Painting PVC and plastic in general

I build a lightsaber out of some PVC pipe and used chrome spray paint to make it look like metal. But after awhile the paint began to dull and chip, does anyone have any suggestions?

Also I bought some toy water guns and spray painted one black but it ended out being blochy. Help!

 

Undercoat undercoat undercoat!
That's the key word!
Basically, there's several tips you need to know. Take these steps:
1. Clean the plastic up carefully -- trim off excess bits of plastic from the mold, clean with mild soap and water. Let dry.
2. (Optional step) At this point, you can do a light sanding over the whole piece to help paint adhere better.
3. Apply a generous coating of undercoat/primer paint. General rule of thumb is that white undercoat is for bright colors, black for metallics, gray is neutral. Undercoat is very important -- paint sticks better to paint than to plastic.
4. (Optional step) Undercoat/primer can be sanded.
5. Apply a good base coat of your main color(s). Let dry.
6. Apply a second coating. Let dry. (repeat as much as desired).
7. Apply final detail painting, such as weathering, highlighting, etc.
8. Apply at least one coating of a sealer (clear coat), either matte or gloss, whichever you prefer. This will help keep the paint from wearing off.
9. As your prop is used, apply fresh sealer coats as necessary to keep it in good condition.
Hope that helps.

 

Thanks, that helps alot.

 

No sweat. Good luck with your project!

 

You may also want to try a product called "Bond-Aid" i get it at auto parts places.It is used on plastic bumpers and such to promote adhesion between the plastic and the primer.
when you paint plastic the paint is just sitting on the plastic.if you were to flex or bend the plastic the paint will chip off.if you use bond-aid the primer will adhere to the plastic and allow the paint to flex with the plastic and not crack off.

Also only use 2 coats of clear coat over the paint.more than that and it will start to cloud up and distort the color.

 

What grain of sandpaper should i use?

 

I just painted some Sintra armor, made from the same kind of plastic as PVC.

I first sanded the plastic with very fine sandpaper. I then coated the plastic with spray primer. I sanded again, then sprayed on primer again. The I sprayed on black gloss paint and lightly sanded. I applied one final coat of black and that was it. The idea is to give layers, and by sanding you give the paint something to hold on to.

Scott

 

Sand, prime, spray, coat!

I found that automotive silver/chrome spray paint works really well. It's an acrylic base, not synthetic. i usually prefer acrylic, cause it dries a lot faster and sticks better.

 

has anybody used epoxyputty? A friend told me it could fill in gaps and stuff real well but I haven't seen anyone talk about it so I am a little wary. Any thoughts ???

 

I have used epoxy putty a little bit to fill holes and gaps between pieces of plastic and wood. It is sticky, hardens quite fast and the fumes are not healthy. Some brands are made to resemble wood, and can be sanded.

 

I love epoxy. I used it a lot when I was back in my model horse stage. You can sculpt great details with it.

It usually comes in two parts, and you have to squish it together to create the chemical reaction. The kind I used molds really well, and comes in big chunks. I didn't notice any fumes from it, however wear gloves when using it, the stuff can cause cancer if you use it a lot. Rubbing alcohol works very well to smooth out and it won't 'pill' up when you rub it. It will dry in about an hour and it is rock hard. You need to use a dremel to sand it down, and I suggest wearing a dust mask, the stuff is nasty. And it cures in about one hour, so there is some time to work with it. The trick is to use small chunks.

Here's a link for it: Gapoxio

 

I found with PVC that Plasti-Coat Car paint works real well. But instead of Primer I used the small bottles of Touch up paint as a base. It seemed to work better than the Primer anyway. I brushed the touch up on as best I could. It usually has some brush marks but it holds very well to almost anything. Then after that dried I used Spray paint of the same color which removed the brush marks. Then I Clear Coat on top. With no clear coat it will chip. That I have noticed no matter what.


here is an example of a PVC saber I painted using the above.

[image=http://www.geocities.com/doright36/sabers/bb1.jpg]

 

Hmmm gloves using epoxy putty eh??? *trying to rub the residue from Wed night off*
Thanks for the tips guys , wish I'd remembered this BEFORE using it. You're right, fills in nicely, sands-up a storm though!! I love this place!!!
As for the PVC tips, I thank you as well, always good to get tips you thought you didn't need to know. wink wink

 

thanks for the post, wish I had been a little more methodical in building my defunct saber. Same stuf happened to me... Thanks for all the info guys... Re: Priming and epoxy.....

PS: nice paint job Doright!

 

As for the PVC tips, I thank you as well, always good to get tips you thought you didn't need to know. wink wink


Well painting PVC is the thread topic and the original question was about painting PVC so if you thought you didn't need to know why were you posting in this thread?



mmmmmm. Weird huh? Oh well, stranger things have happend.




Thanks jedimelis

 

I don't know how you work, but I've got six freekin windows open right now with so many threads, by the time I see something I want to reply to my brain feels like I'm takin a dip in Yoda's pool!!

And was just SAAAYIIING!!!! THANX!!