Mirror Paint

A mirror instead of an ordinary silver

What makes the difference between a mirror and a metallic sparkle is not a finer pigment but the way it is arranged. The flat platelets settle into one plane just below the surface as the paint dries, and the reflected light is not scattered in all directions. The surface therefore starts to give back an image of its surroundings. That is exactly why this finish reacts to the quality of the surface far more sensitively than ordinary silver shades.

Where the effect pays off

It suggests itself on chrome trim, window frames and bumpers on car kits, on rear-view mirrors, on polished headlight covers, on propeller spinners and on metal accessories for figures. It also comes out well on parts that are sprayed separately away from the model and fitted only at the last step of the assembly. On large surfaces the effect is the most striking, but it is also the most demanding to prepare for. It handles small items such as buckles, handles or decorative frames just as well, and there the preparation takes considerably less time.

What to watch out for

Lay the coat on thinly and in several light passes. A heavy wet layer loses its flatness and the gloss drops back to an ordinary metallic shade. A finished surface is sensitive to touch, to masking tape and to any covering varnish, which knocks the mirror back. Hold the part by its edges or by the remains of the gate, then, and fit it only after the neighboring colors are finished. Flush the airbrush immediately after work, as settled metal dust is far harder to remove from the nozzle later. Before you let the paint near a model, make a sample on a piece of smooth plastic and look at it under a sharp light, because a reflection is hard to judge in a dim room.