That's for sure! I was working on this awesome (but a little pricey) DIY project, but the UA-cam instructor simply sprayed right over the plastic. I immediately had difficulty exactly where he said - on the edges - so I had to respray and buy a clear coat. It seems fine now, but part of my project is not exactly perfect now, so I'm disappointed. From now on, I follow his tips!
Seriously this. I know this is an old comment but holy crap I cringe looking at these videos and seeing people just blast their thing front and center with paint, using no base coat to work with, and then not sealing it after. They show off the finished project and it's a thick mess with cracks but they're so proud of it. It makes me nervous to do my first project but I have confidence I'll be fine if I'm able to point out the mistakes others are making so easily. Sand down, clean off completely, dust with MICROFIBER cloth, apply LIGHT base of adhesion promoter making sure to paint across the project starting off set and ending off set to prevent barbell, let dry, repeat maybe once or twice and dust off between each one, put on your coats of paint following the same method adhesion promoter was applied but making sure to account for longer drying times, then seal off with varnish. That's the gist of what I've gotten. It's a lot of steps but most of it is repeating and doing light coats to make sure it comes out smooth. Also from what I learned from this guy, have all your cans nice and warm before applying to make extra sure it comes out the can smoothly. Every project I see working with the steps above I see comes out nicely. It takes patience, the project can take over a week if you're letting each coat dry fully before applying a new one, but I don't know why so many people just rush through it and deal with controllers that LOOK like they have a thick shell of paint on. By that point you're probably better off just getting a colored silicon gel case or something. Slight vent to get my own personal worries out the door. I can do this, just remember to be patient, work slow, be careful, and always properly prep before each step.
Nice job on the decals. A couple of tips that I've found useful. Instead of submerging your decals set them paper side down on a wet sponge, the water will soak through the backing without affecting the print work. It also tends to release the decal a lot faster. 2nd, using a setting solution like Micro Set and Micro Sol will help bond the decal to the piece and can make decal look almost like paint. I use it on everything that I put decals on. Cheers.
+Warped Games +Commando Designs How would you get a white text decal on a black controller? The pieces are separated (since it is text) and you can't print white, plus you don't want any sort of background (to look painted).. also, if you don't paint over it, can the decal stand up to wear and tear if it has both microsol and microset? Would it last on a regular controller in the center, where your hands touch the decal?
+Justin Babich The age old question... You don't. Not until they start making inkjet printers that print white. Your only other option is mask a white background with vinyl and paint black over it.
Hi, I am showing love from South Africa, after I have followed your advice on this video. You are a genius to my world, because of you I am proud of my first spray paint job.
i'm supposed to be stuyding for a midterm and i'm watching your videos lol! so bad ass! this was a really good tutorial for clear coat, since i've been struggling with spray painting in general. keep it up!
Hey, tip: using microset/microsol (USE BOTH) will help your decal appear more painted on and make the transparent edges appear more invisible. They're almost essential.
Commando, as has already been said Micro Sol will work wonders for silvering of decals. You can find it at most good hobby shops. A second option is Tamiya Extra Thin liquid cement. It will work like Micro Sol, BUT you must use it sparingly! At little of this stuff goes a LONG way. Either will work to settle tiny wrinkles and to help decals conform to compound edges.Last tip use a new and scary sharp hobby knife to cut your decals as close as you can to the ink! that excess clear area outside the ink is what makes most people realize that it is a decal. Very careful cutting will make it look so much nicer after clear. Thanks for the vid on rattle can clear! Never had much luck with it, and trying to decant it for airbrush is definitely a process for only those who like tilting at windmills!
This video is great. I've been doing the water droplet design on my friends controllers. And im making some money from it. So thank you so much man :-)
Hey man me again Lol, I build styrene models ya know armor, planes, ships and so on. When using decals over a seam or lightly textured surface you can use micro set to help place the decal and then dab with micro sol which is a solvent that will soften and draw down tight. Then most guys seal with Future floor polish through an airbrush. hope it helps.
temp tatts arent a decal they transfer ink not a sticker...kid tatts wouldnt work this creates a physical clear sticker kid tatts just transfer ink from the paper to skin. it would run and be all smudgy if you could get it to tramsfer to plastic
+Yamaha Life I've used metallic flash tattoos on glass, smooth ceramic and glass. I didn't expect terribly good results but I'm surprised how well they've worked. I haven't attempted a clear coat as they're quite durable, plus the items aren't handled much. Months later they look exactly the same as when first applied. I haven't tried the typical coloured tattoos though so perhaps they wouldn't give the same results as the metallic. 😀
Please make a video about HOW to paint with chrome paint and clear coat them without any chem reactions and retain the initial shine of the chrome paint.
If you want to make it look even better cut the clear bits off around the decal to where the black starts on your decal that way to don't see the outline of clear decal. Also spray future floor polish before you put decal down then after. It will improve what you have here by 100% not saying it doesn't look good but it will make it look more professional
I couldn't find any good alternatives to Papilio. Almost tried using Silhouette brand (on amazon) decal paper. But I ended up paying the crazy shipping costs from Texas to Canada on Papilio's website (that said shipping got it to Ontario, Canada in 2 days). So just go to papilio.com.
Great video you have skills, about how long will the decals last on a controller? And if I just want to use the stock paint can I apply the decal directly and gloss over it?
That's cool tips, but something to try for a mirror showroom finish get a light sandpaper rough up second coat clear then Turtle Wax and buff the shit out of it then put your final coat clear lightly sand and buff again. Great trick learned doing car hoods and should produce the same results on any surface! Give it a go on some junk to get the feel. Ps use classic Turtle Wax canister paste...
I use that method on restoring my headlight lenses & do recommend it for any to all projects that need a clearcoat! looks great & lasts a lot longer then those restore-a-lense products! you can get a super shiny surface with little work that will last on anything you do that with!
anyone find a good alternative to papilio decal paper? I can't find papilio in Canada. only on their site and it has a $35 shipping cost to my province
I bought a full white shell kit for my controller, but I want to make it glossy so would I need to sand it or can I just spray the clear coat on? Also I was planning on using rustoleum 2x gloss clear what do you think?
Any recommendations as far as doing a color decal on a dark colored controller? I have a darker blue controller and I'd like to do my gamertag in yellow on it.
Would it affect the overall cosmesis if I were to use a traditional decal/ sticker vs. a Vinyl sticker when going over a controller with the final clear coat?
At the beginning and end of the video, you show close ups and the outline of where you cut the decal is visible; is there any way to make it look more flush with the surface of the controller? Thanks!
Hey I'm trying to make my (blackfie g2 galaxy 2020) that's the blackfie electric longboard wheels the wheels r 96mm urethane wheels. Would you have any idea on how to make the glow in the dark spray paint stick to my wheels I tried almost everything and nothing sticks hoping you can help me
No, as long as you don't go crazy with the paint. That is a good question though. Tight fitting parts can get messed up with paint. The buttons on this project don't have an issue with that.
quick question, can i do hand drawn paint straight on the plastic primer? i want a very specific custom paint job that i think would be best achieved if done by hand rather than decal. would this create bumps? ofc i could draw them digitally and print but i could save a lot of money on decal paper.
Absolutely... I've done this several times.... You need to spray it with clear coat first. If not the ink comes right off. Good question... I've made this mistake tons of times...
Props to guy he knows how to properly use paint. Since 80% of people I see on UA-cam don't even know how to properly spray paint
Thanks man.
That's for sure! I was working on this awesome (but a little pricey) DIY project, but the UA-cam instructor simply sprayed right over the plastic. I immediately had difficulty exactly where he said - on the edges - so I had to respray and buy a clear coat. It seems fine now, but part of my project is not exactly perfect now, so I'm disappointed. From now on, I follow his tips!
Seriously this. I know this is an old comment but holy crap I cringe looking at these videos and seeing people just blast their thing front and center with paint, using no base coat to work with, and then not sealing it after. They show off the finished project and it's a thick mess with cracks but they're so proud of it. It makes me nervous to do my first project but I have confidence I'll be fine if I'm able to point out the mistakes others are making so easily.
Sand down, clean off completely, dust with MICROFIBER cloth, apply LIGHT base of adhesion promoter making sure to paint across the project starting off set and ending off set to prevent barbell, let dry, repeat maybe once or twice and dust off between each one, put on your coats of paint following the same method adhesion promoter was applied but making sure to account for longer drying times, then seal off with varnish. That's the gist of what I've gotten. It's a lot of steps but most of it is repeating and doing light coats to make sure it comes out smooth. Also from what I learned from this guy, have all your cans nice and warm before applying to make extra sure it comes out the can smoothly.
Every project I see working with the steps above I see comes out nicely. It takes patience, the project can take over a week if you're letting each coat dry fully before applying a new one, but I don't know why so many people just rush through it and deal with controllers that LOOK like they have a thick shell of paint on. By that point you're probably better off just getting a colored silicon gel case or something.
Slight vent to get my own personal worries out the door. I can do this, just remember to be patient, work slow, be careful, and always properly prep before each step.
Since 80% of people I see on UA-cam don't even know how to properly spray paint
Since what?
This is not a complete sentence...
Other than he didnt add dont touch your project before spary the oils on your hand will make the paint react
Wow - a guy who knows what he's doing technically, knows how to teach and puts together a video that's watchable! Really rare combination - Kudos!!
Nice job on the decals.
A couple of tips that I've found useful. Instead of submerging your decals set them paper side down on a wet sponge, the water will soak through the backing without affecting the print work. It also tends to release the decal a lot faster.
2nd, using a setting solution like Micro Set and Micro Sol will help bond the decal to the piece and can make decal look almost like paint. I use it on everything that I put decals on.
Cheers.
That is awesome. thanks
+Warped Games +Commando Designs How would you get a white text decal on a black controller? The pieces are separated (since it is text) and you can't print white, plus you don't want any sort of background (to look painted)..
also, if you don't paint over it, can the decal stand up to wear and tear if it has both microsol and microset? Would it last on a regular controller in the center, where your hands touch the decal?
+Justin Babich The age old question... You don't. Not until they start making inkjet printers that print white. Your only other option is mask a white background with vinyl and paint black over it.
I feel like he does a good Steve-O impression. love your videos!
Hi, I am showing love from South Africa, after I have followed your advice on this video. You are a genius to my world, because of you I am proud of my first spray paint job.
i'm supposed to be stuyding for a midterm and i'm watching your videos lol! so bad ass! this was a really good tutorial for clear coat, since i've been struggling with spray painting in general. keep it up!
together with your guide on painting plastics, painting my model kits looks a lot better now^^
thanks for these great tutorials!
Hey, tip: using microset/microsol (USE BOTH) will help your decal appear more painted on and make the transparent edges appear more invisible. They're almost essential.
THESE. ARE. ACTUAL. WORKING. TIPS.
Not some lame stuff said repeatedly over and over again to make a lazy UA-cam video. Well done. 👍
bro, this guy went into the science of spray paint, bar bell efect,, Im about to paint my 3m 7503 respirator. Good video
This is so clean. Great breakdown on paint and painting technique. Looking forward to doing my own
Taking notes:
- 1st STEP: 8:40: 1st Light coat = 6 passes 🤓
- 2nd STEP: 10:04: 1st Medium coat = 22 passes 🤓
- 3rd STEP: 11:10: 2nd Medium coat = 21 passes 🤓
YOU ARE AMAZING!
THANK YOU A LOT!!!!!
Chrome is a bear. It can be done, but it's really challenging. Alsa Chrome is you best bet.
Commando, as has already been said Micro Sol will work wonders for silvering of decals. You can find it at most good hobby shops. A second option is Tamiya Extra Thin liquid cement. It will work like Micro Sol, BUT you must use it sparingly! At little of this stuff goes a LONG way. Either will work to settle tiny wrinkles and to help decals conform to compound edges.Last tip use a new and scary sharp hobby knife to cut your decals as close as you can to the ink! that excess clear area outside the ink is what makes most people realize that it is a decal. Very careful cutting will make it look so much nicer after clear.
Thanks for the vid on rattle can clear! Never had much luck with it, and trying to decant it for airbrush is definitely a process for only those who like tilting at windmills!
Brilliant been looking for this tutorial for ages
Very helpful. Currently making a custom nes Zelda theme. Glad I watched this
I'm watching these videos and feeling confident as heck in painting my laptop 👀
+Shawn SQ Zhang awesome.
Learnt loads from this guy! Thanks Tony
Thanks for a great, informative, and cohesive video.
This video is great. I've been doing the water droplet design on my friends controllers. And im making some money from it. So thank you so much man :-)
You do a awesome job on your videos
its this guy that made that cool pain job on 360
Hey man me again Lol, I build styrene models ya know armor, planes, ships and so on. When using decals over a seam or lightly textured surface you can use micro set to help place the decal and then dab with micro sol which is a solvent that will soften and draw down tight. Then most guys seal with Future floor polish through an airbrush. hope it helps.
Don't forget. Coast Airbrush sells the spray max cans. Good for someone doing multiple small pieces. It's 2k clear in a can. Costs about $20.
Wow, I have been out of the game a while. I'll have to check that out. I knew Alsa made some 2k clear n a can but its uber pricey.
Metallic temporary tattoos make great water slide decals for all kinds of surfaces and they're typically quite cheap.
temp tatts arent a decal they transfer ink not a sticker...kid tatts wouldnt work this creates a physical clear sticker kid tatts just transfer ink from the paper to skin. it would run and be all smudgy if you could get it to tramsfer to plastic
+Yamaha Life I've used metallic flash tattoos on glass, smooth ceramic and glass. I didn't expect terribly good results but I'm surprised how well they've worked. I haven't attempted a clear coat as they're quite durable, plus the items aren't handled much. Months later they look exactly the same as when first applied. I haven't tried the typical coloured tattoos though so perhaps they wouldn't give the same results as the metallic. 😀
I use a small paint brush and paint it out it work well 1/4" or 1/2"
take the water out and press it down at the same time
Please make a video about HOW to paint with chrome paint and clear coat them without any chem reactions and retain the initial shine of the chrome paint.
this pretty awesome wish I would've seen this before
after watched 2 of your video i need to spend 50 more dollars on my switch to do a costom by meself. thank you such a good video.
cheers mate - what I needed.
Thanks for the video. I have more confidence now that I have excellent advice 😀
Great detail in your video!
If you want to make it look even better cut the clear bits off around the decal to where the black starts on your decal that way to don't see the outline of clear decal. Also spray future floor polish before you put decal down then after. It will improve what you have here by 100% not saying it doesn't look good but it will make it look more professional
That looks great.
This dude sounds like Rod Sterling from the Twilight Zone but the information is spot on. Thanks!😷😷😷
you're a monster. that controlleris the best controller ive ever seen.
Thanks man. Decals a super easy...
Great vid, my decals look amazing thx
Cool video in general. Wish there was a way to make the decal edges a bit bit less visible though.
Give the area you're applying a decal a varnish coat first, decal, re-varnish.....jobs a good'un.
+Team Downfall Maybe a 2pack clear, being thicker, would cover better
+Bob Bobington I see, pun, yeah then the tones would match better as you can see through the decal to the un clear coated area, great tip.
great vid and tutorial, thx for sharing your experiences :)
Adam Johnston, you can use something called microsol. it helps dissolve the film but leave the ink with no runs or smearing.
Interesting.
just found ur channel, brilliant vids, just would recommend adjusting the lighting to show the colours better x
What a great video about painting, the only thing is it's so much work I don't want to paint anymore.
Great info, thank you for your work
Awesome!!
Where can i buy this paper?
I couldn't find any good alternatives to Papilio.
Almost tried using Silhouette brand (on amazon) decal paper. But I ended up paying the crazy shipping costs from Texas to Canada on Papilio's website (that said shipping got it to Ontario, Canada in 2 days).
So just go to papilio.com.
amazon
Really good video. Thank you
Thanks for the info!
Great video you have skills, about how long will the decals last on a controller? And if I just want to use the stock paint can I apply the decal directly and gloss over it?
thanks for the video I think i will try to put my gamer tag on my controller some day:)
Nice job! In the next time try to use "decal fix" from hobby store. It makes that the decal have less visible edges.
can you please make a video on painting Logitech f710...
I don't have one of those. But it would be the same process.
awesome tutorial!
Thx
Amazing
what kind of editor do you use to arrange and print decals?
have you ever used mark softener to dissolve the edges of the water slides?
Hey man, you should upload these designs, I really wanna put them on my control! :)
thanks very much you are a great help thanks again.
WOOOOOOW that is amazing really REALLY appreciate it thank you +D
That's cool tips, but something to try for a mirror showroom finish get a light sandpaper rough up second coat clear then Turtle Wax and buff the shit out of it then put your final coat clear lightly sand and buff again. Great trick learned doing car hoods and should produce the same results on any surface! Give it a go on some junk to get the feel. Ps use classic Turtle Wax canister paste...
I use that method on restoring my headlight lenses & do recommend it for any to all projects that need a clearcoat! looks great & lasts a lot longer then those restore-a-lense products! you can get a super shiny surface with little work that will last on anything you do that with!
I didn't know you could paint over wax?
you are awesome awesome vid keep the good work up don't quit yet
I'm not quitting anytime soon.
Im headed to watch more recent videos, but do you ever polish/wax/buff your clear coats? Hopefully as i continue to dig, ill find some of that!
Thanks man I've watched lots of ur vids awesome uve giving me and idea for my airsoft gun thanks 😆
What’s better to use the clear enamel or the clear acrylic?
will I able to remove decals that were placed on masking tape?
I don't want that part to have decals.
What kind of clear coat you’re using at the end and if I can use it on a mug?
How do u size and print a layout page?
So with the textured look on the base, do you think you could sand that down to smooth and then clear just like automotive bumpers for a smooth look?
Does the clear coat prevent the decals from peeling off with use?
AA25 Mamba they dont peal off unless you really pick at it
Hi does that water slide just look like a sticker or does it actually look "built in" ?
anyone find a good alternative to papilio decal paper? I can't find papilio in Canada. only on their site and it has a $35 shipping cost to my province
can you use a normal sticker without water and put a layer or two with clear paint over it?
whenever i add a gloss clear onto metallics- it really dulls the shine. is there a better clear coat out there? Chrome will turn into aluminum finish
Can you use any rust oleum paint on plastic if you use the primer first
Hello. I just watched this and you didn't use or mention it. But do you ever use micro sol or micro set solution on your decals.
A link to the decal paper would be helpful.
Does the printing need to be black and white or can I print it with color
Will rustoleum clear coat work for sealing the ink on the decal? It says "bonds to plastic" on the can
What was the skull name in the thumbnail?
What about the outline of the decal? It's still pretty visible. Is it due to the thickness of the decal film or the color of the paint (ie the gold)?
I bought a full white shell kit for my controller, but I want to make it glossy so would I need to sand it or can I just spray the clear coat on? Also I was planning on using rustoleum 2x gloss clear what do you think?
Any recommendations as far as doing a color decal on a dark colored controller? I have a darker blue controller and I'd like to do my gamertag in yellow on it.
hey this link to Amazon is not available anymore can you recommend another one please
How does that rustoleum crystal clear enamel hold up over time?
Can I do this in my room?
other than 2k whats the best clearcoat to use on controllers?
What is the music at 4:58 ?
Did you clear coat the controller first?
Would it affect the overall cosmesis if I were to use a traditional decal/ sticker vs. a Vinyl sticker when going over a controller with the final clear coat?
At the beginning and end of the video, you show close ups and the outline of where you cut the decal is visible; is there any way to make it look more flush with the surface of the controller? Thanks!
This trick is used by professionals and the clear coat they use (2k clear) is much thicker. Professional clear coats cover the seam perfectly.
I know this is late as heck.........but at this point, i started wondering if one could just use a vinyl cut.
Hey I'm trying to make my (blackfie g2 galaxy 2020) that's the blackfie electric longboard wheels the wheels r 96mm urethane wheels. Would you have any idea on how to make the glow in the dark spray paint stick to my wheels I tried almost everything and nothing sticks hoping you can help me
Is it not necessary to mask off the areas where the control buttons will be?
No, as long as you don't go crazy with the paint. That is a good question though. Tight fitting parts can get messed up with paint. The buttons on this project don't have an issue with that.
Can you wash the shell after using waterslide decals?
Thats tight i enjoyed ur video, defenetly going to hook mines up. 👍🏼👏🏻🎥🎮
which sticker do you use?
Great vid man! How long do you wait from the step of the actual paint to dry to applying the clear coat?
Hey I also wanted to ask, if I have a custom shell for my Xbox controller with a weird design do I still need to spray and what should I use
quick question, can i do hand drawn paint straight on the plastic primer? i want a very specific custom paint job that i think would be best achieved if done by hand rather than decal. would this create bumps? ofc i could draw them digitally and print but i could save a lot of money on decal paper.
Yes, you can use pencil straight on primer. Just go light, you want that sticky layer to hold the paint.
Hi buddy u got there a AWESOME Job!!!!!
For the decal do I have to spray anything on the decal before I put it in the water or can I just put it in the water
Absolutely... I've done this several times.... You need to spray it with clear coat first. If not the ink comes right off. Good question... I've made this mistake tons of times...
Commando Designs thank you and where can I buy that kind of decal paper or order it having trouble founding it
Commando Designs witch one do I buy white or clear or does it matter I'm about to buy the clear one
Commando Designs also I'm printing out something with color so white not clear?
I have a question
Doe it feel like there is sticker when you hold it?
Please respond
Does the clear coat keep a consistent smoothness over the decal edges?(cant feel the bump?)
What method should i use to make stickers to put in motorcycles?
Same method...
Can it be like ripped off like a sticker?