help! painting with Plasti-Kote

[david656]

I didn't really know where else to put this  but i took the leap into attempting to paint a console with plasti-kote. It seemed to go well.. the first coat had been left for 24 hours i had gone over it with a damp cloth and it seemed ok. I spray on the second coat and say  "thats looking goo....huh!" and see the paint bubble away before my eyes. It's now a big gooey mess, i've managed to scrap most of it off but its still a mess!

any tips on 1. getting this off and 2. how you should ACTUALLY paint a console

cheers.

[Grasshopper]

You have my sympathy.

Plasticote is bloody awful. Easily the worst paint I have come across. They sell it in B&Q which says it all really.

I used it to paint my first control panel and the reason I picked it was because it was described as "enamel". Now my understanding was that enamel paint is extremely durable. But not this stuff. In fact quite the opposite. It never dries and I mean that literally. Years later I could press a finger nail into it and easily make an indentation.

[david656]

oh great ! yh i got mine at b&q.. i imagined a few layers.. polish it.. then maybe there clear coat on top

but.. yeh i'm getting the impression its very soft paint ! £6 a can too ! .. what would you suggest? stick with it ! i'm still trying to get all the bubbled crap off

[Grasshopper]

what would you suggest?

To be honest I don't know. I'm not a paint expert. For my control panel I stuck with Plasticote but for a full sized cabinet I think it would be too great a compromise. That stuff is just too susceptible to damage. It doesn't sand down very well either.

I'm looking for a paint that dries to a rough texture. But if I was going for a smooth glossy finish, I'd probably give automotive paint a try. But like I said I'm not a paint expert.

[david656]

cheers for the reply !

     seriously throwing a hissy fit here ! i managed to get a lot of the gooey crap off .. and stupidly tried to repaint and its all seperated because what ever i used had some sorta oil in ! sooo i give up ! plasti kote in bin and i'm just going to clean it up and apparently my mate knows some garage that would probably spray it for me with car paint - probably be extremely expensive though.

can you get car paint in .. well spray cans?

[Grasshopper]

cheers for the reply !

can you get car paint in .. well spray cans?

It mostly comes in spray cans. However, you'll get better results by using professional spraying equipment.

You can buy it in Halfords but for larger quantities you'll probably get a better deal by going to a specialist. 

You'll also need to use an undercoat. And be prepared for a lot of sanding. Automotive paint shows up every little imperfection in the underlying surface.

[david656]

sounds like i've wrecked a perfectly good dreamcast then.

getting all this gunk off is impossible with out paint stripper that will wreck the plastic.

i'm just so annoyed about this. i appreciate all the replys here, but from what you've said its just not worth even trying to salvage this now! plasti-kote just will not dry out.. its still sticky.. even the bits that have come out ok and been left for 3 days are sticky... car paint will show up any imperfection ! and well.. theres a lot after that paint :S giving up 

cheers

[david656]

Sorry to be a real pain about this..but..

I used WD40, T-CUT, different washing up liquids... and a j-cloth and kitchen scrubber thing.. i've got MOST of the paint off.. any idea's on getting the last bit off.. and also making sure this oil is off the dreamcast! I'm looking to get some spray primer as that .. i hope will seal what evers still on there in. its anoying me because this is the top half... the bottom half has come out really well and is just waiting for the clear coat.. by really well i mean ok !
 

[RayB]

I use this: http://www.krylon.com/products/fusion_for_plastic/