Rattlecan Painting/Waterslide Decals

[tuffteef]

so ive got a little project in the works ive got a ring stinger that im gonna rehouse and its got me thinking about the process of painting and decals
now ive tried painting enclosures myself and they turned into absolute disasters im only gonna paint it a glossy white and it went yellow and never dried its still sticky to this day and its been like 5 months
perhaps i used the wrong paint it was just plain gloss spray paint and ive tried matte then sprayed gloss and it still went yellow and sticky
whats the best kind of paint to look for? i was thinking maybe car spray paint?
is it best to use a primer first then use the gloss? and whats the prep sanding wise ?

now to decals and finishing
printing graphics on waterslide decal paper does the print scratch away easily?
and a couple quickies on clear epoxy resin dumping ive seen spunks and cloudscapes do this as well as on an algal bloom i had years ago
i seen that spunks did it on photopaper?
what was that process of sticking it to the enclosure isnt photopaper a little too thick?
did u guys drill before dumping the resin ? or drill after the resin dried
and what about when it drips down the sides do u wipe it away ? or brush it off?
any handy tips would be helpful i could prob do a couple prac runs on some dud enclosures i got hanging around to see what works best

annnnd im done

[McSpunckle]

You could clear over the waterslide decals if you wanted. Otherwise it probably would scratch.

I've had good luck spraying enclosures with Rustoleum brand stuff (it's made for metal, afterall).


Photo paper would be thicker than you'd want to use for anything other than resin, probably. However, the tutorial on beavis does use adhesive-backed photo paper and canned polyurethane, which you bake, brush, bake, etc. But it's not very clear (quite yellow). I tried acrylic, but it ate away the ink, even with "waterproof" vinyl. I don't like that method.

I'm about to try a glossy film paper, and I'll let you know how that works out if you're interested. It's basically photo paper, but... on plastic instead of paper. So it's quite a lot thinner.

For my labels, I print the graphics on photo paper, and cut them to size. I kinda bounce between two methods for the resin. For one, I'll brush a small amount of epoxy on the enclosure, then set the label in it and brush a very thin coat of resin on top of the label, straighten up the label, let it dry, the pour a thick coat on top. Or, I'll just brush the resin onto the enclosure, put the label down, and pour on the full coat.

The 2-step way prevents bubbles, but the 1 step way is less likely to cause weird colour issues with the photo paper where, where dark areas get cloudy.

I never had any success getting the epoxy to stick to the sides of the pedal, since it ends up so thin. I'd imagine if you brushed a coat on the sides before the pour, that would help a lot, but I just sand the sides off.

[smile_man]

so ive got a little project in the works ive got a ring stinger that im gonna rehouse

dude.

wtf?

[Jero]

I never had any success getting the epoxy to stick to the sides of the pedal, since it ends up so thin. I'd imagine if you brushed a coat on the sides before the pour, that would help a lot, but I just sand the sides off.

When I tried it for the ILFface it worked well for the sides, but that wasn't what I was gong for, so I too sanded down the sides. I really need a grinding wheel.

[tuffteef]

so ive got a little project in the works ive got a ring stinger that im gonna rehouse

dude.

wtf?

it was someone elses diy stinger well boris from fsb built it

[tuffteef]

cool bananas im surprised aus has rustoleum
do you get brush marks in the resin though when you brush it over the top? and does it angry up the print at all like the colours bleeding at all from the brushing?

[nbabmf]

It sounds like you've sprayed too much paint on at once and didn't give adequate drying time between coats. It takes me about a week to finish an enclosure properly between primer, color, waterslide, and gloss.

[tuffteef]

yeah i prob did rush it haha
did u use a toaster over with your enclosures or paint over a week without it?

[eniacmike]

I rattlecan everything.
I really like testors one coat lacquers (used for model cars and stuff) they have cool colors and it comes out thick and sets up nicely
Rustoleum or Krylon glossy lacquer for everything else. Spray painting is all about technique. I put a glove on my left hand and hold the enclosure from underneath. I do a light 12" away coat alway start spraying in the air next to the pedal and move across the pedal. never start/stop spraying on the pedal. After the light coat I fill in a little slower and little closer being careful not to get paint bunched up or pooled in places.

then I pop it in the toaster oven for 150 degrees F for 30 minutes. The heat helps it go on smooth and speeds up the dry time.


generally one coat will do it, but you can do more if you want a thicker more durable finish.

then waterslide decals

then I use minwax polyacrylic gloss spray. poly acrylic rules. you can coat every 30 minutes and handle after an hour. it doesn't fully set till 24 hours so be careful but you can put your pedal together after an hour. it's also not as toxic as polyurethane and it cleans up with water.

[tuffteef]

so the toaster oven kinda cooks the paint to smooth it out? and help it set? it wont like scorch or burn the paint will it?
hit me up on those paper tests too spunks

[eniacmike]

150 degrees F isn't hot enough to burn the paint. I don't bake my decals because the dextrose sugar that holds waterslide decals will brown, but enamel paint is good to go.

[McSpunckle]

The film "paper" is awesome with resin finishes. I'd imagine it'd be great with anything, other than not having adhesive (but, personally, I prefer to have a wet glue-- since it makes it easier to line up the label).

Here it is:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/4 ... _Film.html

It's very expensive, but it does come in different sizes. You can do 4 pedals with a letter-size sheet. 6 MXR sized if you can manage to print borderless without your printer blowing the prints up slightly (still trying to figure out why it does that... >.>). They make a clear one too, if that's your thing.

It's totally waterproof,(I tested it in the sink) and a lot thinner than photo paper.

Dig.

[tuffteef]

does that film have any other names
im having trouble finding it locally they all look at me funny in the shop
mainly cause even i dont know what it is
is it the white glossy version of transparency films?
if so even then i cant find it

[tuffteef]

im gonna drag this thread back up
now shopping for clear epoxu resin

ive found some but im not sure what this ratio stuff means
1:1 and 2:1
i mean i get ratios but is there a difference in quality or applications?
and how does one mix it perfect anyone got any tried methods in measuring this stuff and like an ammount needed to cover like a 1590bb

mvex im looking your way

[McSpunckle]

From what I understand, higher ratio stuff will be more rigid, and seems to usually have a faster drying time. Rigidity doesn't matter much with pedals, though...

I use a fairly thick 1:1 epoxy meant for tabletops. There's basically two types... thick and thin. Thick covers better, but has a higher tendency to get fine bubbles that are kinda hard to get out.

For mixing, use graduated mixing cups (the kind with measurements marked on the sides). Pour in the hardener, then the resin, then gently mix it. It's realllly important that you mix it pretty gently. And thoroughly. If you see any swirls, you're not done. So keep trying, dick.

Ideally, if you were pouring over a label, you would brush a very thin coat on first to seal it, then pour the actual coat. BUT, that thin coat will cause weird discolorations that don't come out. Maybe you can clear coat the label first.I haven't tried it yet.

Pour the resin on slowly. I brush a coat on top to get it flowing, then slowly pour it on. Then use some kind of flat object to spread it. It'll level itself, so make sure your pedal is level.

I use about 5oz for 4 pedals, but it would depend on your resin.