Detailing your etched enclosures

[Govmnt_Lacky]

I recently had an enclosure etched for me and the etch was fantastic (Thanks Jim!)

I have been thinking about painting in the etched areas but, some of the areas are quite small and I dont even see a modeling paint brush being of any use.

Does anyone have recommendations for getting some paint into these areas? The only thing I can think of is to use a toothpick or the like.

Should I just spray some paint into a cup and use the toothpick to apply?

Suggestions welcome 

[davent]

For really tiny detailing i use a cut off resistor lead, chucking that in a little jeweler's vice to make it easier to handle. Toothpicks will work for a bit but absorb paint, get mushy and and loose their fine point. You can also get paint brushes sized at 10/0, maybe even 15/0 which may prove to be small enough, check out art supply stores.


dave

[Govmnt_Lacky]

For really tiny detailing i use a cut off resistor lead, chucking that in a little jeweler's vice to make it easier to handle.

Darn It!!!

Why didn't I think of this?

That is why I reach out to my forum peeps 

What do you use for paint? I was just thinking about the usual spray can into a small cup 

[Mustachio]

I've tried the shaker can into a small cup and it didn't work for me. I think it may be the solvents used in the spray to help it flash and fly out of the can. But you can give it a try , no harm in trying. I have been using some Createx paints recently and they are great but I'm using them out of an airbrush . But they look pretty solid when I get some on my hands hahaha and their water based!

[deadastronaut]

ive done the spray paint into the can lid, let it evaporate a little, and use a toothpick/snapped match....it gets it in there..


O T a little...
i was actually wondering recently about putting coloured glass type stuff in 'deep' etches..

the kind of stuff that craft stores have for making crude lead window (luminaries)...pour in, bake, sand, polish....

just thinking aloud....whether it would stay in place is another thing, but might look cool, in a 'jewel' kind of way...

anyway...as you were men.

[davent]

^I was looking through a book at that library recently and it showed, i think it was tinted casting resin as a colour fill for etched art.

Like Jim, i paint with waterbased acrylics Createx, Auto-Air, Golden. What about the little jars of modelers enamel paint, lots of colours and tiny jars to store if you have to add colours to your paint collection.

[haveyouseenhim]

I use testors or model master brand hobby paint. It hardens really well in the toaster.

[Mustachio]

Good call on the small model paints you can probably pick up at walmart or some place similar fast and cheap.

Rob you know the pour-on I use as a clear coat is a resin and you can tint it. I think if the etch is deep enough and yours look pretty deep that it would hold well , If you use a heatgun and get it nice and flowing and then wipe off the excess while its still wet I think you could get a really cool effect. Now lets say  you do that aaaaaaandd put a small led under it , It might give you a light pipe effect. Ive seen it done in stone bar tops with lighting that follows down the resin.

I think if you poured a colored resin like pour on first leveled it then after it dries pour another layer over all of it it would hold and probably last for ever and look crazy ! I've played with the idea of pour on over LED's to get the light to spread out into the graphics. I think its possible!

I have a little something up my sleeve I'm hoping to show you guys soon. I just got some pigments to add to paint and clear's in the mail a few days ago. I'm working on a few boxes at the moment but hoping to show some neat paints and things soon.

[deadastronaut]

^ yeah gotcha...

i just remembered i have some of that clear resin in my cupboard, i had to make a key for an old ensoniq synth from it, (due to my cat knocking a banjo onto it )

i'll dig it out and see if its still useable and experiment on an old box...

[beedoola]

For really tiny detailing i use a cut off resistor lead, chucking that in a little jeweler's vice to make it easier to handle. Toothpicks will work for a bit but absorb paint, get mushy and and loose their fine point. You can also get paint brushes sized at 10/0, maybe even 15/0 which may prove to be small enough, check out art supply stores.


dave

dude, that is amazing. How did you do that? Tutorials or guides, please?

[davent]

Thanks! That's a toner transfer, using acrylic medium, of the Banksy graffiti stencil image, "Flower Thrower"  then painted the flowers with the shown tool. Used software to erase the flowers from the image before i did the transfer. Build report and painting details over at the Madbean Forum.

http://www.madbeanpedals.com/forum/index.php?topic=9039.0

dave

[PDGoss]

What about packing tape and an Exacto knife? Cutout the area you want to fill in or painters tape (less tack) and airbrush it (if you have one) or hand brush it. Tired, but figured I would share the whackness that popped in my head.

Another idea would be since it was a transfer; take it to Kinko's and have them print a water slide decal colored to your specs?

Spitballing.

[Mustachio]

Good idea PD! I have tried something similar before, Put some blue masking tape over the etched lettering etc and rub it down good so you can see an impression of the etch and then start cutting away with an exacto and pick out the cut outs then paint!

Frisket is good stuff , And sticking blue painters tape to some fabric to take out some of the tack works as well!

[garcho]

Super-fine paint markers work well, but not fine like Dave's beautiful work. Bravo.

[pakrat]

Stunning work Dave, just amazing!