Texturing Metal - IDC Workshop

with this instructable we want to show you a few tips and tricks on how to paint and texturize metal surfaces.

the right color and finish is very important in a product, you can camouflage flaws with matte paints whereas you can see the tiniest imperfection with a glossy paint.

BUT DONT WORRY...in this instructable we'll show you all the things you need to know.

the choice of your paint depends on a lot of factors, these are:

what material are you gonna paint?
for use indoors or outdoors?
the material's surface
tempratures
time to dry
need for a primer

Don't have acces to a paint booth?

no worries! just use a cardboard box to spray your part in.

this way you keep your walls save from an unwanted colorchange

this step is very important.

clean the surface you wanna paint thoroughly with some paint thinner.

paint won't adhere on a dirty surface and on top of that, you'll get a poor finish.

remove the little plastic thingy under the nozzle, after that put the nozzle back on. Make sure you dont spray paint all over your face though.

now shake intensly for a good minute or two

you're almost ready to start painting now

normally a good distance between your nozzle and your part is about 30cm

its also recommended to spray very lightly at first. spraying your paint on to thick will cause "runners". you want to avoid these at all times.

in a fluid Z motion paint the piece from the bottom to the top. Start spraying about 5cm in front of the piece and end about 5cm behind it.

on some parts you'll need to use a primer for the best finish. The safest choice for a primer is white.

ATTENTION

spray to slow and the paint will be to thick

spray to fast and the paint wont cover enough (this is always the best choice of the two because you can always add some paint)

varnishing is more difficult because you can't see where you're spraying

just keep spraying the way you've learned before and youl be ok.

Once everything is painted, it’s important

that you get the last bit of paint out of the nozzle of the can, this prevents the paint from hardening inside the tube. This is easily done by holding the can upside down and spray until only air comes out. The nozzle can also be cleaned by letting it sit inside a cup with paint thinner , this loosens the paint that is stuck inside the nozzle.

Always respect the curing time, this is

clearly indicated on the paint can. By respecting that time you can be sure the piece won’t have fingerprints on it when you pick it up or you can spray on the next coat.

Sanding

Sandblasting

Polishing

By giving your product texture, you can create special effects, for example making the piece look older than it actually is or you could make it shine so bright that you’ll be blinded.

Sanding can be done in a variety of

different ways, everything depends on the material you use. When sanding aluminium it’s best to you use sanding paper with a 300 grain. While in the case of metal you best use a sanding machine.

By sandblasting your metal you can create

rougher textures, the advantage of this is that you can eliminate scratches/imperfections on the metal. WATCH OUT if you want a figure sandblasted into an aluminium piece, it’s best to sandblast first and paint later then tape the figure on the piece and sandblast again. This is to ensure that your paint doesn’t stick to the tape when you pull it off. The paint sticks better to a rougher (sandblasted) surface.

polish your metal piece by rubbing a very fine abrisive compound on your metal with a cloth. The amount of shine depends on how long you rub the piece.