Creative Technology: Metal Effect Surfaces And Upcycling

Fascinated by the spirit of the Victorian era, Margarita Vulfert developed creative techniques for the design genre "Steampunk". Here she shows her creative techniques with a metallic effect “Mr. Andrew Steel”and“Mr. Anthonius Fish ".

Author | Photos: Margarita Vulfert

In 2011, director Paul Anderson delighted with a remake of the classic "The Three Musketeers" in the style of the Victorian genre. Steam-powered airships delighted the audience and revived Duma's old legends. The Walt Disney Studios also made their contribution and produced an animated film called "The Treasure Planet". With him the steampunk world was projected into space to aliens, cyborgs and robots. Surfaces with a metallic effect played a creative role in both films.

Another important starting point for the genre developed among steampunk fans in the art industry. They work almost exclusively with upcycling materials: discarded items are used for something new, are cleaned with love, polished, redesigned and result in an object of mysterious beauty and mysticism. Both aspects - surfaces with a metallic effect and upcycling - formed the basis for the development of the creative techniques “Mr. Andrew Steel”and“Mr. Anthonius Fish ". Metallic materials such as glittering coating materials, sheet metals and seemingly worthless objects such as old floor covering remnants were used for this.

Creative technology Mr. Andrew Steel

Metal is a very versatile and exciting material. The finest jewelry can be made from it, but also massive scaffolding structures and machines. Rivets stick together here and are also highly decorative. The work technique “Mr. Andrew Steel”from an old aluminum aircraft body. The creative technology consists of glued and specially designed and tailored polyvinyl chloride base plates and modeled rivets. This technology can have an industrial as well as a homely effect, is very resilient and durable. The remaining pieces of a discarded PVC covering were processed as the basis. The work technique gets its metallic structure through the application of a silver acrylic paint and the subsequent patination and thus artificial aging.

Step-by-step to the metal effect

First, the PVC sheets are cut to size using a cutter knife, a steel ruler and a cutting mat. The size varies as desired, but should be determined in advance. PVC is relatively easy to cut and can break at the cutting edges. Then it is necessary to round off the corners on the abutting edges with sandpaper.

Now the surface to be glued, which must be free of dust and grease, is covered with PVC glue over the entire surface. To do this, a trowel with teeth A1 is required to ensure the necessary layer thickness.

The glue should pull a little until it feels sticky, after which the cut PVC pieces may be placed with a perfect fit, with the rounded corners all pointing in the same direction. After laying the boards, all joints are cleaned with a spatula to remove excess glue. Now the surface should be weighed down overnight if necessary, or if it is vertical, be pressed on with a board covered with fabric.

After the drying time, the surface can now be roughened with an eccentric or a P180 sanding block. Slightly sanded areas are allowed to give the surface aesthetics.

Now the entire surface can be primed using a lambskin roller. The primer, which is still wet, can then be coated with a wide brush or, if necessary, with a neoprene roller. Even after this coating, the bumps should be cleared. The surface must dry for 24 hours.

After hardening, the floor covering can be roughened again briefly with the same grit, whereby sanding through should be avoided. Now there are three coatings for the metallic effect with a silver-colored acrylic relief paste. This is applied with a neoprene roller. An appropriate drying time should be observed between the coats.

The still wet coatings are easily peeled off in a vertical direction with an old plastic trowel or, if necessary, with a wide brush to create a damaged plate character. Here too, the bumps must be cleaned.

Now rivets are modeled using a cut perforated sandpaper and a spatula. They also give the surface the metallic effect structure. Place the sandpaper at the desired location, take up some acrylic paste with the spatula and peel off the sandpaper. Undermining is desirable. The wet rivets are then punctured with an empty ballpoint pen sleeve to give the rivets authenticity.

After the complete hardening, the joints are colored. A mixture of a black metallic acrylic paint and a matt glaze was used. The remaining coating material is rubbed on the surface with a household rag. The consumption can be increased as needed. With the same rag, the surface can now be smoothed by dabbing. The surface has to dry overnight.

The last step is to apply a Japanese spatula to all horizontal joints and edges, under which the glaze is applied generously. Finally, this is made to "run" with a spray bottle. This step gives the aluminum-like technology its aged character. The technology can now dry.

Creative technique Mr. Anthonius Fish

The fish shows itself in steampunk as a steam-powered machine, lifeless but also alive. The “Mr. Anthonius Fish”was inspired by the steampunk submarine fish with their sparkling scales with a metallic effect that appear in numerous novels. The work technique shows a scale-like surface, which was coated with a metallic acrylic paint, refined with sequins and aged with a copper patina. This gives the fish an industrial flair and metallic appearance.

The same PVC was used as for the Mr. Andrew Steel technique. For the cutting, the size of the scales is determined and these are recorded on the PVC using a compass or a template. The scales are best cut out with large scissors. With an assembly adhesive, these can now be offset and easily glued on top of each other. After the adhesive has hardened and the scales are firmly seated, the surface can be roughened with P180 sandpaper for better adhesion of the primer.

To coat the surface with a primer, it is important to take a wide brush and move it along the scales. This creates the desired material blockages. The scales are then coated with a metallic acrylic paint, which is turquoise in this example, until it is completely opaque.

After the paint has completely hardened, assembly glue is applied to the joint surfaces of the scales, then blue and white sequins are sprinkled on the glue. It is necessary to press them on for an optimal hold and to sweep off excess sequins.

The entire surface can then be reworked with a black glaze. The amount of pigment in the glaze is decisive for the intensity of the color. Before the glaze has dried, it is dabbed off with a damp cloth and thus leveled. After the black glaze has dried, a copper patina is applied with a damp microfiber cloth. The application of the various patins ages the surface and gives it a distinctive look.

Photo: Margarita Vulfert

Cutting the PVC sheets to size using a cutter knife, a steel ruler and a cutting mat.

Photo: Margarita Vulfert

With the same rag, the surface can now be smoothed by dabbing. It then has to dry overnight.

Photo: Margarita Vulfert

Now a Japan spatula is applied to all horizontal joints. Glaze is generously applied here.

Photo: Margarita Vulfert

For the artificial aging of the aluminum-like surface, the glaze is made to "run" with a spray bottle.

Photo: Margarita Vulfert

Apply the adhesive with the trowel (toothing A1). Afterwards, the cut PVC pieces can be placed on the fitting.

Photo: Margarita Vulfert

After the drying time, the surface is roughened with an eccentric or a P180 sanding block.

Photo: Margarita Vulfert

After priming with the roller, the joints are cleared and the surface is briefly roughened after drying (same grain).

Photo: Margarita Vulfert

Now there are three coatings with a silver-colored acrylic relief paste. This is applied with a neoprene roller.

Photo: Margarita Vulfert

A cut perforated sandpaper serves as a template for the rivets modeled with acrylic paste. Undermining is desirable!

Photo: Margarita Vulfert

For the structure, an impression is stamped on the wet "rivets" with an empty ballpoint pen sleeve.

Photo: Margarita Vulfert

After the hardening is complete, the joints are colored with a mixture of black metallic acrylic paint and a matt glaze.

Photo: Margarita Vulfert

The remaining coating material is rubbed with a household rag. The consumption can be increased as needed.

To the author

Margarita Vulfert, born in Russia in 1993, emigrated to Germany at the age of ten and graduated from high school. She completed her training as a painter / painter at Knäpple GmbH in Sigmaringen and completed it with an award. After two years as a painter / painter, she attended the School of Color and Design in Stuttgart in 2017. The shot to become a state-certified designer and master painter also took place with an award. For her thesis she also received the Dr. Murjahn Promotional Award 2018.

She is currently working at Petruv Color and Interior Design in Hettingen as a state-certified designer and master painter.