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Penance
08-26-2005, 12:12 AM
i'm a little unsure as how to spray paint, in my case it's plastic, (the asus 3600 if it helps http://usa.asus.com/products/pccomponents/chassis/vento3600/overview.htm) if someone could give me a list of items i will need or direct me to a guide for spraying on plastic it would more than be appreciated

thank you

chrisinbeav
08-26-2005, 12:23 AM
Well... first off I would want to know what kind of paint you are thinking of spraying... Such as rattle can spray paint, airbrush, automotive paint, house paint, etc... Each has their own specifics.

Chris Nilluka

Penance
08-26-2005, 01:01 AM
hi, thanks for replying, it will most likely be rattle can spray paint, but i'm seeking advice as to the best way to do it. any suggestions?

chrisinbeav
08-26-2005, 12:26 PM
Rattle can is actually a pretty good choice. relatively easy to use, endless supply of colors, and cost effective.

So here's what you'll need...
Bomb can(rattle can) in what ever color/s you want.
Bomb can Clear Coat in what ever finish you desire (High Gloss, Gloss, Semi-gloss, etc...)
Plastic Primer. (Not just any primer will work)
Preclean-O or any other "prepaint" solvent
Scotch Bright pads "000" grit
Tack Cloth
Masking tape
(A tarp and heat lamp may also be helpfull)
(Extra items that you can live without but will increase the quality of the finish... 1000-2000 grit wetsand paper, and array of polishing compounds such as "Perfect-it" products, and a buffing wheel)


The first thing you'll need to decide is if you want to paint the case assembled or not. Painting it disassembled will give you the best results but there is also the highest "scratch factor". Because when you go back to assembling the case there is a risk of scratching it.

Next if the power supply or any other electronics already come in the case remove them.

Next scrub the surface of everything you want to paint with the Scotch Bright. Direction of scrubbing is not a factor. What this does is allow the primer to have a good surface to bite into.

Next wipe the entire surface down with the prepaint solvent. Even the areas you don't plan on painting. (CAUTION stay away from anything clear!!! ie;Lexan or any other clear plastic. The solvent will completely haze the Lexan or even melt it!) Once the surface has been wiped down, use a dry cloth and wipe everything down again. Now you will need to either use an air blower and dry it off, or let it dry by itself. If you have to let it dry by itself give it a couple hours.

Next mask off anything you don't want to get paint on. If you are painting the case assembled, open up the case and mask off the inside as well. Overspray will go in through all the cracks and get overspray all over everything.

Now very lightly using the tack cloth wipe the surface down. This will pick up any contaminates off of the surface.

Now your first coat of primer. When spraying the first coat of primer make sure the it is as light as possible. Infact, don't even get full coverage the first coat. Basically just a slight misting. Let that flash, now apply a full coveragge coat going back and forth slightly overlapping each coat. The appearance should be opaque and slightly glossly when applying. The gloss will quickly go away when it dries. Let the primer dry for a few hours. You can speed this up with a heat lamp. Don't get it too close though or it might end up looking like a Salvador-Dali painting.

Next "very lightly" brush the scotch bright over the surface and the same with the tack cloth.

Now apply your first coat of color. Make sure you use the same technique as when you applied the primer. The appearance should be opaque and very glossy when applying. Watch out for runs, it's pretty easy to get too much paint on. Let that dry for a few minutes to a half hour (depending upon temperature and climate) and re-apply a second coat. Let that coat dry for a couple hours. Again this can be accelerated with a heat lamp. Needs to be totally dry! If not your next step will total ruin all your work and you will have to start over.

Now using the tack cloth only lightly brush the surface getting off any contaminates.

Now the first coat of clear coat. Again use the same technique. Definately make sure the first coat is very dry looking. If not it can pull up the prior coats of paint or you can end up with really bad runs. When applying clear, just let any prior coats flash before applying the next. This can take 5 minutes up to an hour depending upon climate and temperature. Depending upon how much depth you want apply 2-5 coats of clear.

Let this dry overnight in a warm place. If you have done your painting first thing in the morning let it stand outside in the direct sun for the entire day. DO NOT TOUCH IT!!!! I know you'll get antcy to touch it to see if it is dry but DON"T. Finger prints are very hard to buff out and quite often you have to repaint, so don't touch it!

Now that it is completely dry peel off all your masking tape, unless you plan on polishing your case. If you do plan on polishing leave the tape on the areas you don't want to get polishing compound inside of or are afraid you could burn with the buffer wheel, ie;Lexan and other clear plastics.

So, if you are now done you do not need to proceed from here. If you are going to polish read on....

First wet sand using the 1000 grit paper. Use this for removing any dust particulates and runs. Now go over the entire surfce with the 2000 grit wetsand paper. This will nock down any orange peel.

Towel off until dry.

Apply "Perfect-It" polishing compound in small areas. Using the buffer wheel quickly rub the compound into the surface. (This is really going to take some practice!! If you haven't buffed before seek advise from someone who has!)

Once the entire surface has been polished now apply polishing glaze. This requires the use of a different kind of pad on the buffer. Again apply and buff small areas.

Now go over the entire surface by hand with hand glaze and polish to a high luster. Cheese cloth works really good for this.

(DO NOT go over with any sort of wax!) Wax will seal in all the solvents that have not evaporated yet. If you do wax your paint will start peeling off. If the solvents can't go up they'll go down. This evaporation process of solvents will last for about 3-6 months depending upon temperature and climate.

So here it is... Didn't think this would ever end huh? If this sounds difficult, don't worry. It's not really that hard. Just take your time and don't rush yourself. If you are really worried about messing up or if you have never painted before I would recommend getting a piece of scrap to practice on....

Best of luck!

Chris Nilluka

thephreak99
08-27-2005, 06:23 PM
Nice howto man! Thanx! :)

Chapel
08-27-2005, 06:43 PM
yup that covered it lol. Just remember lots of sanding, and if you oversand then you can always repaint.

public_eyesore
08-28-2005, 01:35 AM
i think this should be stickied some where