painting plexi/lexan

[struby]

has anyone ever painted plexi/lexan and how does it come out, all i can get is clear plexi/lexan unless i spend tons o' money, so i'm gonna get clear, and i'm getting pry cheap plywood for free so if i paint the back of the plexi/the bottom, will that look nice, anyone done it? i was think of black or white or grey paint.

[bfauska]

It looks great as long as the plexi is clean first.  It is a very forgiving paint job.  You don't get orange peel, or streaks/spray patterns.  I just finished my cp redux (I will post the beautiful updates soon  (oops I guess I'm tooting my own horn.)) Go for it.  I don't know if you ever did anything with radio control cars before but most of those bodies are made out of lexan, which like plexi looks fantastic and glossy when you paint the back side and end up with essentially a clearcoat the thickness of your plexi.


Go For it. ( I said that already, but I mean it.)

Later,
Brian

[Numbski]

http://www.numbski.com/hacks/cab

There's only three posts there right now, and all three deal with precisely this.

[Crowquill]

I'm going to experiment with this in a couple days.

It's been established that RC paints work well.

Others I'm wondering about:

-Testor's spray model paint (probably not much different than the RC paint).
-Krylon Fusion paint (says it can be used on MOST plastics)

I'm going to try to bend my control panel on monday. I'm going to try painting after that (on scraps first). I'm hoping the Fusion will work OK. $3.99 for a big can of it is better than $2.99 for a tiny can of Testor's or RC paint. As common as acrylic is, you think they'd have a mention of it on their can or website.

[vrf]

Grab some scrap material and try using some vinyl dye:

http://case-mods.linear1.org/im-high-on-vinyl-dye/

Works like a dream on most plastics. The final project looks like it was manufactured that color. I used a similiar material on a (non-arcade) project, and I couldn't believe how well the stuff worked.

Here's my project that used it on an ABS case:
http://www.vancefry.com/projects/red-neo

USE THE STUFF OUTSIDE. The fumes are killer.

[TOK]

Paint from the back with RC car paint. Definitely test on scraps if you do anything else. Not only will some paints not adhere, some propellants etch/mess up the plexi.

[Tahnok]

More info on the Leon CP (which is a very well painted plexi CP):

http://www.ironvulva.com/?p=14

Also, the creator of the CP, who can print the vinyl for you (make sure to ask for the masking stuff):

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=profile;u=9516

[struby]

thanks everyone for the help

[modessitt]

I painted a black "bezel" on clear plexi using plain black spray paint bought at Lowe's.  Took my time and did several even coats.  Came out great.  Couldn't tell from the front that it was paint and not made that way.

On a side note.... 

Paint the wood that mounts around the monitor also, especially if you don't have a tight-fitting plastic monitor bezel around the screen.  This will keep the edges of the wood from being obvious when seen at angles through the clear portion.

[ringram]

I painted lexan to go in front of my monitor. I masked out the frame of the monitor, and painted the lexan from the back. Turned out great! I also masked out the pc monitor and painted the beige bezel around it flat black. This helped to hide the monitor look, and gave it a more arcade look.