The Radar Eye

After three weeks of trying to find the perfect antique brass look for the radar eye, I settled on a really old looking bronze color. Here's how this happened:
I got the idea while looking at a catalogue with door knobs and pulls. Got excited over the old antique brass and ran to Home Depot (I think I live there now since everyone knows me, especially the hot dog vendor who always gives me extra saurkraut). I asked the paint clerk if she had anything that looked antique brass, she only knew of Rustoleum's Metallic Antique Brass. So, I bought a can and Rust.. Textured Outdoor Furniture Brown (it looked and felt sorta rusty, which was a very cool effect). Unfortunately, the brass had so much metallic flakes that it looked glittery-disco (absolutely a no-no on Al). After an hour of scraping off this quick-drying fiasco I tried the rust, which didn't even stick to the aluminum. Apparently it was for PLASTIC furniture.

Lesson one: read the can very carefully before purchasing.

I tried mixing the two and was getting successful on my very tiny scrap aluminum. Even my roommate liked the look of it! So, I sprayed both on the eye at the same time. What I got was splotchiness and a real mess. Anther hour to scrape off.

Lesson two: you can't mix spray paints.

After wasting most of the morning on the brass look, I decided to go back to my original idea of a pewter look. I already had a can of metallic pewter (made by you-know-who), so I sprayed that on. Problem was it looked too close to the original alum color. Yep, you guessed it, more scraping.

Lesson three: even if it's a cool looking color on your small scrap tryout, it might be ugly on a larger scale.

Went back to Home Depot the next morning to return the cans that I couldn't use. The returns clerk was very helpful and even suggested True Value Hardware. I asked him how long it's been since he was there, since that company went out of business two years ago. He claimed there was one still open close to where I work. So, off I go in search of something that didn't exist (and I knew it). Stopped at a gas station to search a phone book, found an Ace Hardware down the freeway, called them up to see what they had, and off I went to visit them. Ace was helpful but absolutely no-go on the brass look (same stuff).

Lesson four: if you know a business is closed don't go chasing it. Let your fingers do the walkin' in the Yellow Pages.

Ace suggested a hobby store, like Michael's. I knew the one close to me shut down a long time ago, so I headed for Hobby Lobby. This is a store that used to have lots of crafty stuff, but now it's more home decarative junk (although I've been able to find beautiful hinged boxes for my creamated cats, all lined up on my mantel). They had some gold metallic paint for model kits, but no antiquing medium to make it look old. After another frustrating morning I had a light bulb go off in the middle of the store. Hmmm, hobby paints, model kits...... That's it! Colpar Hobbies! One of the largest model kit and hobby stores in the Denver area! And there's one close by!

Lesson five: be patient and go with gut feelings. Sometimes the last place you look will have exactly what you want.

Off to Colpar. They had a few brassy looking paints but nothing really what I was looking for. I showed the clerk one of the hammered-iron panels (as I showed everybody throughout this oddessey) and he pulled off the shelf the most magnificent bronze color I've ever seen! Old iron and bronze? Why not! I wanted that old-world look anyway. So, I went home with a small jar and a small paint brush (and verbal instructions from several hobbiests shopping there, all of them in awe of me building an R2 unit). I brushed on a thin coat that night. Next morning it showed a lot of streaks. UGGGH! Loved the look but not the streaks.

Lesson six: always test it out first. But somehow I knew this was going to work anyway. Hope was high!

Went to a friends house who had an airspray gun. I showed him what I did and he patiently gave me a lesson on airguns, circular sanders (gotta get me one of those!), and Naptha.
First we sanded off what I had done already (not again!), but this time it went really quick with a sander instead of soap/water/elbow grease.
Next, we sanded another layer so the paint can stick (hard to stick on smooth surface). The panels weren't smooth, thus the spray paint stuck to it perfectly. The eye is a different story, smoother finish, so you have to rough it up a bit.
Two coats of Naptha, a paint thinner/cleaner, to really clean off the surface of any sanded metal dust.
Then the airspray gun, oh what fun that was! With a large compressor and a tiny nozzle, it made a tiny hobby jar of paint go a long way. And quick, too.

Lesson seven: ask your knowledgable friends for help. He's now thinking of building an R2 himself, too.

The radar eye is perfectly smooth, the paint won't fall off if prepped properly, it's the coolest old-world bronze I've ever seen even though I was stuck on doing it in brass (best choice I've made so far), I had fun working and learning from my friend, and I really got to know what shops carry what. Colpar Hobbies, you're at the top of my supplier list.....

Until next time,
Jawa Jaka