Hey /diy/, got a small project coming up that involves some 3D printed metal involved. Since it's a small sized print though the metal color will be mostly bronze while it is a silver metallic look I'm after. I wanted to spray paint it but since this is an item I would be in contact with a lot and rubbing from use I was concerned the spray paint could come off. How have your experiences with spray paint on projects gone? What do you find helps them last longer after constant use?
Powder coat it if you want. It will look better than cheap paint and it lasts longer.
>>948089
Seems a bit expensive, man. Also from what I can tell it looks like viewing this stuff at different angles changes the color you see.
>>948094
If you have your own setup and use it a lot it saves you quite a bit. If it is done properly it looks nice.
>>948096
I don't have my own set up though so I assume it'd cost more when this is something I'd rather keep cheap.
>>948087
Most spray paint rubs off. It just does. You're going to have to use a high quality enamel paint, like car engine paint or auto touchup paint. If you do that, make sure you surface prep properly (including a correct primer) and follow the directions on the can properly, since these paints are sensitive to random shit.
>>948103
I was worried the spray paint I had offhand might not be enough to do the job. Enamel paint seems a tad expensive for what I'll be trying to do though. It's less likely to rub off than most spray paints though?
>>948111
Less likely to rub off more likely to chip off.
I have just dropped of a 2 meter by 1 meter rectangular 40x80mm frame at the powder-coaters.
He quoted me £50 for collecting it, painting it and delivering it.
Go get a quote for your tiny piece of shit that cant be no more than 300x300x300mm if they charge more than £10 then they are cunts.
IF you are going to be making more of these things buy the powder and take it to the place, make sure you get the left over powder for next time.
What exactly is it? Draw it like you would your French girls.
>>948087
Also I have used http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/191798989251?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
in a few projects, actually just ordered this 6 pack today.
I have learnt that this lacquer (not all) give a sold finish. It did react with the pain when I first used it but I realised I was spraying a thick coat on straight away, which made the paint crumple up and fuck up.
Then I did 3 VERY fine coats, let it dry 24 hours, then applied 2 thick coats.
Fucking bulletproof. Did it on a large piece of metal that's outside for a year, get kicked around, walked on, bird shit, rain, snow, freezing weather and it's stood up to it all.
Point it if it's a one off, it's not worth experimenting and buying 5 different paints and 5 different lacquers and cleaning it off every time you fuck it up. You will spend (I have spent) £80 and have no realised I should have gone to the powder coaters in the first place. It's their job to paint shit and make it look good.
>>948140
Excuse the grimmer & spelling, long day.
>>948143
Fuck my ass.
>>948087
If you really want/need a metal finish, people have had luck with graphite spray paint (I think anything conductive will do) to prepare the piece, then DIY electroplating.
>>948133
I can actually link the thing I'm getting 3D printed.
http://www.shapeways.com/product/76RHQ7ZEW/3dstick-metal-3ds-circle-pad
I just hate how it doesn't look silver/grey like the original circle pad and I wanted to fix that.
would spray paint work for a press wood desk, was thinking of using a shellac primer with the spray paint
>>948144
LONDON
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N
D
O
N
>>948236
Enamel is your best bet. Spray paint a a very good lacquer could work.
If you find a decent powder-coating company with nice people they will do it for free one day when they are doing something else the same colour.
>>948389
Just don't let it catch fire. Shellac burns almost white hot and there's no putting it out. I had great fun burning some old 78s when I got rid of my gramophone. Yes it was a horned one, yes the 78s were cracked.
>>948405
Derbyshire actually, 3 hours, got pix?
>>948450
one more thought you could try galvanising it, varnish and polish, could look good.
>>948450
Ok, I'll look into finding a nearby nice powder coating company who wouldn't mind doing something like this for free or cheap. I'm just concerned now with how safe this would be since I'm not as familiar with this application. Like, how long would it last before rubbing off, and is it safe if it does rub off?
Also curious about what 'enamel' is in this context. Tried searching to find out but didn't find anything relevant to this.
>>948609
Do you have a half decent mountain bike? Like over £700, go and rub it with your thumb and see how many years it takes to rub off.
Just thought of a very cheap way - nail varnish, also you could just clean it off and change the colour when you want...?
Enamel dries harder with a smooth surface, so less chance of scratching with fingernails and shit, instead of normal paint which is softer and ??? flake-eyer?
>>948613
I'm still not really sure what enamel means here, I'm only familiar with it in the context of bones.
>>948691
It's a classification of paint. It dries really hard. I think it goes on in one coat, but I could be very wrong about that.
Lacquer and varnish are softer, and I think never fully harden, even when dry.
>>948691
http://www.differencebetween.net/science/chemistry-science/difference-between-enamel-and-paint/
Pretty much what everyone said, enamel dries harder and is more resistant to , everything.
It just dries better, looks better.
Enamel or powder coat for the hardest, longest lasting finishes.
I got the item I want painted in the mail, here's a pic of it. It sounds like powder coating is the best way to go, but would it work on something this small?
>>949170
Yes
You just gota find a place to do it for free, or a very very cheap price. If i paid more than £5 , well fuck I wouldn't pay more than £5.
Post pics when You get done whatever you get done.
>>949170
I'm getting something powder-coated, should have it back in a few days.
>>940607
I've had this blasted, will post pics when I get it back.
>>949393
I tried asking a local place but they said $85 minimum. I'm not really sure what to do now.
>>949906
Go back and shoot the place up, you're in MURICA.
I would serioursley try the nail varnish. Apply at least three coats, leave 2 hours between each coat and finish in a clear coat.
Cheap, and as I said you can change the colour whenever you want.
I used enamel paint for the first time a few days ago, should be fully cured by now, will go test it in a while when I can be arsed to get out of bed. But first impressions was not good.
I used engine enamel.
>>949907
>inb4 heat resistant
No, not heat resistant, just engine enamel.
>>949906
>>949907
Yeah so fuck enamel.
Try and find another powder coater around or use the nail varnish idea.
I just hope this powder-coated grave surround looks good, I asked him to do the balls in silver.
He said he's never tried anything like that before, two colours, he said he would try though.
Will post pix if threads still up.
i don't really want to start a new thread for a stupid question, do you guys know any way to keep the dust from fucking up my spray coating layers? i am in a very dusty enviroment and i can't afford to ruin things again this time.
>>950076
Is cleaning the surrounding dust an option? That or spray painting somewhere less dusty.
>>950076
Clean/dust an hour before and the don't work in the same room.
Go in spray, move very slowly, dont drag your feet.
Get in get out.
You do not do anything else in that room until you have finished all your layers and you have left the last layer for 24 hours.
Basicly you lose a room for 3 days if it's a big job, that's why i took my shit to the painters so I can carry on working in my garage that's no fucking clean at all.
>>950085
Well good luck, I've never tried the nail varnish, I just thought it's good stuff and hard as fuck. I don't make anything that small to even consider it, until I get my cnc plasma, then I may try it on a few key-rings.
If you are on a budget try the nail varnish, fuck shurly you know someone who has some, you mother, sis, friends, someone and all you need is solvent/acetone to clean it off, which they will also have.
Just remembered about my lacquer, I'm trying to lacquer the enamel, try make it a stronger finish. It was a bit better than normal paint, but not as good as I thought it would be.
>>950131
>mosquito net
No, that's like , jut, fuckin , no.
No.
Fuck.
>>950131
Ok how big are you parts that you are spraying?
Could you hang plastic sheeting from the roof to form a box? Then roll it up when not needed?
Corner off a section of the room?
Build a paint box, kinda like a sandblasting box.
It's so small if you had a toaster oven you don't care about you could powder coat it yourself for basically free.
>>950440
Nice idea, I'm not that guy but rather the one replying to everything.
£20 for a oven.
>>950440
Wouldn't I still have to pay for powder and a setup where I can spray stuff? That doesn't sound cheap.
>>950498
Yeah sorry I skimmed through the thread but for about 50 bucks or so you could get a pretty nice setup going for anything small enough to fit in a toaster oven.
>>950708
Is that 50 bucks including both the toaster oven and powder coating?
>>950729
I've only just worken up and can't be arser to research this but I guess you need:
Gun
hose
compressor
powder
oven
No idea how much the powder is, guess the gun is £20, I do already have a compressor and hoses and a small oven if £20, but again I dont do anything that small.
Need to check on the enamel one last time, it now has two light coats and two thick coats of lacquer. It's only a test now as I have decided to powder coat all grave surrounds.
>>950729
Yeah craftsman makes a powder coat gun for about 40 that doesnt require a compresser or hoses etc and the powder can be had for about a buck in the quantity you need. Thrift stores will have a cheap toaster oven and thats about all youll need if you can set up a small clean space to do it in.
>>951076
So all in all the initial setup would cost me maybe 60 bucks? I was actually thinking, if I did this, would it be feasible to get more of these and coat them to sell them for a profit?
>>952160
Shouldn't be more than sixty and yeah that's what I was thinking. If no-one in town will do things under eighty bucks you could probably make some nice pocket money doing it.
What are they by the way?
>>952160
Yes, but like >>952165 said, you can do anything that will fit in your oven.
If someone asks you to coat something tell them to get the powder and you'll pray it for them, maybe $15?
So yeah once you have the setup; no more money to spend, just keep it clean.
BUT never use the oven for cooking food in.
Check out my new buddy.
>>952165
They are metal replacement circle pads for the 3DS.
>>952229
Ah I see. If it's going to be touched that much powder coat is definitely the way to go. Keep in mind the powder coat will add at least 1mm in thickness so I'd watch for clearance so it doesn't scratch the screen.
>>952236
Is that 1 mm thickness total (.5mm to top and bottom) or that much added to the top and bottom each (2mm total)?
>>952251
My fault I meant mils so it would probably be about .5mm at worst total.
>>952257
Ah, so .25mm top and bottom, then? I'm still a bit concerned though since the maker of the circle pad said there was only about a papers thickness of clearance.
>>952290
Yar .25mm per side worst case scenario. I would definitely file the circle pad down a little first.
>>948236
>Now That's What I Call Autism 5!
Who seriously plays a handheld nintendgay product these days I hope you're like 13 dude.
Everyone saying enamel or powdercoat is retarded. Easiest and most durable is duracoat gun paint or cerakote gun paint or gunkote gun paint. All those will work way better.
>>952312
Also all those paints come in like 30 or 40 dollar at home spray sets.
>>952309
If I file the surface down though then I lose some of the grip designed into the piece, plus I doubt I can do it uniformly or evenly.
>>952354
You can do what this cuck says then >>952312
>>952316
It would only add about .001mm so you really wouldn't have to worry about clearance.
I'd probably still powder coat though since I already have the stuff and I don't think a mm would really affect the grip since you're adding material on top and it won't be sanded down just roughly filed.
Why don't you >>952498 and OP contact each other.
OP sends you the piece, you coat it & post it back for a price?
I have no idea how much postage of something so small is in the states, it'll be like £1 here, so £2 postage and whatever you charge... you guna charge him $80?
>>952660
I'm not getting this done by mail, I plan on doing this sort of thing locally.
>>952775
But if you can get it done for $15 by posting it to a fellow anon and getting it back finished in the post, why not?
Yeah it's 4chan but /diy/ is kinda respectable.
Or go pay $80?
Or $60 and do it yourself, ir learn to do it yourself and maybe make money from it later down the line.
Please do remember to practice before you do it on your piece.
>>952797
I trust /diy/, but I wanna either do it on my own or talk to the people doing it and watch. Plus I've talked the local business into doing my piece for 5 bucks along with someone else's batch if they ever get someone doing a color similar to one I want (just waiting on a response from them at this point).
I still haven't gotten a reply from the local powder coating place so I think I'll have to do this project on my own and gather materials. Any particular brands I should avoid or common pitfalls of powder coating to watch out for?
>>954337
Well yeah it aint a normal colour you want or a regualr colour.
If you wanted it black they would do it tomorow...
I do not no anything about equipment, interested in the info though, and how to actually make the circuit when spraying.
