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Pony Corral / Re: G1 Twinkle Eye Ponies Coating Loss
« on: January 18, 2022, 09:34:16 AM »
Purpleglasses, i went down the same exact electroplating rabbit hole after reading this thread the other night! i watched the same youtube video and everything
i was wondering the same thing about the material used for the oil-slick sheen (as opposed to metallic coatings) and i'm delighted you came away from the search with such promising results!!
i am genuinely curious to know if it would be worth reaching out to someone who does this kind of work professionally (or as a hobby) to see if they could give us more definitive answers i'll admit i'm personally a little desperate for The Twinkle Eye Solution™, but i think it would be awesome if we could find & pay someone to produce electroformed samples on craft gems or something, if only to see if we're on the right track!
if you find out more about any of this, please keep me posted! :^)
in the meantime, i've done a little experimenting (and a lot of researching) to see if there's any kind of easy, at-home solution but (predictably) i've come up short every time. these are my not-so-scientific findings:
i'm also very interested in what using an airbrush could bring to the table. i admittedly know next to nothing about them and would be delighted to see the results!
with all of that said, some of these methods produce really pretty results regardless of "accuracy", and i'd love to see what others have tried! feel free to chime in if my assessment/application of these materials is off in any way, haha. i am NOT an expert, and i'm eager to learn more!
good luck, everyone!
i was wondering the same thing about the material used for the oil-slick sheen (as opposed to metallic coatings) and i'm delighted you came away from the search with such promising results!!
i am genuinely curious to know if it would be worth reaching out to someone who does this kind of work professionally (or as a hobby) to see if they could give us more definitive answers i'll admit i'm personally a little desperate for The Twinkle Eye Solution™, but i think it would be awesome if we could find & pay someone to produce electroformed samples on craft gems or something, if only to see if we're on the right track!
if you find out more about any of this, please keep me posted! :^)
in the meantime, i've done a little experimenting (and a lot of researching) to see if there's any kind of easy, at-home solution but (predictably) i've come up short every time. these are my not-so-scientific findings:
- i've used some iridescent mica powder for nail art and resins suspended in clear enamel paint to little success. using the powder on its own produces a thick, metallic layer, and thinning it out scatters the glitter particles. i'll continue experimenting with different applications, though!
- special effect paints like Folk Art's Color Shift and Dragonfly Glaze are very pretty, but don't appear capable of reproducing the proper effect; as far as i can tell from pictures, the former seems to have an opaque(?) base color with a duochrome shift, while the latter has a clear base with a kind of holofoil texture.
- most powders & pigments i've seen (short of industrial grade ones used for car paint) do not seem to "flip" through the correct amount & spectrum of colors to adequately replicate the TE coating. most only shift between two-three hues, and tend to have a texture to them, whereas the TE shine is closer to a full-spectrum, iridescent, oil-slick sheen.
- HOWEVER: i've repeatedly seen Chameleon Nano Flakes mentioned. it's a kind of mix-in light scattering pigment containing a titanium compound. i've only seen a single photo of this having actually been applied (not to a TE or anything similar) but honestly, it looks pretty promising. i don't think it will be a dead-on match, and they aren't easy to get in the US, but it'd be cheaper than investing in an electroplating kit i'm going to try ordering them soon! if anyone else is interested in trying these out, just know that they are pretty heavy duty and it is recommended that you wear some gloves, a mask and protective eyewear while working with them.
- i've seen others warned away from nail polishes and varnishes as using them risks damaging the plastic. nail polish in particular has been cited as getting gunky over time, in addition to attracting dust and being difficult to clean/remove. i'd love to know if there is a pony-plastic-safe gloss varnish out there, though!
i'm also very interested in what using an airbrush could bring to the table. i admittedly know next to nothing about them and would be delighted to see the results!
with all of that said, some of these methods produce really pretty results regardless of "accuracy", and i'd love to see what others have tried! feel free to chime in if my assessment/application of these materials is off in any way, haha. i am NOT an expert, and i'm eager to learn more!
good luck, everyone!