Acrylic Paint

[robcoy]

g,day all, this is my first post so dont go too hard on me

Ive previously made seats and used acrylic paint to get the colour Ive been after and never had a problem with it..I recently done up a seat for a friend and the poor bloke ended up with small patches of orange on his pants after his first ride....

I normally apply an oil based black all over the seat then I paint the required colours,let it dry and then apply satin shene..

am I doing this the wrong way? and am I using the right sort of paint?

Im not intersted in using dyes because it doesnt give me the effect Im looking for...

HELP!!!!!

CHEERS

[lightingale]

Ouch! Ruboff is never a good thing.

In another thread on here, most folks seemed to agree that acrylic paintings won't stand up to the wear and tear on a bike seat in the long run.

What brant of acrylic paint were you using?

[Cyberthrasher]

Well, my first questions is what effect are you looking for that the dyes can't give you? The only thing missing from good dyes is the color range.

IF you have to use acrylics to get a color match, take a look at what brand of acrylics you're using. They're not all made the same.

From there, look at your sealant. I've had excellent luck with Resolene on top of acrylics. But, one thing you'll want to look out for is that the Resolene can reactivate the acrylic paint. Another member here introduced me to varnish as an isolator between the acrylic paint and the Resolene. Aside from the fact that it isolates the paint and Resolene, it also offers another solid layer of protection from rub off, and all in all makes it look a LOT better.

[robcoy]

gday lightingale

I use Tamiya (small bottles from a hobbie shop).....Ive painted seats using this paint before and never had a problem..I do give it 4-5 coates of satin sheen to play it safe.......was thinking maybe the paint wasnt fully dry when I applied the shene....

[robcoy]

gday cyberthrasher

some designs I need a specific colour and the acrylics are easy available in those certain colours........I normally use satin or super shene ...never tried resolene before ...might give it a go and see if that helps..do you apply the resolene, let it set and then put the varnish over top?

[Cyberthrasher]

do you apply the resolene, let it set and then put the varnish over top?

Nope, other way around. The Resolene is a much more stable product, especially for outdoor use and water resistance. IF you apply it directly to the acrylic paints, it can reactivate them and make a mess. So, put on your acrylics and let them cure, then follow it up with the varnish. I was recommended to use Liquitex Satin varnish - but it's available in various levels of gloss. The satin was a little difficult to find online in small amounts. But, once that's applied over your acrylic paint, let it cure, then go over with the Resolene.

[robcoy]

Thanks cyberthrasher, you,re a champ.......,I,ll definitely give it a try.

[Cyberthrasher]

Thanks cyberthrasher, you,re a champ.......,I,ll definitely give it a try.

As an example, here's a guitar strap I just did with this technique. I used Createx airbrush acrylics (brushed on, not sprayed) since it's what I had available. Then covered the white with the Liquitex varnish, then applied Resolene over the entire piece.

[robcoy]

would you recommend using Createx airbrush acrylics ..I rarely use acrylic on seats but when I do, it would be good to know that Im using a problem free product with a good end result..the guitar strap looks great and i,d be happy with a finish like that..

[Cyberthrasher]

For brushing, they were "ok", and I'd definitely be willing to use them again. The application had a little to desire. They're great for airbrushing as intended (though I haven't done that on leather). I'm liking Golden Fluid right now (they have beautiful metallics), but I know Angelus acrylics are really good and formulated for leather, so you may try that to start with.

I wasn't happy with that white at first. It was pretty hard to brush on evenly without brush strokes. But, once I applied that varnish it smoothed right out and looked beautiful. I try not to use acrylics whenever possible. This one was going to be natural lettering, but I got some black where it didn't belong and decided to go with white. I have another one on the bench that's getting gold acrylic. I have a bottle of Golden Fluid gold sitting there ready to go for that one.

[robcoy]

ive just ordered some createx acrylic and a bottle of Liquitex Matte varnish.....hopefully it should be here in a few days....can I still use satin shene or would I be better off with the resolene as the seat i need to repair has been done in shene?

[Cyberthrasher]

You can try it with the sheen. I just haven't had any good results with that stuff. I would never trust it with an outdoor product, but that's just me. Resolene takes a little bit of practice to figure out how to apply it, but it's not too difficult and will offer good protection - both water and UV resistance.

[robcoy]

Thanks Cyberthrasher....you,ve been a great help...appreciate it.....cheers