Making the Carlyle Elysium SMG

[scornflake]

The paint cracked on the body, where the joins are. Maybe the glazing putty isn't flexible? Maybe it's more to do with being ASA (flexible) than PETG. In hindsight, while ASA is easier to sand, you probably don't want a flexible material on the body. Having said that, it's not like it can really move with those two 16mm tubes throughout the whole thing. Hmm.

I'm going to go get a couple of cans of that PPG epoxy primer, and do the same thing that I did with the D9 gun. Grove out the joins, prime, fill, sand, reprime, then repaint.

The cracks were not that bad, but *I* know they (were) there. And besides. The gold handle experiments are continuing. I might end up printing *another* set of handles and try the epoxy primer on those as well.

First three images show the cracks. The remained show the dental work

 

[scornflake]

Plan v3! Went to visit a mate of mine (a painter). Got some primer that I know I have used successfully in the past. And got some gold paint that better matches the droid prop.

 

[scornflake]

The other thing he mention (we’ll call him…. Justin) was that I didn’t need to wait days between coats. Even color and clear. That if I was putting down a proper layer where the particles of paint juuuust joined enough to make a film, waiting for the solvent to flash off was enough. In other words: not too little (speckle) and not thick (look ma, I put down 2mm of paint in one pass !!!)

So. I’ve done 4 light coats in about 20m.

 

[scornflake]

Ok. New primer is much better. I’ve sanded lightly at 600 and will do more primer just to fill in some groves.

I’ve puttied up the main body and need to let that dey

And finally I’ve sanded down one part (for priming) and will have a go at the others, just spraying the new gold color straight over them.

The sight parts, front cage and laser, I’m reprinting.

 

[scornflake]

Right then. So, put the new trigger assembly together:

 

[scornflake]

Then sand some of the reprints:

 

[scornflake]

Then do lots of priming and painting. Of things. All the things!

A mix of primer, paint, etc. Basically it's all going to the "normal" plan of.... you know. Prime something. Paint something.
(i.e: you touch a part after 12hr and it doesn't feel tacky)

After the debacle of progress so far, it's all a bit of a surprise really.

No pics of gun body. I don't think I put enough hardener into the body filler. Dunno if it's gonna set or not. Ho humm.

 

[scornflake]

Hmm. Looks like I'll be reworking the gun body then:

 

[scornflake]

The new gold parts.

 

[scornflake]

And the reworked rifle body. I forgot to prime it first. Opps.

 

[scornflake]

And now for something completely different. I sprayed two types of rustoleum clear over the old handles.

This might be a flawed test, as they still didn’t feel cured.

The gold has gone …. Black/weathered. If it were a tarnished look that I were after I’d be quite pleased

So I am now also preparing another test part with new primer and new gold. I want to then clear coat that one too, to see if it does the same thing.

 

[scornflake]

Fixy fix fix

 

[joberg]

Yep, I was apprehensive about the clear coat on the gold As you can see, it's really not a match made in heaven.

 

[scornflake]

Yep, I was apprehensive about the clear coat on the gold As you can see, it's really not a match made in heaven.

Yup - so with my "test" I'm going to two tests #1) waiting for the gold (the new stuff) to properly cure. 4-5 days. This is keeping in mind the new stuff feels great after 18hrs. Thus I am expecting waiting longer will help ensure that I'm not screwing up my own painting. #2) on the other part, I'm going to do 2-3 very light layers of more gold, and then immediately put layers of clear directly over that (using rusto enamel clear). I'm curious . I had a spare rear handle part. So I've primed that (with the new primer), and am letting that go off. Then i'll paint both of those two parts gold, and wait some days.

I've read on the internets that it's possible to clear metalics. On the other hand the paint part of this build has so far been a tragically bad experience. I can't help wonder if there is just a bunch of very, very old paint sitting on shelves and sometimes we end up with a product that is just plain ... bad.

I had printed another part for a hose clamp (outside) in PETG. I used some of the rustoleum I had laying around to paint it (both primer, and color), and it too didn't feel like it had gone off properly, even after some days. So now I'm just wondering if paint, sitting around, goes "bad".

That PPG epoxy primer experience is SO different from the rustomleum stuff I have. You can see the solvents dry/evaporate over 5m. You can touch it and it feels as you'd expect. Dry. It's a night/day difference from the rusto. Yet I've used rusto in the past with no problems.

guess well find out in a few days

 

[scornflake]

In the meantime. I sprayed some Matt enamel clear over a purely primed test part.

The actual goal was to try color over the clear. Then clear over that later.

I also then ran steel wool over an older (using the old gold that I felt never really hardened) and cleared the end of that.



See how the right side of the grey piece is darker? That’s clear over three light coats of primer.

Next you have the gold. The gold one (not blackened) is sprayed on the end. You can just make it out. But it’s waaaay better.

Differences that I can think of: much thicker color coat. Steel wooled. Left to go off about 5 days instead of the 24hr for my primer based test.

Those blacked out ones? They were left about the same time as the one that worked, except they had thinner coats. The one that worked was definitely left a few days more tho, since I didn’t perform the steel wool idea until a few days after

 

[scornflake]

Oh. Main body is looking good now:

 

[scornflake]

First test fit. Not using intended gold parts yet as I’m just messing about.

 

[scornflake]

I'm aware there's been some time dilation between posts. One of us has been at lightspeed, pretty sure it's not me.

The main point is this: I have sprayed gloss clear over gold (OLD, crappy, that I hated gold...), and came up with these:

TLDR: it looks FINE. I did not expect this based on past experience.
There's a difference in tone. A biiiiit darker, bit I'd be happy.

I think the morale of this, for me is: wait. Wait. Done waiting? Wait some more. Maybe another 3 days.

This first post shows a gloss clear over the OLD gold paint.
It has not "sucked" (or gone blackish).

 

[scornflake]

More shots of the test build. Without front parts. Without sight. Without rails.

 

[scornflake]

Lots of small parts being painted at the same time.

Oh and this is enamel clear coat. It gives me hope that the larger parts won’t look shiiiet.

I had intended to clear the other parts after weathering.