Custom Painted Consoles

Li_Akahi

Have any of you ever done a custom paint job on any of your consoles? I am thinking of painting my Wii, Wiimotes, and probably my nunchuks and classic controllers, if I have enough spray paint afterwards, and I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for this.

Kiey

I tried painting my wii-mote a while back when the Wii was first released. I think there is a thread somewhere on the boards here. Anyway, it worked, and it didn't. I couldn't get the intricate design I wanted, and also spray paint doesn't seem to want to stick to the matte finish on the back of the remotes. So you definitely have to sand them, or something, to get it to adhere. I also tried a bunch of different spray paints, so you might want to check out that thread for the specifics since I don't remember them off the top of my head.

Techparadox

Painting anything that is plastic can be a chore if the paint doesn't want to adhere to it. Sometimes you can get away with using vinyl dye to do it (which might work well, since the Wii is solid white), or you could try the spray-paints that Krylon makes for painting plastic stuff. If you don't want to go that route then I offer the following suggestions:

1. First off, before you start painting go out and get yourself some respirator masks (the cheap ones will do fine) and a pair of safety goggles (again, the cheap ones will do fine). Safety first!
2. Pay attention when disassembling the thing you're painting. If the pieces don't want to separate, don't force it until you've checked to make sure there aren't any screws you've missed or pressure-lock tabs you haven't released. Also, be sure you know where the screws came out of so you can get it put back together properly.
3. Wash whatever plastic pieces you're painting with soap and water to remove any dirt, dust, or oils that may have built up on them.
4. Rough up the plastic with some medium-grit sandpaper so the base coat will stick to it better. Once you have sanded it, go over the piece with a tack-cloth to remove any plastic bits that may be stuck in the grooves you just created. Then wash it with soap and water again and let it air-dry.
5. When it comes time to paint, don't rush the process! If you want it to come out right, this is going to take some time.
6. You're going to need at least one can of primer, be it black, white, or grey.
7. When you get ready to lay down the paint, be sure you're working in a well-ventilated area. Outside works best, so long as it is warm enough and not windy, so the paint will spray properly.
8. Lay down drop cloths over anything you don't want getting messed up.
9. Shake the can of paint for at least a minute after you hear the ball bearing in it start to rattle to make sure it is mixed well.
10. When you do start applying the paint, do it in thin coats. Use a sweeping motion across the part you are painting. Start spraying before the swing of your arm would cross over the piece and end your spray after you pass the end of the piece. This helps ensure an even coat. Again, don't lay it on too thick! It's better to do two or more coats of primer and get them even than to try to do it in one pass and end up with a base coat that looks like shit. If your base coat looks like shit, then your final job is going to look like shit.
11. Let the base coat dry for the time allotted on the can. Again, you can't rush this.
12. Once your primer coat is dry, rough it up again with a finer-grit sandpaper than what you used to rough up the plastic. You don't want to sand it completely down, but you do want it to be a non-smooth surface. Again, use a tack-cloth to pick up any paint particles that may be left behind, but skip the washing.
13. When putting on your main coat of paint, use the same method as the primer coat. Do it in thin coats, and don't try to rush it. I recommend at least three coats of your main color over the top of your primer, with light sanding in between each coat after it has dried.

Remember, above all, you don't want to rush the process. I've seen too many custom paint jobs end up looking ass-ugly simply because the person doing it didn't take their time.

MrRoboto

What he said

When he said respirator he meant this:



AND NOT THIS:



And as he said, take your time. AND DON'T mix and match different brands of paint unless you know they wont react with each other as some can destroy the undercoats of other brand paint depending on the base material you are painting on (it happens quite often with plastic and metal).

Techparadox

Yeah, my bad - I should have specified "the cheap non-paper ones" when I was talking about respirators. Those stupid dust masks don't do jack squat when it comes to keeping you from inhaling fumes and particles.