New here! Looks like a ton of info on this forum! Glad I found it as I do a lot of small projects like a body panel here and there, etc.
So my daughter is needing me to help her artistically paint a cooler (ice chest) and brand it. The cooler is plastic that has some flexibility, especially if someone was to sit on the lid. In addition to plastic, where the brand name is molded into the lid I was thinking I'd fiberglass it to fill it in using West Systems G/Flex epoxy fiberglass....used for Kayak repairs and such, bonds to plastic.
This is on a serious budget so like spray paint stuff since I'm not set up well for paint gun work and I don't need Quarts or gallons.
The process I have in mind.
1. D/A 180 grit to remove the coolers texture. Use 40 grit in the area I'm going to glass
2. Glass the top then sand smooth with 180.
3. Spray entire cooler with SEM flexible primer and surfacer.
4. Sand primer with 600 and guide coat to remove primer texture.
5. Have daughter do artwork using a combination of Krylon spray paint and going over that with enamel or acrylic artistic paints using brushes. (Not sure if she can do artwork on 600 grit so I'm thinking spray the whole thing with a solid color that can fill 600grit, then do the artwork on that.
6. Clear coat the whole thing with SprayMax 2K then wet sand and buff....I wish it was flexible but don't think it is.
Does that process seem okay? I initially was thinking the SEM flexible primer because being plastic I don't want someone to sit on the lid or something and everything crack. BUT, I'm not sure if the primer will be okay to go over the epoxy glass. Also not sure if the plastic really flexes enough to warrant flexible primer and paints.
I'm also not sure what is the best artistic paints for her to use.
It's important that it is durable because it'll get used, pulled out of truck beds, probably set stuff on it, etc....so want it to be as durable as possible using spray can items and such. Trying to keep it around $100 in materials.
Thoughts? Ideas?
Thanks for any info you can provide! Greatly appreciated!
So my daughter is needing me to help her artistically paint a cooler (ice chest) and brand it. The cooler is plastic that has some flexibility, especially if someone was to sit on the lid. In addition to plastic, where the brand name is molded into the lid I was thinking I'd fiberglass it to fill it in using West Systems G/Flex epoxy fiberglass....used for Kayak repairs and such, bonds to plastic.
This is on a serious budget so like spray paint stuff since I'm not set up well for paint gun work and I don't need Quarts or gallons.
The process I have in mind.
1. D/A 180 grit to remove the coolers texture. Use 40 grit in the area I'm going to glass
2. Glass the top then sand smooth with 180.
3. Spray entire cooler with SEM flexible primer and surfacer.
4. Sand primer with 600 and guide coat to remove primer texture.
5. Have daughter do artwork using a combination of Krylon spray paint and going over that with enamel or acrylic artistic paints using brushes. (Not sure if she can do artwork on 600 grit so I'm thinking spray the whole thing with a solid color that can fill 600grit, then do the artwork on that.
6. Clear coat the whole thing with SprayMax 2K then wet sand and buff....I wish it was flexible but don't think it is.
Does that process seem okay? I initially was thinking the SEM flexible primer because being plastic I don't want someone to sit on the lid or something and everything crack. BUT, I'm not sure if the primer will be okay to go over the epoxy glass. Also not sure if the plastic really flexes enough to warrant flexible primer and paints.
I'm also not sure what is the best artistic paints for her to use.
It's important that it is durable because it'll get used, pulled out of truck beds, probably set stuff on it, etc....so want it to be as durable as possible using spray can items and such. Trying to keep it around $100 in materials.
Thoughts? Ideas?
Thanks for any info you can provide! Greatly appreciated!