Members dangerous dan Posted May 13, 2008 Members Share Posted May 13, 2008 Got a few pedals I'm building at the moment and want to get a bit more expressive / artistic on the painting details and do some sketches / designs on them. I've got a hammond box which is now sprayed up lovely with a gloss finish, I want to add the design then do a clear laquer finish. What type of paint is good for doing artwork like the cat / mouse on a seek trem pedal ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members TweedBassman Posted May 13, 2008 Members Share Posted May 13, 2008 i've used Testors Enamel with good results. stay away from acrylic. proper brush selection and care/cleaning is crucial, and lots of practice and patience. get some scrap material and practice what you want to do a bunch of times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Turd Furgison Posted May 13, 2008 Members Share Posted May 13, 2008 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cloudscapes Posted May 13, 2008 Members Share Posted May 13, 2008 I've just started using acrylics with good results so far. I paint it on with eyedroppers and synthetic paintbrush. it feels stronger than enamel at the moment (this is my first try). application isnt as easy as enamel spray obviously, but you can at least draw and paint designs this way. coat it with acrylic clear afterwards. I used to use enamel but found it would chip easily compared to acrylic. sanding the pedal first is essential, no matter what paint you use. baking pedals to cure the paint is also a good thing to do. thoug hif you do don't do it in your food oven! the toxins released are cancerogens and you might regret having done it 10-20 years down the road. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cloudscapes Posted May 13, 2008 Members Share Posted May 13, 2008 stay away from acrylic. whats the reason? I'm genuinely curious as I've just started using acrylics and so far really like it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dangerous dan Posted May 13, 2008 Author Members Share Posted May 13, 2008 Cheers guys for the feedback, I'm keen to here more about this acrylic do's and dont's I'm pretty happy doing the 'box painting' (I have a few boxes I've done now with a quiet good system), it's more around the fancy detail I'm interested in. What I'm currently doing are some DIY builds, I get a hammond box (which I'vre already drilled), clean it with IPA, rub with wire wool to get a good surface, 3 coats of a matt paint (for primer and base layers), 3 coats with a gloss (same brand and colour) and then 3-4 coats with a clear high gloss to coat it. Pedals look pretty good after this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SUPER VELCROBOY Posted May 13, 2008 Members Share Posted May 13, 2008 it really comes down to technique and having the right equipment. Arts store like Michael's have those paint pens you can try out too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dangerous dan Posted May 13, 2008 Author Members Share Posted May 13, 2008 it really comes down to technique and having the right equipment. Arts store like Michael's have those paint pens you can try out too. Those paint pens sound like a good idea (I've seen them previously). Any idea of a good brand name ? Where I live in the UK it's a bit limited for arts stores so I'm looking at ordering from the web. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members TweedBassman Posted May 13, 2008 Members Share Posted May 13, 2008 whats the reason? I'm genuinely curious as I've just started using acrylics and so far really like it! for some reason, i could never really get acrylic to 'flow' right. it could have been user error too. it's really a personal preference thing. acrylic is water clean up and usually dries faster, but i found it to clump and not work well for lettering and detail work. totally just a preference thing, one isn't totally better. much more important is brush quality. go to a good hobby store or craft store that has a big selection, and possibly someone to talk to who may give you a hand. a good tip if you plan on doing a lot is to get a lazy susan spinning platform thing, to make things like S and O letters and circles and such easier; spin the pedal instead of trying to move your arm in a circle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dangerous dan Posted May 13, 2008 Author Members Share Posted May 13, 2008 a good tip if you plan on doing a lot is to get a lazy susan spinning platform thing, to make things like S and O letters and circles and such easier; spin the pedal instead of trying to move your arm in a circle. This is a pretty clever idea, deserves a :phil: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SUPER VELCROBOY Posted May 13, 2008 Members Share Posted May 13, 2008 Those paint pens sound like a good idea (I've seen them previously). Any idea of a good brand name ? Where I live in the UK it's a bit limited for arts stores so I'm looking at ordering from the web. oh forgot you were in the uk. I've only used one and i can't even remember the brand... i'll drop by Michael's and get some and get back to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dangerous dan Posted May 13, 2008 Author Members Share Posted May 13, 2008 oh forgot you were in the uk. I've only used one and i can't even remember the brand... i'll drop by Michael's and get some and get back to you. Thanks, really appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cloudscapes Posted May 13, 2008 Members Share Posted May 13, 2008 for some reason, i could never really get acrylic to 'flow' right. it could have been user error too. it's really a personal preference thing. acrylic is water clean up and usually dries faster, but i found it to clump and not work well for lettering and detail work. totally just a preference thing, one isn't totally better. ah yes, the clumping. actually, even though I praised acrylics in my earlier reply, I can vouch on the clumping, although in this one pedal I painted, I did not find it to be that bad. I watered my paint down a bit, two parts paint one part water. I'd agree on the lettering unless youre doing big bold letters. I guess in the end I'm not a good example on how well acrylics can go, as I didn't do any precise design, just swirls and swells in the colors. the labelign was all done with lazertran decal paper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DADGADammit Posted May 13, 2008 Members Share Posted May 13, 2008 is oil-based paint a bad idea? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cloudscapes Posted May 13, 2008 Members Share Posted May 13, 2008 I've had bad experience with oil paints. theyre more toxic than a lot of paints and my enclosure was still "soft" a week later. it might take ages to harden and might nto harden as completelly as other paints. I might've been doing something wrong though.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Stubacca Posted May 13, 2008 Members Share Posted May 13, 2008 I've just started using acrylics with good results so far. I paint it on with eyedroppers and synthetic paintbrush. it feels stronger than enamel at the moment (this is my first try). application isnt as easy as enamel spray obviously, but you can at least draw and paint designs this way. coat it with acrylic clear afterwards. I used to use enamel but found it would chip easily compared to acrylic. sanding the pedal first is essential, no matter what paint you use. baking pedals to cure the paint is also a good thing to do. thoug hif you do don't do it in your food oven! the toxins released are cancerogens and you might regret having done it 10-20 years down the road. That looks insane... good job! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members FLYING V 83 Posted May 13, 2008 Members Share Posted May 13, 2008 A couple I did using Anita's brand acrylics: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cloudscapes Posted May 13, 2008 Members Share Posted May 13, 2008 ^ the center one looks mad! what kind of clear are you using on them? do they chip at all? do any baking? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SUPER VELCROBOY Posted May 13, 2008 Members Share Posted May 13, 2008 cloudscape, i don't even do the oven thing anymore. People say it will harden the paint and make it tougher, but i think it only applies to certain paint products and unless you know which is applicable, it is the sort i thing i don't even do anymore (and am happy for it!). I just give it more time to dry up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members archofmusic Posted May 13, 2008 Members Share Posted May 13, 2008 Oil takes a long, long time to dry. I've heard of artists using oil paints work on a painting a month after last working on it and they can still work the paint. Acrylics dry much, much faster, but they also dry lighter in color and you will need to apply a finish to get that shine. I doubt Vex will comment on his trade secrets, as after looking in detail at the finishes they obviously take a lot of work to complete and are a huge selling point for him. Notice the black around the lettering. That's probably just a fine tipped permanent marker, I don't think a paint pen can get that fine. This box probably started out blue then they painted on top of it, probably with acrylic, though it will take a couple of coats to hide the blue, which looks sprayed on with an acrylic spray paint. Acrylic, speeds up the drying process, increases efficiency and saves money. Though I am a bigger fan of the artwork below. Which is definitely acrylic. Notice how the background was brushed on. You don't get that smooth effect like Vex has with the blue background above. The pedal below is lacking in a clear coat that will give it that wet shine, which is probably sprayed on as well though. Also you can see where going over the banners and outlines of some of the objects with a fine tipped magic marker, felt pen, or permanent marker would make them stand out more. Ask someone at the art or hobby store what kind of pen they would use to write on top of acrylic paint. Be careful with the magic or permanent marker though. The acids can effect the paint over time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members FLYING V 83 Posted May 14, 2008 Members Share Posted May 14, 2008 ^ the center one looks mad! what kind of clear are you using on them? do they chip at all? do any baking? The center & bottom pic are the same pedal.I use Krylon clear acrylic spray, and no oven.After painting I put the pedal under a 75w spotlight about 8" away for an hour, then let it dry overnight before clear-coating with several coats.I use 0000 steel wool between coats for smoothing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Vince Posted May 14, 2008 Members Share Posted May 14, 2008 I wouldn't use acrylic unless you were going to clear coat it. I'd use Enamel paints - the ones you used to use for building airfix models - Humbrol are good, and then I'm not sure you'd need to clear coat it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cmog Posted May 14, 2008 Members Share Posted May 14, 2008 You realise "envilope" is spelt wrong, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Vince Posted May 14, 2008 Members Share Posted May 14, 2008 You realise "envilope" is spelt wrong, right? ssssh!:poke: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cloudscapes Posted May 14, 2008 Members Share Posted May 14, 2008 oops. oh well, s'done now (english isn't my first language, either) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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