Metal Coating on fiberglass – a versatile use of Metalier

Metalier liquid metal rust: Rena disaster

Metal coating on fiberglass has been used on artworks to make environmental statements

Our work with metal coating on fiberglass has principally to date been with artists. The work by Natalie Tozer shown here reflects on the damage caused to the environment in New Zealand by the ship Rena which grounded on a reef near Tauranga port.

Metalier coatings will adhere to fiberglass without additional sealing – simply apply an undercoat. An undercoat is required in any case for all non-porous surfaces so that the top-coat of Metalier is smooth and suitable for polishing.

Iron was applied to the fiberglass and then rusted

In the case of this artwork, Metalier’s iron was applied to the fiberglass substrate and then rusted. After the rusting process the artist added the writing and the aluminium bars so that the art work represented the many containers that floated from the wreck into the sea.

A serious artistic statement about a serious environmental disaster that damaged the Tauranga coast and its sea plants and sea creatures.


Metalier Liquid Metal stand at the Surface Design Show, London featuring an iron polystyrene ball

Metal Coating for fiberglass was given a fun treatment at the London Surface Design Show

By coincidence it was iron used on the Rena container and also on the ball which took centre stage at Metalier UK’s stand at the Surface Design Show in London in February 2014 and 2015.

Our UK distributors chose iron because they wanted the ball to look heavy. They succeeded – a number of visitors to the stand thought is was solid iron and leaned against it. They were very surprised when it almost bounced off its plinth and rolled away across the floor.

Iron is magnetic so proves that the coating is genuine

The use of iron also enabled them to demonstrate that the coating is magnetic – Metalier is real metal.


Metalier Coatings can coat almost any substrate

Would you believe we’ve just coated an inlet manifold designed for a small aircraft engine?

Coat 3D printed nylon

This was made in 3D printed nylon. Almost any substrate really does mean the unexpected and unlikely ones!


Contact us about your unlikely substrate and put us to the test.

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