best practice painting procedure?

[ScoobiJohn]

hi,

i started making a drift mask (from fortnite) for my nephew, hes totally addicted, anyway after i printed it out sanded it down and filled it with putty and then primed it and all looked good

this is where things started to go wrong i used a different paint than i normally use, a high gloss white and at first look everything seemed fine, it looked great but after i masked it up i drew on the shapes and used an xacto knife to cut them out, i knew this would likely score the paint but when i peeled the masking tape off the bits i had cut out the paint just peeled off like a thin layer of plastic - i tried putting down the next colour anyway but where the paint had come up it was very noticeable, and to top matters off the next colour seemed to have a bad reaction with that white paint too - suffice it to say it was a disaster and i had to sand the whole thing back

so take 2

i've ditched the idea of cutting through the masking tape and got some masking tape designed for curved lines, hopefully that will work but imagine applying it is going to be tricky - and i've also ditched the high gloss white and put a matt white finish down (figured a gloss clear coat will fix that??), i tested it and it doesn't react with the other paints, but i'm concerned with putting masking tape on it - it looks like the masking tape might leave marks on the matt white? should i put a clear coat over the white before doing other layers? or will that stop them sticking properly?

so advice? is there a correct way to do these things?

thanks

 

[pizzow81]

Ugh this is the worst. Sorry to hear.

There are so many variables that could be at play here.

What type of primer and top coat did you use? Some sort of rattle can like rustoleum or duplicolor and if so was it the kind made for plastics? Did you mix brands? Or did you use something like Tamiya paints?

Did you follow the paint instructions to a T and do the appropriate amount of prep on the surface (clean, rough sand, etc) emote priming as well as follow the timings between primer coats and top coat?

I’ve found that following the instructions about time between coats is key. When I first started finishing props I would rush through and not give enough time between coats causing awful results like peeling, chipping, etc.

 

[Duncanator]

Something else to watch out for are the solvents in your paints - some don't play nice together. It works best if you don't mix types, but if you do you'll want to be careful what goes on first.

Enamel paints can be painted over Lacquer paints, but if you spray lacquer over enamel, the solvents in the lacquer can cause the enamel to wrinkle up or craze. Also gloss surfaces tend to be more delicate than flat because of the way they cure/dry. Gloss paints use the surface tension of the liquid to form a shiny skin that dries first, then the trapped paint underneath has to dry through that. This makes it easier for gloss paints to "lift" if they aren't fully dry underneath.

 

[ScoobiJohn]

ok i got to admit - i have been mixing paints - largely because i didn't have some of the paints i needed on short notice so just used what i could find in the local hobby shop

use this primer https://www.amazon.co.uk/HYCOTE-XUK...H0YVSMPWRY8&psc=1&refRID=6BHV787XDH0YVSMPWRY8

has worked on all my other 3d prints and went on well just the white coat wouldn't stick to it - this was the offending high gloss white i picked up at hobbycraft

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Plasti-kot...e+white+spray&qid=1555628097&s=gateway&sr=8-1

the pink i had to use yet another type of paint because well it was the right colour i haven't seen anywhere else but it so far hasn't been a problem - it was going back to the hycote black that had a bad reaction with the white

- i do have tamiya paints too but the bottles are so small i figured i would just use rattle cans instead - but i suppose i could use them - not sure i've tried clear coating them before though so no idea how they would react

 

[ScoobiJohn]

on another note the is one bit on the mask that is gold - i've tried some gold spray paints on some snitches and even after using alclad II aqua gloss clear it just lost all its shine and it not resilient enough for a mask that will get played with without a clear coat - so i had an idea to guild gold leaf (fake gold leaf) on - would the clear coat be ok over it? or will it lose its shine too?

 

[Duncanator]

Gold leaf looks really cool. I did a Indiana Jones Idol with gold leaf that I really love. I haven't tried clear coating it, but it should be fine.

 

[Duncanator]

Also, the brands of paint matter less than the solvent type. I like to use lacquer for primers and base color coats, and then if I can stick with lacquers - Yay! Otherwise I'm fine with finishing with enamels or acrylics because I know they won't attack the lacquer base paint. I do have to be careful if I'm going to finish with a clear gloss because my favorites are lacquer based.

 

[thegnome]

Yeah go check what type of paint you buy first so i.e. if it says all purpose and the other one say "only " go get one type of paint. Go sand it and then add the gloss? The roughness will make the paint stick one better and once you that you are good. Just make sure the sandpaper you use is very fine.