Solved Help please: Best silver spray paint?

[Monte.C]

Of the commonly found rattle cans - Rustoleum and Krylon are the two that come to my mind first - What silver is most realistic-looking on a plane? I'm not concerned about the paint eating the foam, there are ways around that. But there are different silver colors I suppose, and aluminum, and the word "metallic" could mean different things. I'm sure we don't want something sparkly like with mini flecks in it. Thanks in advance!

 

[DRT]

Following (want a polished stainless steel look for a p51)

 

[Hoomi]

This is with the Rustoleum "Bright Silver." The cap on the can looks like chrome. It took only one coat to cover the brown foam board, after which I added the color elements using Oracal 651 self-adhesive vinyl, and decals from Callie Custom Graphics. After everything was affixed, I added a couple of coats of clear to help seal the vinyl and decals.

 

[Hoomi]

Also, check over on the "Big Bang of Mustangs" topic. Marty72 did a very nice Yellowtail Mustang, so you might ask him as well which silver paint he used.

Big Bang of Mustangs

 

[Tench745]

In my experience painting things other than foam board, just about every "silver" paint comes out pretty similar. My advice on silver spray paint in general is to pick a name brand and go with it as they all look about the same in the end.

There are some rattle cans that call themselves "chrome" that produce a much brighter finish which looks more like polished aluminum to me.
The downsides:
-Chrome paint really shows off any defects or texture changes
-If you clear coat over it, it looks like any other silver paint
-LOADS of solvents to get the paint to flow out and dry smooth.
-Stays tacky for a long time; easy to smudge until it's fully dry.

If you want the most polished aluminum appearance possible you can cover the plane with aluminum duct-sealing tape and polish it.

 

[Hoomi]

Here's the label and UPC from the paint I used.

 

[Monte.C]

Thanks. I've been mostly afraid of winding up with a sparkly appearance, or wondering if one can be too shiny or whatever. A quick Amazon search leaves you more confused than anything else. Thanks for the tips.

 

[Marty72]

This is what I used. No issues with it, covers well.

 

[Monte.C]

This is what I used. No issues with it, covers well.

Thanks Marty. I decided not to go with silver this time around, but I'll wind up with Rustoleum or Krylon when the time comes.