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Painting on Metal: An Introduction

8 thoughts on “Painting on Metal: An Introduction”

  1. Thank you for the information on painting on aluminum. I am using a product not listed here. Alumacomp may have been introduced after this article. This product is supposed to be covered with a polyester coating I believe. Also, will Self Leveling Gel reduce brush stroke evidence when applied under varnish? Thank you for your help with this matter. Chris Bell

    Reply
    • If your aluminum panel has a polyester coating, you could follow our recommendations for painting with acrylics on DiBond found here: https://justpaint.org/painting-on-dibond/

      Self Leveling Clear Gel would likely not reduce brushstrokes under varnish. We recommend using our Isolation Coat product on an acrylic painting before applying varnish. Isolation Coat is much thinner and will shrink even further when drying to a very thin film. Clear Leveling Gel (formerly known as Self Leveling Clear Gel) is a thicker product that does not level completely. It will also craze if applied too thickly. We do not recommend mediums as topcoats. Acrylics will shrink around texture instead of filling the texture in, so brush stokes will telegraph through layers. The best bet is to apply thinly and evenly with a soft synthetic brush and do not overwork, meaning when it starts to dry, because this will leave more texture. More information about Isolation Coats and Varnishing can be found here: https://www.goldenpaints.com/technicalinfo/technicalinfo_varnishresources

      If you have any further questions, feel free to contact us at help@goldenpaints.com

      Reply
  2. Thanks Mark
    This is incredibly useful.
    I have been scouring the internet for weeks for this information – how to achieve an archival quality substrate in aluminium. Like anything in art definitive information is very hard to find, while there are plenty of opinions of various and often dubious quality.

    I was surprised at the end of the article that it was written by the maker of my acrylics, which I had chosen for the same reason, serious archival quality (and great pigments).

    Again very much appreciated, I have ordered my sheets and have a solid plan moving forward thanks to your efforts.

    Keep up the great work
    James

    Reply
    • James, thanks. We typically pose ourselves the research based on the questions we get from artists. Eventually it becomes inevitable that we can’t find the information either, so we set about doing the first hand research to try to get at least the most accurate opinions of the day. Even then we find ourselves having to regularly update our findings as new research is available. We’re a bunch of material geeks, that are inspired by the artists that we work with. Thanks so much for your comments. Warmest regards, Mark

      Reply
  3. Hello, Joye.
    Thank you for your question. You’ll likely need to apply a smooth primer onto the polyester-coated surface. Rustoleum makes a “Direct to Metal (DTM) Bonding Primer” product called XIM “UMA” (Urethane Modified Acrylic). On their website, they cite it can be used on coated aluminum siding. https://www.rustoleum.com/product-catalog/consumer-brands/xim/bonders/advanced-technology-uma-white I do not believe we have done any adhesion testing of oil paints on top of this primer, but having tested the UMA product before, We do know that this levels extremely well and results in a smooth surface. Being a primer product, it should provide adhesion to a range of paint types. Contact us at help@goldenpaints.com if you would like to expand upon this discussion.
    – Mike Townsend

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