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Spray Paint Signs? (dimensional letters)
- Thread starter Dooka
- Start date
Mosh
New Member
WTF, you can't be serious. I use spray paint for stuff like small brackets and to coat a bunch of screw heads ahead of time (poke a bunch in a styrofoam block and spray away)
but not for the sign itself. NO WAY it will look near as nice as a gun...
unless you really suck using a gun....
but not for the sign itself. NO WAY it will look near as nice as a gun...
unless you really suck using a gun....
explaining more
Through my time, I have always had a booth and some sort of 3 stage automotive grade paint system.
The shop I am at now, does not have a paint booth or sprayer. (we do, however have the ability to sub out just the paint to a car painter)
Today, we spray painted some letters and I see a lot of streaks, and just the (to what I think is) natural look you get when using spraypaint.
So, my questions are : Is spray paint (despite) the quality a norm for a lot of shops?
Does anyone have great success with just spray painting signs and sorts.
I'm trying to get a feel if spray painting signs is an industry standard and I was just spoiled at so many shops with booths and clear coats and spray guns....
Thanks!
Through my time, I have always had a booth and some sort of 3 stage automotive grade paint system.
The shop I am at now, does not have a paint booth or sprayer. (we do, however have the ability to sub out just the paint to a car painter)
Today, we spray painted some letters and I see a lot of streaks, and just the (to what I think is) natural look you get when using spraypaint.
So, my questions are : Is spray paint (despite) the quality a norm for a lot of shops?
Does anyone have great success with just spray painting signs and sorts.
I'm trying to get a feel if spray painting signs is an industry standard and I was just spoiled at so many shops with booths and clear coats and spray guns....
Thanks!
Gino
Premium Subscriber
Think for a moment of what you are asking.
You are comparing spray booths, lighting, fantastic paints, clearing systems to a $4. rattle can..... and you wanna know how they compare ??
If I were you, I'd immediately go out and buy up all the rattle can paint Wal Mart, Home Depot and Lowes carry and stock my shelves so no one else catches onto this new find of yours.
As stoopid as my idea is, that's how dumb your question is.
You are comparing spray booths, lighting, fantastic paints, clearing systems to a $4. rattle can..... and you wanna know how they compare ??
If I were you, I'd immediately go out and buy up all the rattle can paint Wal Mart, Home Depot and Lowes carry and stock my shelves so no one else catches onto this new find of yours.
As stoopid as my idea is, that's how dumb your question is.
Spray paint is for hobbyist and back yard mechanics, not for someone making a living painting for their livelihood.
Can I use scotch tape to hold these letters on the wall ?? It's a lot cheaper than using screws and making ugly holes in the wall.
Can I use scotch tape to hold these letters on the wall ?? It's a lot cheaper than using screws and making ugly holes in the wall.
John Butto
New Member
14th and 15th letters of the alphabet
What Gino is trying to say is "no".Think for a moment of what you are asking.
You are comparing spray booths, lighting, fantastic paints, clearing systems to a $4. rattle can..... and you wanna know how they compare ??
If I were you, I'd immediately go out and buy up all the rattle can paint Wal Mart, Home Depot and Lowes carry and stock my shelves so no one else catches onto this new find of yours.
As stoopid as my idea is, that's how dumb your question is.
Spray paint is for hobbyist and back yard mechanics, not for someone making a living painting for their livelihood.
Can I use scotch tape to hold these letters on the wall ?? It's a lot cheaper than using screws and making ugly holes in the wall.
Joe Crumley
New Member
Well perhaps "NO" is the correct answer but we don't know much about his product. Is it plastic, metal, HDU or what. At my shop I gave up on Matthews and auto paint long ago but I'm in the dimensional sign business, using HDU and Wood. The answer depends on the substrate and finish. Joe
Billct2
Active Member
OK< you're asking if rattle cans are acceptable for painting large sign backgrounds?
No
A more acceptable alternative, depending on size, is to sheet it with vinyl, or paint it with a brush or roller.
Or , as you mention, sub out the spaying.
It is fairly easy to get into spraying with an HVLP turbine sprayer.
No
A more acceptable alternative, depending on size, is to sheet it with vinyl, or paint it with a brush or roller.
Or , as you mention, sub out the spaying.
It is fairly easy to get into spraying with an HVLP turbine sprayer.
ICeMAnAbk
New Member
I've rattled vinyl, most of the time I'd just airbrush it to make it look nicer. Backgrounds, I'd use combinations of weird stuff from seran wrap, alimunium foil, rattle cans with cut tips (fans it differently), tooth brush bristles, and some other improvised stuff to make rock looking backgrounds, marble, etc.
Painting foam or 3D Letters without a spray booth, have you considered painting them? I had to do 3ft NAPA AUTO PARTS in HDU foam. When it came time for color, I just painted tight spots and feathered it out far, then came back with a foam roller later. Course, I used One Shot. It came out without peel or dry spots.
Painting a nice solid color background, of just the base color of what I'd work on for those improvised techniques? I'd still roll on the paint first. Spray paint cans are just made to do joe blow jobs. Paint screw heads, mark tools, or spray paint small items. You can make it look better by adjusting what angle, and distance you spray from, always turnging them upside down at the end and spraying til no paint comes out (clears the head of excess paint that will dry and foul it), or use an exact and cut into the nozzle a bit. do it wrong it'll drip though. Still, in the end, it's a cheap alternative.
Personally, if you are comfortable using a spray gun, I'd see about trying to get a smaller paint booth where you are already at. If that's out of the question, you could always do what old automotive repair places did and wet the floor approx 6ft outside of the area you'd work in then pain. I'm sure the EPA wouldn't like it, but most automotive places are highly regulated due to Laquer paint which many of them still use which you know from experience is a pretty hazardous material. Spraying... a latex on a house is totally legal though. So it's not really an issue of spraying paint without a booth, I'd look into it and see if you could legally spray with the type of paint you intend to in your area.
Painting foam or 3D Letters without a spray booth, have you considered painting them? I had to do 3ft NAPA AUTO PARTS in HDU foam. When it came time for color, I just painted tight spots and feathered it out far, then came back with a foam roller later. Course, I used One Shot. It came out without peel or dry spots.
Painting a nice solid color background, of just the base color of what I'd work on for those improvised techniques? I'd still roll on the paint first. Spray paint cans are just made to do joe blow jobs. Paint screw heads, mark tools, or spray paint small items. You can make it look better by adjusting what angle, and distance you spray from, always turnging them upside down at the end and spraying til no paint comes out (clears the head of excess paint that will dry and foul it), or use an exact and cut into the nozzle a bit. do it wrong it'll drip though. Still, in the end, it's a cheap alternative.
Personally, if you are comfortable using a spray gun, I'd see about trying to get a smaller paint booth where you are already at. If that's out of the question, you could always do what old automotive repair places did and wet the floor approx 6ft outside of the area you'd work in then pain. I'm sure the EPA wouldn't like it, but most automotive places are highly regulated due to Laquer paint which many of them still use which you know from experience is a pretty hazardous material. Spraying... a latex on a house is totally legal though. So it's not really an issue of spraying paint without a booth, I'd look into it and see if you could legally spray with the type of paint you intend to in your area.
DizzyMarkus
New Member
cool thought -- we use an old window screen and poke them through :0)
Markus
g&eprinting
New Member
At your local auto paint supply they can put any automotive grade paint in a rattle can for you. And color match. Call and ask around.