Vallejo Liquid Gold metallics - Troubleshooting

[mountaincycle661]

Hello Coolmini!

I searched around the forums but could not find a troubleshooting thread for these very cool, but very high maintenance, products. So I thought I'd start one!

I am stumped on a Liquid Gold problem and I'm in need of assistance. I've watched the tutorials, I've got my 96% isopropyl alcohol and synthetic, dedicated brushes, but I'm not getting the results I should be getting with my Liquid Gold paints.

Instead of drying to a shiny, polished, brilliant finish, I'm ending up with a very matte, very dull finish (best case scenario) or even a cloudy, filmy, finish (worst case scenario). Ive tried different dilutions from really thinned down to straight from the pot....no dice. Still looks very matte. I did a pretty good job at mixing/stirring them up, so Im pretty sure its not the old "did you shake it long enough" problem. I used a power drill to mix them...I dont know how much harder you need to get than that!

Here's something I think I need to consider: do these paints have a shelf life? Because I bought them from the game store where I suspect they've been on the shelf for a very long time. I spent a good portion of time bringing them back to life; adding alcohol, using a power drill to rig up a super powerful homemade mixer, etc. But the game store owner is quite the jackass, and he never gave me a straight answer. He did, however, sell me the paints at 50% off....Another hint that maybe he was just trying to get rid of them?

Heads up: sorry about the massive pictures.

Pictured here is what the paint looks like once its dried on the palette. I've since worked it around a bit so its not THIS cloudy normally, but still...its very matte:

View attachment 20150

And here is what it looks like on the model (mind you, it looks decently shiny in this picture because its such a close up. But I assure you, its pretty dull...just compare it to the regular run of the mill metallics elsewhere on the model. It should be much shinier than that!)

View attachment 20149

Any and all help is deeply appreciated. I really want to make these paints work! They just look SO cool!

Thank you!

 

[Einion]

Here's something I think I need to consider: do these paints have a shelf life?

Yes I'm afraid so.

Because I bought them from the game store where I suspect they've been on the shelf for a very long time. I spent a good portion of time bringing them back to life; adding alcohol, using a power drill to rig up a super powerful homemade mixer, etc.

This was your clue, not that you knew it at the time.

If they're in good nick they're a lovely shimmery liquid in the bottle. When they've 'gone off' they get sort of gelatinous and/or clumpy; it's hard to describe and it's been a few years since I saw it but that should give the general idea. Were yours like that before you set to work bringing them back to life?

You could perhaps salvage these a little further by doing what I did when I got one similar, and that's decanting in stages and virtually re-grinding the paint on a ceramic tile, but honestly it's probably not worth the effort. I got my problem paint to a better consistency, but it was still pants compared to how they're supposed to be.

Einion

 

[dwentz]

I had the same issue with some paint that I purchased from the local gaming store. One bottle just would not mix back up. I even took a paint mixer to it. The clumps never would mix back in on 1 bottle. They took it back no problem. I have also noticed that the paint separates very fast in the bottle once it has been opened, and after a short time I need to put the cap back on and shake it up. I set the bottle in a small ultrasonic cleaner and it kept it usable while I was painting with it, but the ultrasonic cleaner kept overheating and turning off. I like the stuff, but it is a pain to work with. I have not had much luck covering very large areas with it either, although I have only tried with a brush. I might try to shoot it with the airbrush and see what happens.

Dale

 

[ellis_esquire]

Yea sorry matey - I got these recently and am finding them smooth and beautifully shiny - not like your pics at all. Get a refund if possible.