Sgt JB Posted July 30, 2009 Report Share Posted July 30, 2009 Anyone ever try Automotive paint / airbrush? just wondering if it's been done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dargas[501st] Posted July 30, 2009 Report Share Posted July 30, 2009 I will try out for my ESB vader in about a month or so. spray didn't do it for me... it chipped off after 3 troops so right now im getting all the paint off the chest and helmet and prepping it for serious pimping! I'll let you know when its done and I've trooped a couple of times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt JB Posted July 30, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 30, 2009 cool thanks, I was thinking about doing auto paint with a few coat of clear gloss over it with my airbrush... but the Krylon fusion, or the rustolium palstics paints bond to plastic alot better, so I'm trying to decide if I want to get a nicer paint job that I'll get from airbrushing, or do I go with a lesser quality, but longer lasting paint job with the canned stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkrestonva[TK] Posted July 30, 2009 Report Share Posted July 30, 2009 There's a guy in my garrison who owns an auto body repair shop. When he's not fixing cars, he uses his painting chamber to paint costume parts. The results are absolutely AMAZING! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt JB Posted July 30, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 30, 2009 question is, how's the durrability. does it chip too much? or crack? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FIVE[501st] Posted November 23, 2009 Report Share Posted November 23, 2009 I'm interested in this very same question. I have a friend who has offered to help me paint my next set of armor (also going to be ESB) when I get it. It will be a bit more expensive than buying spray paint, but if the results are better I think it would be worth it. If anyone HAS done it (even on a bucket only) and has pics, that'd be great. Or yeah... I wonder what the durability / etc. is like as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pandatrooper[TK] Posted November 23, 2009 Report Share Posted November 23, 2009 An airbrush will give you lots of control, but the spray pattern will be really small compared to a spray can. You're going to need at least a mini spray gun or a full on autobody style sprayer to give the even coats and coverage you need. You also need a good compressor (preferably not a small diaphragm one that will "pulse" the paint) to give high enough and even enough pressure. You also should be very careful of what paints you use. Most automotive paints are lacquer based, which will EAT certain plastics. I have never tried autobody paint on ABS but on styrene, lacquer thinner will dissolve it. You need to use weaker reducers in order to make it safe to use on plastic. Sure, certain body trims are plastic, but they're not styrene. They're also not meant to flex everyday (no one cares if the paint cracks off AFTER and accident, right?) You may also need to add a flex agent to the paint to make it flexible enough for things like torsos, butt plates and shins that need to flex when you put them on. The most important thing is prepping the surface before painting (sanding, cleaning with agents, etc.), some kind of primer that will bite into the plastic, and allow the paint to adhere properly, and primer and paint that's durable and flexible. Make sure you also allow ample time for the paint to cure before stressing it too much. You could do clear coats too, but also make sure there's flex agent in it (otherwise, the clear coat will crack / spiderweb) Not saying that armor can't be done with automotive paints, you just need to do your research and test it before you paint it. *ps: my brother was an autobody technician for about 15 years painting cars, motorbikes, etc., and he also did a lot of painting for industry, displays, etc.. so he's told me all about this stuff, plus I've airbrushed a lot before for illustration and model making and prop work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FIVE[501st] Posted November 23, 2009 Report Share Posted November 23, 2009 Yeah, I'm talking about having it done by a full-on automotive sprayer. My friend owns a full auto-body painting set up. Good tip on the additives!!! I will test it on some pieces first for sure. Thanks man! (If I do it / tests of it, I will post pics / results!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pandatrooper[TK] Posted November 23, 2009 Report Share Posted November 23, 2009 Thats great that he's helping you. I'd maybe suggest these 2 tests: Paint test: Bring him a scrap of material, (spare ABS, styrene, just some bigger trimmed piece from your armor you don't need - make sure you know what plastic it is) and use a scotch brite pad to roughen it up, and clean it with alcohol. Get him to just spray it with whatever is in his gun at the time of an autobody repair. Doesn't matter what color. Just get him to spray it with primer and paint when he's repainting a car. Let it sit for a month, then bend it and see if it cracks. If the paint is "wavy" you know that the reducer was too strong for the plastic. If it cracks, you'll know it's not flexible enough for plastic. That will give you some info for the next test you can do at the same time. Reducer test: Have him scotch bright the plastic to roughen the surface, then clean it with the mildest reducer he has (you can get milder reducer for motorcycle plastic parts like fairings, etc..), and see if if the plastic deteriorates. If the cloth soaked with reducer starts to "pull" on the plastic (basically, it's melting it), it's too strong. If it's OK, then you can use that to reduce the paint. If this is OK, then do a 3rd test. get another scrap, roughen it up, clean it with reducer, and see if he can mix up some primer and some colored paint (not white) with the reducer to thin the paint, and add a flex agent to it to allow the paint to flex, and paint the scrap. Let this cure up for a month, and then stress test it again by flexing it, and seeing if it cracks. The reason I suggest another color is that if you use white, you won't be able to see if the paint reacted badly. If it's good to go (doesn't crack unless you bend the thing more than 90 degrees, doesn't flake off, doesn't affect the plastic surface), then you can paint the armor with automotive finishes. *This is just my personal opinion based on experience, and probably a little paranoia. Even with my brother, I wouldn't just hand him my new lid and say "Hey, go at it" with whatever is in his gun at work. I'd do the tests, just to make sure you don't mess up your whole suit! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FIVE[501st] Posted November 23, 2009 Report Share Posted November 23, 2009 Great tips man! I'm sending this to him actually! I know I'll be using HIPS as it's TE2 armor I'll be painting. And yeah, no way I'd have a whole suit painted before testing!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pandatrooper[TK] Posted November 23, 2009 Report Share Posted November 23, 2009 Glad I could help, let us know how it goes! By the way, if it does work, you can get a KILLER finish afterwards by wet sanding the paint job (not too much, as there's a lot more contours and sharp edges on armor than there is on a car) and polish it with a mild cut polish, then a swirl remover. Then wax it with a high end carnuba wax. The finish will be crazy shiny! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
usul45 Posted November 23, 2009 Report Share Posted November 23, 2009 I am really interested in how this comes out. I have been tempted to go this route with my 2nd ROTJ helmet, but was afraid of the sandblasting angle. I have a place here in Oregon that has agreed to do it and are really excited about it, but Panda has sort of scared the heck out of me, I never even thought about the additives, and stuff, I'm afraid I would get back a small pile of goo instead of a Helmet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pandatrooper[TK] Posted November 23, 2009 Report Share Posted November 23, 2009 You don't need to sandblast plastic, in fact if the surface is good, you don't even need to sand, a scotchbrite scrub over the surface will provide enough "tooth" for the primer. I watched my brother paint several bikes (Yamaha GSX-R's) in race schemes for several local riders over the years. The body panels are plastic too, but to do it right, he had to mix things differently so that the paint would flex and stick properly. My only fear is that I haven't ever painted HIPS or ABS TK armor with lacquer based paints before. I have painted styrene (airbrushed) scratch builds and models with enamels and on a few occasions, milder lacquers (I used milder reducers). But if the person painting doesn't know, and if mixed incorrectly and lays down too much paint / too heavy of a coat, strong lacquer will be too aggressive on the plastic surface. This could cause a poor finish, such as orange peel (dimpling), cracking, peeling, etc. Unless you "soak your lid in a bucket of lacquer thinner", it's not going to turn to goo. But too much / too heavy of a mix "may" alter the characteristics of the surface of the plastic. This may give you a less than desirable finish. One area I'd be really concerned about is shins. If the paint has no flex agent in it, and you have to open up the back of your shin armor so wide to get our leg in - wouldn't you want to be sure that the paint job can handle it? I'd hate to have the paint get "spider web cracks" all over, or even worse - completely crack and flake off due to no flex agent, or poor adhesion. Keep in mind that even Krylon is a lacquer base, but automotive paints are a whole different mix. The painter is supposed to mix the appropriate portions of paint base and reducers to get the proper consistency, adhesion and color / pigmentation for "car" use. On plastic, it's different. I've never painted a TK with auto paints before, so I'm just being cautious. I'm not trying to alarm anyone. I just want to share what knowledge I do have and make sure that people get the results they want. I think it helps to educate yourself before doing something that might not turn out how you want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt JB Posted November 23, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 23, 2009 I posted this way before I painted my armor, so for me, this is a moot point, however, excellent advice Panda. I went with Rustoleum, and it turned out awesome. I wax it with turtle wax, and the shine after a good polish is amazing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vt357[501st] Posted January 11, 2011 Report Share Posted January 11, 2011 I posted this way before I painted my armor, so for me, this is a moot point, however, excellent advice Panda. I went with Rustoleum, and it turned out awesome. I wax it with turtle wax, and the shine after a good polish is amazing. Sorry to necropost. I was curious how your rustoleum paint job has held up after a year of trooping? Would you go that route again? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tk7713gra30 Posted January 11, 2011 Report Share Posted January 11, 2011 On 1/11/2011 at 11:07 PM, vt357 said: Sorry to necropost. I was curious how your rustoleum paint job has held up after a year of trooping? Would you go that route again? hi, This is a fibreglass helmet I made about 3 years ago. It was painted entirely in halford paint and was very sturdy, I gave it to my brother in the end as its not very accurate but the finish came out ok. Halfords primer is a must first as it will not buble with the gloss on top. I still have another 2 to make and I even bought the moulds ;-? not sure why I did that! Regards gra Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.