[Parall3l]

I'm happy with my Ultrasone headphones but I need something I can wear out side without looking like panda (Thats the description a friend of mine gave me, not a good description but I do agree that it doesn't look good). The Sennheiser HD25-1-II looks like something I'd like. I'm thinking of spray painting the headphones chrome. I'm not in any hurry and I will be practising on other plastic material first. I am a complete noob when it comes to paint in general and any advice, help or link would be greatly appreciated. 
 
Thanks in advance 

 
 
PS: feel free to discuss other spray paint related things because somebody else might find it helpful
 
Edit: I need to use a gloss black spray paint and then coat it with a mirror chrome paint aerosol right?

 

[raindog1975]

First you need to spray a primer ( after a thorough degrease of the parts - with alcohol - ). Look for a primer specifically made for plastics or at least an "universal" one. In my experience chrome paint ( the procedure you mentioned in correct , by the way ) should only be applied in a controlled environment ( no dust, low humidity etc ) otherwise the results can be pretty bad . As an alternative you could use silver paint and a clear-coat ( more "forgiving" than chrome paint ).

 

[evanwier]

Raindog hit a lot of it - keys to a good paint job is 90% prep work.  Make sure everything is cleaned really really thuroughly.  After that I would work on masking/taping anything at all you don't want paint on.  This is usually the most important part.  Either disassemble or just tape up absolutely everything and make sure it's sealed.   
 
 
From there, just go slow, practice on a similar material until you have it down - and try to do it in a cooler/dry area!

 

[Parall3l]

Thanks for the replies guys, so it should go like this right? 
 
Degrease with alcohol -> wait for the headphone to dry -> apply primer -> dry -> gloss black coat -> dry ->chrome
 
 

 

[zammykoo]

Sounds like the steps above are correct. I have found with a lot of cheaper spray paints that you should let it dry/cure completely before applying the next layer. Especially the last coat, if it is not fully cure it will feel rubbery and can peel easily.
 
And remember many light coats is better than one thick coat.

 

[evanwier]

Yeah - the biggest thing to me is going to be your spraying technique.  You really need to take the time to practice on somethign else - all about keeping the can in motion while painting.  Be really careful of over-spray and creating drips as well.  it's way better to just take your time and go thin coat by coat.
 
 
Don't forget to take pics!

 

[digger945]

If you are going to be using just one can of paint, and you are expecting to have some time in between coats(like say, 2 or 3 minutes or more) then I would advise you to consider turning the can upside down and cleaning the nozzle out good(whenever you are finished), and then cleaning the exterior of the nozzle with a solvent, so that when you go to use that can of paint again, it won't splatter and spray unevenly, messing up your work.

 

[jfunk]

Yep I'm with the guys above. I have tried to do chrome a few times and it is v tricky - probably the hardest effect to get right. For best results you are best off
1) Give the parts you want to paint a light sand with some 1200 grit sand paper then prime them
2) Several thin layers of black until they are completely black
3) If the black now has a mirror finish go for the chrome if not then give them a coat of clear and let it harden.
4) build up the chrome in light layers until you are happy with the look - if you use too much it tends to go silver. Let that dry and wipe over with a soft  cloth which will remove any of the chrome dust that you sometimes get
5) two or three layers of clear.
 
If you can I would go with another colour other than chrome. Here is a pic of the first pair I tried  -  Not bad but not perfect and took ages to get right
 

 

[Parall3l]

Quote:

 
 

 
*Drool 

 Thats almost exactly what I'm going for, you got a picture of the end result? 

 

 

[Armaegis]

Quote:

 
*Drool 

 Thats almost exactly what I'm going for, you got a picture of the end result? 

 

Correct me if I'm wrong... but I think he's this guy: http://www.customcans.co.uk/
 
 
 

 

[samsquanch]

NEVER spray enamel over lacquer.  The enamel paint will blister.
 
If you decide that you're a masochist enough to enjoy painting, invest in a spray guy and or air brush, much better results.  Though I have seen some people do magical things with spray cans...

 

[Parall3l]

Quote:

Correct me if I'm wrong... but I think he's this guy: http://www.customcans.co.uk/
 
 
 

 
*Drum rolls, You are correct !
 

 

[shrimants]

MaximumPC has a segment called ModMen and in a couple of the episodes they cover how to spray paint things.

Essentially, you take the entire thing apart as best as you can. If there is any important bits left over, you cover those in masking tape or in some other way isolate them from the outside world. Then, you use some rough sand paper like 320 grit to get the layer of finished plastic off. this basically creates deep scratches in the plastic. then you use a fine grit sand paper to get everything to kind of the level of the rest of the scratches. It should feel almost fuzzy. then you do 2-3 coats of primer. i actually do 5 whenever I spray anything because I like to lay the paint on real thin as I start to prevent bubbling. After your primer is done you need 2-3 coats of your color. In your case, I guess you would want 2-3 coats of black and then 2-3 coats of chrome. You might want clear coat on top of that just to protect it and give it a super shiny dark chrome finish. If you want a really bright chrome look instead, use white primer and then chrome over that. You might be able to find black primer but probably it will come in some color like gray, which you will need to paint black over.

Might I recommend Black metallic Pearl? its like black paint but has microscopic shiny flecks in it.

 

[deadsea]

This might help with spraying tecniques.

http://www.spruecutters.com/techniques/141-video-tutorial-6-spraying-gloss-paint-from-a-spray-can.html

But if you really want a high gloss finish, you will need to do a fair bit of sanding to get the surfaces totally smooth before the primer > gloss black > etc.. You can also do metallic tints too with gloss silver and a coloured clear coat. Just not sure if they have them in spray cans.

Just a thought, but some plastic modellers practise gloss painting on the white disposable plastic spoons since it already has a nice smooth surface on the back with a built in handle.

 

[jfunk]

Quote:

 
*Drool 

 Thats almost exactly what I'm going for, you got a picture of the end result? 

 

Not a great pic but here is one 
 
 


Quote:

Correct me if I'm wrong... but I think he's this guy: http://www.customcans.co.uk/
 
 
 

LOL... You have totally busted my secret identity  
As you can imagine I have painted quite a few pairs of headphones and am happy to offer any advice/help I can so feel free to PM me if you need any more help as I don't check the forum that often