shop and let them clear them.

 

Why do you want to add violet to the clear? Were you told this would give it a more chrome look? I would advise against this. If you really have to then you can add house of kolor kandy purple concentrate to the clear. But that would be a very small amount and I still think it's a bad choice.

 

The other thing I am unsure of is this chrome process. Make sure with the manufacturer that a urethane clear will work with it. Another option would be house of kolor chrome.

 

Purchasing the guns, compressor, and equipment needed to pull off this job is probably out of most people wheel house. Very expensive and a lot of labor.

Edited November 22, 2015 by pyrofighting

[jimmiroquai[TK]]

I'm not sure waxing before painting / chroming is a good idea...

[LadyInWhite[TK]]

On the waxing/chroming/painting/sanding/whatever topic:

 

I'm super glad to have so many other links, suggestions, and so on here. I'm sure this will help all current & future Phasma builders have more opportunities to weight their options.

 

Regarding my choices:

 

I have chosen a mid-level do-it-yourself silvering chemical spray to chrome my armor. The alternatives are chrome paint, which is never sharp enough, and chrome vinyl wrap, which had built-in orange peel but was mighty reflective otherwise. On the other end of the spectrum is send it out which is (a) super expensive, but certainly the most desirable, and ( super time consuming, which would take me well beyond the movie opener, much less this parade I'm consigned not to make. (TK!)

 

Gordon Tarpley has made many C3PO suits that are spectacular using this method, process, materials, etc. I am literally purchasing exactly what he tells me and what he uses himself. If he can make his 3POs come out brilliantly (and I have seen one in person, one was on the Jimmy Kimmel show), I know this process will work for me. He's done it enough that he knows what corners to cut and how to finagle things to be just right, like using Elmer's Glue to weather. He is a neighbor; he is also currently chroming Michael Bender's Phasma helmet using all this. In this method, the chrome solution is a 2-part mixed solution that layers a mist of silver particles onto the existing paint. The urethane clear coat has a natural yellowing tint to it, and so it is necessary to add a dye to counteract the tint; thus, in 3PO he puts a gold dye, and in silver chrome you add a violet dye. These are all products sold by Alclad and other spray chroming suppliers so trust me when I say this is "normal."

 

Unfortunately for the Phasma helmet he's doing, I'm almost a step ahead, but I haven't done anything but wash the helmet so far. His videos are here.

 

I was able to get a compressor, mid-quality spray gun, hoses, cleaning kit, valve adapter, and a few other things for $163 including tax. (I also borrowed a larger compressor from a friend today.) That definitely didn't break my bank. The silver compound and other materials cost me $94 plus shipping. The biggest cost to me is time... and there is NO WAY I can get a pro painter to paint these 60+ parts for less than $250 and then still have to chrome it myself. Sending out for chroming would be $2500 or much, much more. 

 

Also I looked for automotive black airbrush paint and only found stuff with pearling or metallic, and not to mention I don't want to wait another minute for shipping. As it is, I'm not sure when my chroming chemicals will arrive - I was hoping Monday but I haven't received a UPS confirmation yet... sigh. The point is, I need to be ready to go when they arrive.

 

Let's be clear: I'm not waxing anything. It's a polishing compound just like we use to get our shinies shiner. Personally I might switch from Turtle Wax back to Maguires which I like better than Novus. Anyway, it works like the finest grit sandpaper. The purpose is to get a smooth surface and a sharp reflection.

 

TODAY'S WORK:

1. I thoroughly washed and rinsed every part with dish soap and water, scrubbed as best I could with a microfiber cloth, and then sprayed a final rinse with distilled water. Everything air-dried to avoid static and particulates.
2. I sprayed black gloss. I practiced on some scraps and my old clone shins, and it's all good. I found the perfect technique to get a nice gloss after 2-3 coats. The hard part is getting the edges. Tomorrow i have to hit a few pieces again and then do my big pieces. I'm going to start from the inside so that I get my edges without oversaturating the fronts. So far, no eyeballs or whatever.
3. I found that sanding with 320 evenly before spraying the black gloss yields a much glossier finish from the get-go. So after having sprayed all the boxes and some back parts, I sanded all my main/visible parts except the chest and ab. I would have continued but it's past 11pm and I'm sure my neighbors will be calling the police soon. I'll finish those parts in the morning.
4. I haven't used the 2000 grit for anything yet.

The most important thing I discovered today is that the orange peel is all over the @(#(&@ place on the plastic itself. It's easier to find while sanding, so I'm attempting to grind that stuff down. There's a bunch on my thighs and shins, which I noticed when I opened my box and started that process way back when. But What can you do. Those parts are thin and I may have to hit them with some glaze instead. However, Pam is weathered and some of the orange peel is in places "who cares" like between the thighs, so if that's not perfectly shiny chrome, I'll survive.

 

Also, I'll be swapping my left and right shoulder bells, since they are interchangable anyway; the more peely one will go on the left under the cape now, while the super shiny one will go on the right where it is exposed. Some of my botchy bondo work on the TD shows through the paint, but I've seen worse... plus NOBODY WILL EVER EVER SEE IT so it's a good practice piece, as is the butt plate and the back piece.

[Dark PWF[Staff]]

Can't wait to see the pictures! Exciting times indeed!

[Artshot]

I have the feeling that this is going to set a standard for others to follow

[LadyInWhite[TK]]

I have the feeling that this is going to set a standard for others to follow

 

Gawd I hope not!

 

TODAY'S ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

 

I love vacation!!!

 

I finished sanding, did a little more bondo glaze on some big scratches, then sanded some more. I have yet to sand my helmet, that dang thing is super bumpy! Had to charge the drill to put on my attachments. I should mention that my bondo work came out lovely -- until I freaking painted and I might as well not have bothered and screw you, Bondo!

 

Spray painting is going more slowly than I expected, and the shorter days isn't helping. I had some trouble with orange peeling on the paint today, just one can for some reason, maybe it didn't mix right or was faulty, so a lot of wet-sanding and then re-spraying. The second can was fine, and thank goodness because I used that on my bigger pieces. I just did the edging because I hate trying to get those after you have a nice big gloss then the overspray screws up your gloss... so I got one more can and I might need one more for a second coat. (Let's hope this can isn't faulty!)

 

All the small parts are in the house for some polishing tonight. After my son goes to bed (I need some Minecraft time!) I'll work on the belt assembly, then clean house to get ready for the cape, which takes up the entire living room floor. I'm leaving the bottom (attaching) boxes black; I can paint-chrome them later. They don't need to be mirror chrome, but the tops of the boxes do, so I won't be assembling fully until that's done.

 

My chemicals arrive Wednesday. Let's hope that means morning.

 

I am pretty certain she won't be wearable for a 3.2 mile march on Sunday. However, she may be done and assembled... we'll see.

[LadyInWhite[TK]]

Ugh. Kill me now. My arms are falling off. I'm ambidexterous and can do a lot of polishing and sanding with my left arm, but holy moly is it underdeveloped. So both arms are dying, and I haven't even done the big pieces yet.

 

I showed a photo to Gordon over Messenger and he said "almost there, keep polishing" -- seriously, mirror finish. Almost there, yes. "Good enough." 

 

Sorry, it's blurry and grainy.

 

I think Gordon is out to kill me. Or whoever decided I should have one of these stormtrooper kits.

 

Of course, I might be over-doing it. I mean, not only can you NOT see the under-side of the TD, but it will be under a cape. Who knows if she even wears it? Heck, I don't even have to wear it. Some of these have amazing gloss finish. But not enough of them.

 

I am definitely going to wet sand the big pieces. Spray, dry, spray, dry, spray, dry, wet-sand, spray again if needed, and so on, smooth as milk (black milk!) and then polish until mirror reflective.

 

Yay.

 

-----

Earlier:

 

When my last rattle can was running down, I tackled the inside edges. I don't want any white showing, and it's a pain to paint the edges AFTER you've achieved a nice gloss on the main parts.

 

 

At least this part of the insanity should end on Wednesday.

[LadyInWhite[TK]]

I'm all black, and the armor got some paint, too!

 

Lots of shiny! A LOT of wet sanding and more glaze applications, more sanding, more wet sanding... There are a few places that need some extra work (it's weird where/how paint "drips" - hate that!). The chest, which I insist ahve at least the major front center area be perfect, took 4 tries to get it perfect. Stupid paint. But it's good now, one tiny flaw on the side which no one will see or care and at this point my tolerance is higher. The chemicals arrived and I need to be glossy glassy tonight to start immediately in the morning. (Yes, this is the preferred way to spend holiday!)

 

In these images you can see it's far less shiny on the right side, but one more layer after the photos took care of that. I wanted to lay down several coats today so if there are any issues while buffing it will be easy to fix quickly tomorrow. You can also see the natural "rattle can" eggshell texture, which will be smoothed out with 1500 and 2000 and then made glossy again with Maguiar's. (I switched because M is stronger/faster, and does not leave a white-ish film on the armor. Huge difference!)

 

You might ask, why aim for shiny if you're going to sand and buff anyway? The answer: It's easier to wipe quickly with 2000 than to sand for 10 minutes. The glossier the easier.

 

 

[SW1]

Great work Captian I see Phasma's armour as Medieval knight battered and weatherd Pewter and not chrome

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Pickles[TK]]

Did I miss earlier in this thread where 'orange peeling' was explained?

[LadyInWhite[TK]]

Orange peel on the plastic happens when the pull isn't vac-formed fully tight and it gets a bubble-like texture to it, more like lemon peel, actually. A bunch of my parts have this, especially where it's thin. I would personally consider these pulls throw-aways but at the alpha time there was no such thing

 

Orange peel on the paint is when it bunches up into a peely texture, usually where there's oil from fingerprints or it just doesn't like to adhere to the plastic. It happens a lot with this gloss because it doesn't like to stick to itself.

 

There's also eggshell, which is a natural texture that comes from the fact that rattle can paint is pretty thick and has a bit of texture to it, even the gloss. You can really see it in a light; the gloss, for example, while perfectly reflective, is bumpy, so the reflections have jaggies. If thin, this is what the 2000 grit helps loosen off. You lower the height of the asperities and then the compound rubs the caps of the asperities off and deposits them into the valleys, making a smoother surface. Eventually enough polish can make glass smooth.

 

My infernal problem is usually dripping, or drooping, when the paint is just 1 molecule too thick and sinks as it connects to the paint around it, creating a drip look in the paint. Sometimes these come off easily, sometimes they don't come off all the way down to the plastic. Much hatred for these.

 

Today I resorted to wet sanding 600 to 1500 to get ride of orange peel, droops, and asperities, and now I'll polish to glass. Unfortunately, I'm running out of Maguiars, so I have to use the Turtle Wax until the last polish coat, then I am scraping the residue off with the Maguiar's. The one piece that I did not re-tackle is the chest piece, because it is nearly glass already, and I didn't want to paint it again, but if the abs, thighs, etc. come out amazing, I will wet sand the chest tomorrow and do it right.

 

So I'm technically completely done painting and prepping... except for these last few polishes. Needed some family Turkey time anyway, and it's too "California cold" out (like 55' F). In Boston I could wear a t-shirt and shorts in 50 degrees; in Los Angeles 55 feels like 55 below - it chills right to the bone. Totally weird. (I happen to love cold, just not this kind of cold!)

 

Also I started a help group on Facebook to share more resources. Feel free to join, follow, etc. It's closed to avoid every post ending up in our feeds but it's open to us all.

 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/captainphasma/

[LadyInWhite[TK]]

Great work Captian I see Phasma's armour as Medieval knight battered and weatherd Pewter and not chrome

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Eye witness accounts confirm it is mirror-like chrome with weathering on top.

[LadyInWhite[TK]]

Silly me, how often I forget to eat.

 

I'm all chromed. Yay!

 

I decided that in order to still be insanely attempting to be in this parade tomorrow, which is NOT going to happen as Phasma at this point, but an all nighter could change that...

 

What was I saying?

 

Oh yeah. In order to make it short-term, I used about 6 oz of airbrush Alclad 107 chrome, and it's fine. It's apparent why you need a super duper shiny undercoat super smooth glossy blah blah blah. It's also a bit tricky because the first couple of layers go on so shiny and then as you add more coats it starts to get foggy. I did the helmet last and it was the shiniest and also came out pretty nearly great. Not quite great. I buffed it with a paper shop towel until it is as shiny as possible... I could buff other parts but meh. The chest is also very reflective, considering i didn't wet sand that piece; some of the bondo showing on my forearms is screaming for weathering.

 

When winter break comes around, I'll coat in the clear coat, then use my 2-part silvering solution, then the clear coat + violet. This should be even shinier and will go right over the Alclad without additional buffing etc. (Although I might sand a few scratches and fix the bondo first.)

 

I'm looking for belt parts. I have to assemble that and fingers, then I can put the whole thing together as wearable. Fingers are coming from Gordon's 3D printer but not in time. I will use my chrome paper.

 

I lost the upper part of hand plate. I may skip that for the Sunday version, or just chop the top off some old plastic hand plates that are about the same shape.

 

All the accessories will come from Thorssen as soon as I get paid Monday and can send him money. Yay!

 

I'm losing light... more later, including photos.

[LadyInWhite[TK]]

Good f-ing lord, the fun never ends. WHAT IS THIS BELT BOX? I think it's the long pouch cover cut short and turned sideways. Unfortunately this is the only pic I have. Anyone else have a shot of this?

Also, she does not seem to wear the forward pouch. 
 

Whatever.

 

Bite me, I'm tired.

 

[Darth Aloha[Admin]]

Pam! Pam! Pam! Pam!

 

All together now!

 

-Eric

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Berbs42[TK]]

Woot!

Can't wait for pics!!!

Always great updates!

 

 

Beep Boop...

[LadyInWhite[TK]]

Some photos.

 

Prepping

 

 

First coat on the chin

 

 

All done, not buffed

 

 

Done (my nose keeps falling off though... need a better glue)

 

 

Mirror shine!

 

 

Last night, half done...

 

 

Tonight, all done...

 

 

I did not fully complete the back side of the abs, so they are more like a dark metal where the TD will cover it. And I did not do the back plate at all, it's still just black. No point in wasting an ounce of chrome for a part no one will ever see.

 

The chest came out nicely!

[TK5492[TK]]

Just read through the whole thread. Incredible work here. You are making huge headway for those that come after you, amazing job!