Using Graphite Powder on my Silver Surfer Statue -

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[@larrymansfield9393]

Looks awesome man! Don’t beat yourself up about minor imperfections, that’s what makes it 1 of 1.

[@evolutionxstudios]

Thanks man!

[@zCreepingDeathz]

Bondo sands smooth very well for crack filling.

[@evolutionxstudios]

Thanks for the hint!

[@leosanerd]

Molotow makes a really awesome mirror like paint that would probably also look really cool for this project

[@leosanerd]

Also they make chrome powder for gel manicures that you buff on similar to the graphite powder, maybe look at how nail techs work with that for prep and sealing? You can probably use super thin coats of resin for both

[@evolutionxstudios]

Thanks for the hint! That gel sounds really interesting. With the Molotow paint you run into the same issues I had with the Greenstuff Chrome: dust particles

[@LOSKOSKI]

He would need much, much more for this product than what would come from busting open a few pens. Have you seen or know of a place that sells it by the quart or gallon? I've looked, I'm a house painter and I've never been able to find a large quantity of it. Any information would be appreciated. Thanks

[@leosanerd]

@@LOSKOSKI They sell ink refills! So you can get it in 30ml bottles which isn't huge but definitely enough for something like this, you can put it in a spray gun too. For something larger, I think there are probably car paints that could work. You could also possibly get silver pigments and add it to your own base, that might be cheaper. I don't know anywhere that you can get that though.

[@richardstiers9010]

But! It is SOOO fussy. Almost impossible to seal. Reacts to any touch, dust, breath, fog, trouble in the middle east, or even sideways glances, from across the room...not to mention, unflattering comments. 😂

[@esbenrasmussen4289]

Orange peel can be avoided by controlling the evaporation time. By understanding the paint parameters like type and how humidity affects it. As you mention 2K paints have a determined cure time, so it can level out provided it has been thinned appropriately. I have found auto body painters are super helpful on the online fora, and they know their shot

[@evolutionxstudios]

Thanks for the tip!

[@LOSKOSKI]

Brother, don't be so hard on yourself! It looks amazing! I've been painting houses for 24 years and figures for half as long and I'm just now starting to play with the graphite powder. I got an old Silver Surfer figure from the 90's and it didn't turn out half as good as yours. I'm determined to master the technique like you. Great,great job man! Your Surfer looks like a million bucks! Congrats!

[@evolutionxstudios]

Thanks a lot man 🙏🏻 appreciate the words!

[@DjBolt11]

Super glue and baking soda also worked well. Seen many fish bait makers use that technic when filling holes in the baits they added weights to, works really well.

[@evolutionxstudios]

Thanks for the tip, I‘ll give that a try next time

[@TheIcemanModdeler]

Nice, tries graphite powder once on a blade but it ended up too dark, it was a glossy black so maybe for a future project will try gloss grey. Automotive 2k clear coat is the best gloss ever, it creates a super shiny perfect surface like glass, it does however go super heavy with an airbrush and may fill up small details. Best to use as a last protective coat since it’s transparent.

[@evolutionxstudios]

I will try the 2K eventually

[@roguemotionllc]

thanks for showing a project that still doesn't live up to your standards, I know I have a couple like that I want to revisit and to see someone of your caliber reasures me in my process... also I've been wanting to try graphite for armor on a 1/4 scale figure. thanks for another great video

[@evolutionxstudios]

Thank you too! I guess everyone has those projects and not showing that just creates a fake standard

[@bad_blood_studios]

Very nice video. Very useful information for my upcoming Terminator project. Thanks for sharing !

[@evolutionxstudios]

Thanks for watching!

[@RedCaio]

Him: "it's got so many imperfections" Me: [squinting] if you say so. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@evolutionxstudios]

:D the video footage may also hide them a bit

[@RandEZ_McSqueezy]

For the little scratches, I noticed that you were sanding longways only. Even with low grits you’ll notice scratches if done like that and it won’t change the big ones. I like wet-sanding my models and works with a circular motion and go from a higher grit to lower (crevices that are hard to reach I just use a really low grit and hope for the best). Some filling putty’s also react and shrink from different types of humidity; even changes the curing time. Rustoleum sells filler primer and I don’t have any gripes with it at all. Fast drying and because it’s so thick, it fills cracks and scratches and even better when done in multiple coats and wet-sanded Either way, the statue looks great and even if it’s not exactly how you planned, its painting has been innovated to the next level with this new technique. Great work

[@evolutionxstudios]

Thanks for sharing mate! Regarding the sanding direction I actually saw that in another polishing video where the guy said for the high grids you shouldn't do circular motions but only horizontally and vertically. I did circular motions in the beginning and I think that's what caused those micro scratches in the first place.

[@shatsoo2]

Just call the imperfections "battle damage" and it's perfect!😉👍

[@evolutionxstudios]

Haha, next time!

[@kevinkerlin5603]

Turned out sweet

[@evolutionxstudios]

Thank you Kevin!

[@eddietowers5595]

Damn! That surf board is the size of a standard skate board. Good job on the paint.

[@evolutionxstudios]

Thank you! Yeah if I ever do a Silver Surfer again he will definitely not be quarter scale again

[@ScaleModelGeek]

I never heard of using graphite powder to get the chrome finish. Even with the imperfections... it came up well.

[@evolutionxstudios]

Thanks buddy 🙏🏻

[@PeteCorp]

Just spray with Rust-Oleum 2X Ultra high gloss spray paint. That's what I did and it self-levels. Trick is to use white paint, not black for a more silver look.

[@CaptainFettCosplay]

You need to use the Science Store version of the powder. It's a smaller grain and shinyer

[@evolutionxstudios]

Thanks for the hint, I‘ll check that out

[@Horror_Hero]

Well... the question is "Did it work?" Id say no. It doesnt look like the silver surfer anymore. And I imagine you will have maintenance issues later down the line anyway with graphite powder. Needing to touch it up. That's how prop collecting goes. They will always need maintence. So there's no real way to keep that from happening. You're better off going with a paint that yes, will end up cracking. But at least will make your prop look like it's supposed to. Giving your prop the recognition it deserves.

[@evolutionxstudios]

I actually like the dark look better than the bright chrome it had before

[@historex54tamiya]

Looks great, t cut and small circles like spit and polish will give you a better finish than a pad though. I’ve completely cut back the paint on my Darth Vader helmets using this method!

[@evolutionxstudios]

thanks for sharing!

[@legomasterj]

For what its worth, I understand your frustration with the hairline cracks between jointed 3d prints parts reforming over and over again. I had many hair-ripping nights trying to do those gaps on some of my parts. Next time, I'm going to try using 3D printing Resin before the bondo, it soaks into the gaps almost like a glue and seems to provide a much stiffer surface to work with bondo on.

[@evolutionxstudios]

I‘m trying that too next time! Would make sense that the best material to use is the actual material of the part

[@arc6930]

What was the polish brand that ended up working?

[@evolutionxstudios]

It's called Dr. Wack A1 politure paste. I think it's a german brand so not available everywhere.

[@AMECHlKl]

Went looking to see if anyone asked this question after looking it up, you made it easy with the label showing in the shot when you used it, but A+ for actually answering the question. I've been wondering if there was a way to polish 3D prints better, I've been trying to print clear resin and polish it to make it look like glass. I'll have to see if I can get my hands on that polish and see if it works.

[@evolutionxstudios]

@@AMECHlKl i mean it can’t be the only good paste out there but of course it suck’s having to find the right one the hard way by trying a lot of them out

[@SalivaYOUTUBE]

Could you try this finish over different glossed base colors please? I'd really appreciate it, I'm curious how it might change the finished product

[@evolutionxstudios]

Which color do you have in mind specifically? I did it with grey, black, white and red (if remember correctly) in the video

[@My2Drumsticks]

Try this. Print a second copy of the Surfer. Take BOTH copies to a custom auto paint shop. Trade the paint job for the print. It’s only one color, and they’ll absolutely love that thing setting in their shop.

[@evolutionxstudios]

I've actually thought about bringing it to an auto paint job before I did the graphite powder. But I didn't think of printing a second one and do a trading :D

[@jamesbroderick2976]

Wow even Galactus wouldn't go to that much trouble.

[@evolutionxstudios]

:D

[@Milkandcookies11]

I think this is dope asf

[@evolutionxstudios]

Thanks man!

[@killercastle8450]

Maybe for the last pics you can use a diferent background to make it looks more light because looks more mor3 darker in that way

[@JUST_PAINT_IT]

Nice work! messy but would love to try it 😁

[@evolutionxstudios]

Thanks Jerry! Yeah it’s pretty dusty :D

[@JarrodsWerx]

Will the graphite powder wear away since it's not covered in any clear coat or varnish??

[@evolutionxstudios]

Only time will tell. But since the only „wear“ is dusting I don’t think it will

[@lukedesmith]

its hard to tell from the short, super-speed clip, but i think the reason your crack repairs keep showing up is because weren't using a sanding block. You'll never get a flat surface without one, no matter how many times you fill it.

[@evolutionxstudios]

I actually used a sanding block too, but still didn’t help

[@Thebrainymonkey]

Have you tried electro-plating it? You can 'chrome plate' plastics by first spraying it with an electrically conductive paint first. There are some YT videos on the process.

[@evolutionxstudios]

I actually thought about it for a couple of seconds but then I thought this guy and his surfboard is waaay to big for that

[@patryk9354]

The problem with cracks might be due to your filler. I think something like milliput could work better for filling such gaps.

[@evolutionxstudios]

yeah, I actually had the same problem of shrinking with the tamiya putty.

[@stopit4uca]

I think if you went with a dark Gray. it looks Like gun metal black so a darker blue gray as an undercoat and then added the powder to the wax. Mixing everything I think it would fill in a lot of those cracks & scratches hidden them as well as give it a nice sheen.

[@williamd1732]

It turned out great, though. The fingers must have been hard to polish, I'm sure. Thanks for sharing this.

[@evolutionxstudios]

Oh yeah they were. Thank you mate!

[@masterofnone9415]

Sir, try nail polish powders over gloss black

[@evolutionxstudios]

Thanks for the tip!

[@lorddkdkdk8805]

Ich fühl das… große Flächen nach dem Verbinden wirklich 100% verschwinden zu lassen (gerade bei so einem smoothen finish) ist richtig tricky und nervig. Finds aber sehr cool was du machst - und auch deine Aufklebeaugen sind super ;). Du bist eine Bereicherung, mach weiter so :)

[@evolutionxstudios]

Vielen Dank 🙏🏻

[@Tomcat_Centauri]

About the reoccurring cracks : I can't say for sure, but in my experience (i had that with some previous props and it drove me insane, because they would always reappear as well) they can't be fixed. If you experience those hair cracks, i believe it is because when assembling the model originally, the bond between the pieces wasn't good enough, and they have a tiny TINY bit amount of wiggle room still, which means that no matter how many times you sand and fill and paint, that half a millimetre worth of movement between the pieces will make filler and paint crack over and over. I don't know what the model is made from originally (resin or filament or something else) but when it concerns 3D prints printed with filament, i stopped using glues. Even epoxy was never good enough. I moved on to welding the pieces together with a soldering iron, which essentially fuses both pieces together, removing both the need for glue, and whatever wiggle room i had on previous props.

[@evolutionxstudios]

thanks for sharing! I also used the pla welding method for the surfboard.

[@Tomcat_Centauri]

@@evolutionxstudios Then i really don't know :/ The bulk of the holes left by the welding i fill with leftover PLA filament or a 3D pen, i don't know what else you could do about those cracks 😬

[@evolutionxstudios]

@@Tomcat_Centauri i can imagine that the putty sagged while curing and I didn’t wait long enough with sanding, but that’s also just a guess

[@petarnedyalkov9888]

Hey dude, great video and a real struggle with the board Can I ask you from where did you get the SS stl file? And can it be bought now?

[@evolutionxstudios]

Thanks man! You can try to contact „cbs.labs“ on instagram or Facebook, they commissioned and sold the file.

[@Stolen_Pug420]

I don't remember the black metallic chrome surfer?

[@evolutionxstudios]

There’s a comic called „Silver Surfer: Black“. During the fight with Knull’s acolytes, the Surfer has to generate a small star using the power cosmic to escape. That causes Silver Surfer’s hand to blacken, and the deterioration eventually spreads to the entirety of his body.

[@pigstix]

When sanding use a sanding block rather than just holding the sand paper. This gives a flat edge and will better keep the joints level.

[@evolutionxstudios]

I actually did that as well. I just didn’t put it in the video. But unfortunately that still didn’t help much :D

[@Soulessdeeds]

Hand sanding can cause places filled in with putty to show up again. Block sanding gives a more uniform appearance.

[@evolutionxstudios]

I sanded those spots like 4 to 6 times, also by block sanding but they kept popping up again nevertheless. Maybe I should’ve used the putty on a larger surface

[@dosdont]

Although I've seen people use Green Stuff World chrome successfully, I've yet to get it to work. It always looks like shiny metal/aluminum.

[@TheJaime9526]

Tried mirroriest mirror paint?

[@evolutionxstudios]

No haven’t tried that yet

[@dawndixon7394]

But won5 the graphite powder rub off in time ? Doesn’t it need sealing ?

[@evolutionxstudios]

Ask me again in 6 months or so. The statue will only stand around so the only danger is the dust it collects and then dusting. But I tried to rub it off with my gloves on and it did nothing. But I also wouldn't handle it without gloves to avoid grease getting on it

[@jayandry3392]

Try filling with ca glue.

[@TheFrugalProject]

Where's the model from

[@evolutionxstudios]

It was from "cbs.labs" (on Instagram), but I think they stopped selling stls. But maybe you can text and ask them.

[@drgta6]

Use a makeup sponge to apply the graphite.

[@moedeez7654]

Gun metal surfer I fuckin love it!!

[@evolutionxstudios]

Thank you pal!

[@r21174]

that struggle is real in seam lines .....

[@evolutionxstudios]

Word!

[@goforitpainting]

WOW

[@AutismusPrime69]

You need to feather out your repair area with glazing compound.

[@evolutionxstudios]

Thanks, will try that next time!

[@theonismithcreations8554]

Gun Metal Surfer sounds cooler anyways

[@evolutionxstudios]

That is true

[@wiggettyg2732]

Way too dark

[@evolutionxstudios]

It’s the black version of silver surfer

[@estebanbarajas9469]

@@evolutionxstudiosthen, it’s perfect! 😂

[@EdwardVGrimm]

Racist. JK, JK.

[@bad_budget_films2119]

Womp womp

[@nicamarvin]

It's too dark. Go with Alclad or Spaz Stix Chrome paint, same glossy black base.

[@evolutionxstudios]

Well then I have the same problem again, that needs to be sprayed on

[@3DToymaker]

i love your videos and i made my one channel

[@evolutionxstudios]

Thanks mate! I’ll check it out

[@ramonponce870]

Amazing.

[@evolutionxstudios]

Thanks mate 🙏🏻

[@potatolol4579]

You ruined it

[@evolutionxstudios]

I wouldn’t go that far

[@daniedevite6781]

Boring

[@evolutionxstudios]

Okay

[@86Corvus]

just buy silver leaf