What paint and varnish i need to paint a case ?

[Tadziunia]

Hey guys , i don;t have any experience with paiting, and i need to know how to paint case. Going to make powermac G4 sleeper pc, and i want to know what to use ? can u tell, whats best way to apply paint and varnish to make it shine, what to use, or how cure transperant plastic which is quite dirty ? i want to do something like this "Look photos"

[mmurley]

1.  You don't need varnish.

2.  Don't use latex paint.

3.  You want to use spray paint (if you are DIYing this).  Krylon makes a spray paint type called "Fusion" designed to adhere to plastic better than plain spray paint.  For DIY plastic painting, it is the best (usually).

 

Spray paint requires using light, moving strokes so you don't get puddles of paint that create rivulets that ruin the smooth finish.  You need to practice, practice, practice.  And if you have a part of the case that no-one will see that you can test the paint on, that's best.

 

Another option is to use automotive paint - Duracoat is basically automotive paint and you can get it in multiple colors (again, some paint doesn't work with some plastic - as in it dissolves it and I have no idea what plastic Apple used - neither does Google).  You'd have to use an airbrush (again, practices plus you'd have to buy one and have an area to use it in) and it has to be heat cured (people make curing ovens with plywood, aluminum foil and heat lamps).

 

Obviously you'd have to completely disassemble the case, buttons have to come out, etc.  Then clean it thoroughly.  And degrease it - which is where testing the plastic comes in - alcohol or mineral spirits but you don't want to melt the plastic if it reacts with one or the other.  At this point you want nitrile gloves to avoid oil from your fingers.

 

Mask any parts you need to with painter's tape trimmed with an exacto knife.

 

Then use a plastic primer.  Then the paint.  Light strokes, many coats is better than heavy strokes, thick coats.

 

Watch YouTube videos like this one.  Practice on scrap.  Don't be in a rush.

[mmurley]

Here's a blog showing step-by-step how one guy did it.

 

Here's the YouTube video about the case you illustrate.

 

This guy did it but he had it professionally done.

[W-L]

On 4/25/2020 at 6:27 AM, Tadziunia said:

Hey guys , i don;t have any experience with paiting, and i need to know how to paint case. Going to make powermac G4 sleeper pc, and i want to know what to use ? can u tell, whats best way to apply paint and varnish to make it shine, what to use, or how cure transperant plastic which is quite dirty ? i want to do something like this "Look photos"

You will want to use a spray paint, main thing you will need to so is to properly prep the surfaces and apply a plastic primer to get good adhesion. For paint the best in terms of color and vibrancy would be automotive paints. I have a guide here that goes over the details here units General painting:

 

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