The Paint Question

[Daria]

I've had a busted PSX sitting in my accessorie trunk for over a year now and and well it's about time I replaced it, which basically means I have a spare shell. I've been wanting to learn to paint consoles for awhile now and the dead PSX would be perfect to practice on. Question is what type of paint is best to use? Thanks!
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190 (http://www.mercedes-wiki.com/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_190)

[omnedon]

I too am curious.

Does plastic need to be prepped beyond cleaning?

Any links anyone can share?

[Sanada78]

Do you just one it as another colour? I would've thought the best way would be to use spray paint, it's usually the best thing to use to paint plastic.

If you want to paint patterns and stuff on it, you could try acrylic, but it usually goes on quite thick and will look kind of lumpy.

You could try and cut of silhouette of patterns from paper, and spray paint it that way.

[Daria]

Not one color, more like if I wanted to do a painting on one. Acrylic's safe though? That's good to know I'm used to using them anyway. I've heard some paints can actually warp the plastic. I suppose it would also be a good idea to prime the system first too.
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VOYEUR XXX (http://www.fucktube.com/categories/43/voyeur/videos/1)

[Push Upstairs]

For spray painting use a paint that says it can be used on plastics. (Krylon is good). I painted my PSX black and part of my Genesis blue with Krylon paint and it worked fine.

As far as painting with a brush...i'd suggest Testors Model paints. The paints are designed for use on small plastic models so i would assume they would work out ok on a game system.

[Daria]

I dunno model paint tends to look like shit when spread over a large surface, dries way too fast and then you're mixing wet paint into gummy paint. If I were to use it for small detail work like the memory card ports and such it would probably work fine though.

Maybe they make an enamel retardent though but I doubt it. I think enamel's are basically oil paint though... hmm...

Anyway I think I have a good idea. Thanks for the Krylon suggestion. I'll have to use that as a base. (:
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Mflb (http://mflbvaporizer.com)

[Richter]

if your gonna use enamels, thin it......thin it lots & airbrush it on

spray some matte finish (or gloss/semi-gloss) sealer over your acrylics when your done

if you want one solid color that's uniform through the piece, then use vinyl die

[Push Upstairs]

I'd suggest using the "Model Master" line of paints from Testors.

Yeah its enamel paint, but its designed with more advanced builders/painters in mind. It also has a much better selection of colors outside the normal colors (ROY G BIV and such) but it doesnt include pastel colors of any kind.

I believe it also mixes better when you use it in an airbrush.

[chaoticjelly]

I've painted plastic/metal PC cases before... and I believe you can do it by a similar principle...

I use automotive sprays.. use whatever type of automotive spray you wish... just test the spray on a small area of the plastic case (inside the case), before you start to make sure there are no reactions..

Clean the case with isopropyl alcohol before you start, you shouldnt need to sand it, that would ruin the case, it just needs to be clean.

A couple of coats of acrylic primer, grey or white is best if you're using colours which you want to look bright, and black is best for colours you wish to look darker, or if you're using metallic paints..

Then a couple of coats of the main colour (its best to spray lightly and at a distance and do more coats than hold the can closer and run the risk of the paint running)

Then (this part is optional, but recommended IMHO), a couple of coats of clear lacquer, this will protect your lovely paintwork, and make it shiny!! then the best look, you get some "rubbing compound" and give all around the lacquer a very good rub! you might need to rub for a long time, but the effect is amazing.... you will get a super smooth, super shiny effect!

Enjoy and good luck!
Hope this helps!

[Joelius]

When you say rubbing compound, what stuff do you mean by that?

[jonjandran]

When you say rubbing compound, what stuff do you mean by that?

It's used in the Automotive industry to buff out scratches or to shine up a car that is oxidized.

It can be found at an Automotive Store or even Wal-Mart.

I personally use 3M Perfect-It II , but that can only be found at an Automotive paint store usually. At Wal-Mart just look in the Auto Center with the car waxes.

[chaoticjelly]

I nearly forgot...

INVEST in a face mask thing, that will protect you against the fumes if you're using automotive spray paint...

As apparently the fumes contain Cyanide traces and other nasty stuff... I made the mistake of using a flimsy crappo mask thing, and I felt ill for about 2 weeks...

:eek 2:

[autobotracing]

As far as prep goes its best to clean it with some degreaser before .Castrol super clean works best for me.Do not use engine degreaser in a spray can because most of it contains some type of oil.Do not use any kind of thinner to clean the sysetm because it will usually mess up the plastics.Also give it a light scrub with one of those ruff scotch pads you wash dishes with and make sure you rinse it good and let it dry completely.Unless you want mettalic colors I would stay away from the testors stuff because it takes forever to dry and it does not apply too easy unless you use the airbrush kind.If you are wanting single or multiple colors I would recomend krylon .It dries quick and it easy to apply and to buff out and keep shiny and a clear coat is not needed.I have found it to be alot more durable than testors paints.If you know how to airbrush then that would make for a cleaner job otherwise you way need to wet sand it to get is smooth.



If your paint comes out crappy and you dont like it you can soak the system in 100% castroll super clean {do not dilute it}and the paint will come right off without harming the plastics.

[optic_85]

Daria - For what you want to do you should either use an airbrush or maybe do a combination af spray paint, and acrylics or testors model paints. Do a base color with the spray paint first(after a coat of primer) if you want like a backround, because any large area's you do with a brush are gonna look cruddy, and lumpy. Do as much as you can with spray paint before you move onto the brush.

[autobotracing]

never use brush to paint on the system :hmm: x_x

[Chunky]

Krylon is great, they have a line just for painting plastics.


even rustoleum(sp?) has a line of plastic paints and some really funky colors.