New paint for an older box....2 pics

[SteveB]

I stripped the box for my Octavia this past weekend & tried a new paint job on it. After sanding the box, I made some designs with a wire brush in a Dremmel. Then I sprayed 3 or 4 coats of candy burgundy. A day later, I sprayed 3 coats of clear, & today, I printed some labels on inkjet decal paper, & sprinkled some white embossing powder on the wet ink. This was the first time I tried this, & figured out that you really need to heat this stuff up to make it melt. Anyway, it came out okay. Hopefully more coats of clear will melt the decal edges a bit.

Photos don't capture the deep red, but I used a different light source in each photo to show how the wire brush designs almost take on a 3D effect.


Steve

[jonathan perez]

AMAZING

[darron]

that's really, really cool! i have a wire brush attachement sitting right beside me. hey! and a blank box! hmm....

did you use any primer coats? any tips / suggestions / hints for how to get good results with the wire brush?

thanks! looks awesome..

[sfr]

The swirly 3-d thing is cool, and the box looks awesome as a while, but I'm more interested in the white lettering!  I was getting ready to make up some screens for silkscreening on the white text I wanted on a batch of pedals - but this sound easier - care to go into a little more depth?  What is this embossing powder?  Where I can I get some?  The decal paper - is this like waterslide decals or what? 

[SteveB]

Thanks guys.

I read about the white lettering technique by doing a search here, but can't seem to find it now. Regardless, there was a link to this site: http://www.paper-paper.com/WhiteLetter-inst.html That is the technique I used. I found the decal paper in the model section of Hobby Lobby, & the embossing powder in the rubber stamp department. The end result is not smooth, but more like the raised letters on some business cards. The key is to sprinkle the powder on as soon as possible because it sticks to the wet ink. Heat will melt the powder, & form a plastic-like crust on the letters. I tried a blow drier, but that didn't do it. On that website I linked, they use a heat gun. I used a butane pencil torch.  Well.....it worked. Then, spray the clear as normal for decal paper. Lots of colors of embossing power to choose from. Hmmm.... I see there is a small heat gun for this. http://www.craftsetc.com/Store/ShowCategory.aspx?d=51&c=2&s=-1

For the patterns on the box, I first sanded the box quite a bit, trying to remove as many casting marks & pits as possible. Very similar to the technique posted for prepping boxes before etching them. Once that was done, I tried to decide on a pattern that I was going to do on the box. I experimented on the bottom plate quite a while to get the hang of it. I used a small cup shaped wire brush in my Dremmel on medium speed. The best results were achieved by holding the Dremmel perpendicular to the box, & using firm pressure. I found it was best to move with definite strokes, fighting the urge of the Dremmel to take off in other directions. Once the patterns were done it was time for paint.

I cleaned off the box with lighter fluid to remove any skin oils. The iridescence of the aluminum patterns must show through the top layer of transparent paint, so you don't use any primer. I used House of Kolor candy burgundy, thinned about 200%, & shot a few coats using my airbrush. I think I stopped after 3 or 4 coats. I let that dry overnight, & started spraying House of Kolor clear the next day.

This is where I get my paint from: https://securewsch01.websitecomplete.com/blackgoldweb/shop/showDept.asp?dept=380 If you don't have an airbrush, you can buy the same colors in spray cans.

Steve

[tommy.genes]

Very nice!

Re: the decal edges, somebody here (markm?) said that they got rid of them by applying several clear coats and wet-sanding with a very fine grit between coats.

You could also try decal softener. There are commercial products sold for model makers, but straight white vinegar is supposed to work as well.

Let us know how it turns out.

-- T. G. --