Jawa's Force Pike

[Jawa]

I finished my first Force Pike today. Started off using Rub n' Buff but it would not stop rubbing off even after a day and a half of buffing. So I painted it with metallic paint and gave it a clear coat. It is all one piece, but sturdy.
Pool Cue
Sink Knob
120 O-rings
Flex Funnel end
Metallic Chrome Paint
Gloss Black Paint
Clear Coat

[JesterTDA]

Very cool. What kind of silver paint did you end up using? And what about he clear gloss? I tried clear gloss and it made the underlaying silver look dull. I was majorally bummed.

[Jawa]

I used Tamiya Color Chrome Silver X-11 Acrylic paint. (I hate Enamel paint)
The clear coat was a acrylic high gloss varnish. ANY varnish or clear coat on rub 'n buff (that I know of) will ruin the shiny coating.
Mine is still kind of dull, but I think is it much better than having my $150 outer robe ruined because the amazing looking Rub 'n Buff wouldn't stop rubbing off on everything.

I will be making a second one with a different type of paint that will hopefully look more like real metallic, but for my first pike, I think it's not bad.

[JesterTDA]

Yeah...I fear the paint rubbing off onto the robes. Idealy clear coat wouldn't mess up shiny metal paint!

[Darth Skellington]

Yeah, if you want it shiny and are using paint...you need to use only Chrome paint and no clear coat. Clear coat on top will give it a completely different look...which I actually prefer. It give it a polished brushed aluminum look. Clear coat over all painted surfaces is a plus though, because it helps reduce apint chips and wear and tear during troops. As all tall guards know....pikes and doorways don't get along.

[JesterTDA]

Well after this discussion I did some web searching and it seems that clearcots on metallic spraypaints don't mix because of chemistry (I can't say I'm sure I understand it). But there is hope. Future floor polish is a clear coat that seems to work wonders for metallic spray paints because it's an acrylic polish. What sold me was the fact a lot of C3P0s use it for sealing their paint. I picked up some on Friday and I did a quck testing last night. the paint didn't rub off at all AND it's still shiny. But truth be told it was a different kind of shiny. The paint seems slightly less brilliant BUT the polish is shiny now. Hard to explain but the bottom line is that I'm still VERY HAPPY with the result. Now onto my full pike....gotta figure out how to do it without leaving drips.