I want to spray paint a plastic case, and I want to do it well.

I'm trying to study different videos on youtube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MsVWj3fGkY

This guy goes against the grain of what I always assumed to be the right way to do it.

1.) 1 thin coat, followed by 2 thick ass coats.

2.) Dry for 2+ days. This causes shrinkage and "orange-peeling"

3.) Spray on clear coat.

4.) Wait a few more days.

5.) Sand down with fine-grit paper.

6.) Apply Meguire's Ultimate Compound (a car wax/polish), and buff the shit out of it.

7.) Instant, super shiny, professional-looking surface.


Am I just making it harder than it should be?

I definitely want to have a high-gloss result when I'm finished. Not just for the aesthetic quality, but to have a force field to protect the paint underneath.

So I assume it's:

1.) Sand object until it's a smooth, flat surface.
2.) Clean with soap and water, mineral spirits, anti-fungal cleaner to prevent mold from ever appearing under the layers of paint.
3.) Spray primer
4.) Wet sand in between primer coats (?)
5.) Wait for it dry.
6.) Wipe clean with soapy water, and wipe with tack cloth to rid any settling dust.
7.) Spray with gloss colors. Multiple coats.
8.) Wait til dry.
9.) Sand gloss away with very fine grit paper
10.) Apply Gloss spray all over. Light coats over the course of a couple of days.
11.) ?????
12.) Profit.

>>1018051
I have problems with rustoleum too, whenever I do more than 2 coats (at proper recoat time) of enamel, the fucker never dries fully.
I have something I painted a year ago that's still got a tacky consistency.

>>1018066
I had a Nerf Maverick I painted years ago and I guess I must have sprayed it too heavy. I swear it still feels like a gummy, tacky mess.

I'm watching more of these youtube videos and some of these people are using a PAINT ROLLER and applying it with multiple coats.

It's like I have a mutant ability to fuck up paint jobs.

Does anybody paint at all?

If I'm using glossy-type paint, do I have to lightly sand it for the glossy clear coat to protect it?

One of the videos I watched, a guy explained that his Rustoleum clear coat scratched very easily, and instead opted for a whole bucket of syrupy two-part resin. Is that doable??

Not sure where to ask so I'll ask here:

making a prop from overwatch (mccree flashbang).

I've put on 3 coat of filler primer (3d printed so I sanded smooth and filling in holes).

But a bottom lip is cracking.

Did I put too much primer on?

Prep sand surface
Apply primer
Paint (multiple thin coats)
If it's looking shit, wet sand after a few coats
Apply clear in multiple light coats. Rust oleum makes a decent crystal clear enamel. You want high gloss, of course.
Wet sand
Use rubbing compound, followed by polishing compound. However, I find that 3M's rubbing compound is finer than Turtle Wax's polishing compound, so make that your final 'polish'

Take care around edges and corners when sanding

You'll want automotive grit paper for your sanding (600, 1000, 1200).

>>1018630
Funny. I find krylons crystal clear acrylic to be pretty best at clear coat. But my issue is I can't find the stuff that had the UV blockers in it any more. I don't have the can any more (just looked for it) i held onto it for a couple of years empty to remind me what it was exactly.

>>1018630
For paint though, should I specifically use flat paint, or do I HAVE to sand the glossiness down if I'm painting with gloss colors?

All I'm using is Rustoleum products.

I've spray painted two things - a lamp and a white lcd monitor. Both look ok. The lamp I polished afterwards to give it a glossy look and on the monitor I used a dishwashing sponge to give it a 'brushed' look. No primers or secondary gloss. If you're achieving poor results maybe try different paint?

>>1018881
What brand did you use?
What type of paint? Flat, semi-gloss, gloss?
Did you spray primer beforehand?

>>1018775
Use the gloss. Only sand if you need to knock some orange peel down before applying clear.

Don't use clear over metallics. Don't sand then, either. It often ends poorly.

>>1019082
I learned the hard way not to paint over metallics which is a shame. I like gold paint, but it's never lustrous enough.

>>1018051

What kind of plastic are you wanting to paint? A number of the common ones (HDPE being both the most common and one of the most problematic) simply do not take paint well without some exotic preparation. That includes a bit of chemical etching and/or irradiation. Even purpose-made plastic sprays don't stick well to it with just sanding.

If its HDPE, UHMW, or, god forbid, PTFE (as unlikely as that is), you gonna have a bad time.

>>1019417
I believe it's abs, like 95% sure.
I hope sanding it with down with coarse grit, then medium grit, than fine grit will make the surface paintable, right?

Question about paints. What's the best way to block areas from being painted, other than tape?
Say I need only to block a small intricate area, can I use that liquid/latex masking fluid that's used for watercolor painting?

>>1019480
Sounds fine. In my experience, a decent primer is enough. If the surface looks and feels mostly smooth, primer will fill in the small bumps and gaps. You don't want a perfectly smooth surface or your stuff won't have anything to bite into.

I paint over PVC a lot and I don't even sand anymore. A quick, but thorough, wipe with acetone is enough for my purposes.

>>1019480

ABS should paint alright. Try for a smooth, even, matte finish when sanding. Gives enough surface for the primer to hold onto, but is smooth enough for the paint to finish it into a gloss.

>>1020020

Note that PVC is one of the most easily-painted plastics around. The stuff will take just about any kind of paint as long as it has a clean surface.

>>1018630
How many coats of gloss should I apply to get to a point where I'm wet sanding it down and then polishing?

Fuck sanding - agood quality plastic primer is better.

Multiple thin coats. Lacquer finish, buff with a good wax polish same as you would a car.