Pizza VK78 Commando

[Negativecacti]

God speed pizza man

 

[tahu505]

Another set back has come up, but there's a work around. I've noticed that even with the pieces I've gotten a good enough dip on, they still haven't come out looking great and needed touch ups. I wanted to try perfecting my dips with these smaller parts and was really struggling. I couldn't figure out what was going wrong to I reached out to the company I got the hydrodip film from for assistance. They suggested that the film may not be adhering to the Rustoleum primer im using. They suggested using automative base coat/clear coat instead and to avoid single stage paint. So now I'm going to look into getting a set up for automotive paint.

 

[Onyx Props]

I love when people do off the wall props like this. How many cosplayers do you see with a pizza gun? Can't wait to see it finished

 

[tahu505]

I've ordered 2 stage automotive paint from Amazon. That should take about a week before it comes in. Meanwhile, I'll need an air compressor and paint gun to use the automotive paint. I was able to get both of those at Harbor Freight.

The last thing I needed to get back on track was a PVC pipe for the barrel/support of the prop. The only one I could find in the right diameter and length I had to custom order and it cost me about $45. I did not want to spend that much on a PVC pipe again, so I tried to remove the pipe from my previous main body attempt. I was able remove the shroud and main body from the pipe by hand/stepping on and pulling the prop to twist it apart. The stock was really tight on the PVC pipe from all the epoxy. At first I was going to try to cut it out with a dremel but felt it was to risky for damaging the pipe. Instead I put on some safety glasses, grabbed the barrel end of the pipe, and smashed the stock against the ground like a gravity hammer! Eventually the stock loosened and I was able to free the PVC pipe. The pipe will need to be cleaned up a bit but is still structurally good.

 

[tahu505]

The automotive paint came in! I decided to full send and paint over all of my parts at once. I can already feel a difference in texture on the parts and CrimsonViper97 mentioned to me yesterday that the Rustoleum primer I was using before can hydrophobic and doesn't work well as a base for water based paints. This makes sense why Liquid Concepts said the hydrodip film may not be adhering well to my primer. So good feelings about this new automotive primer!

For these main body pieces, the paint cracked. The Rustoleum paint was a bit thicker on these parts compared to the rest so I'll just sand them down and repaint them after doing some hydrodip tests on the other parts.

 

[Negativecacti]

With the rustoleum primer, was it the sandaled filler auto body kind?

 

[tahu505]

With the rustoleum primer, was it the sandaled filler auto body kind?

It was the 2x white paint + primer

 

[Negativecacti]

It was the 2x white paint + primer

I've never used that kinda before, but have had good success with their automotive filler primer

 

[tahu505]

I've never used that kinda before, but have had good success with their automotive filler primer

Their paint overall is really good. The 2x white paint + primer is a really good base for painting armor. I've used it for both of my suits. It's just not a good base for hydro dipping is what I've learned.

 

[tahu505]

First attempt after repriming with automotive paint wasn't as nice as I hoped. These parts were small and moved around a lot when I tried to paint them so maybe they weren't properly primed? I'm going to test dip some of the larger parts tomorrow and see how that compares.

 

[Bloxxer]

That's the exact paint my armor is covered in Works great if you ask me!

 

[tahu505]

Today's attempt at hydrodipping. Might message the company again tomorrow.

 

[tahu505]

Last night I sanded down the PVC pipe so it could be used again. I also sanded down some of the parts I've been trying to hydrodip and have been in contact with the company providing the film to troubleshoot the issues.

 

[Negativecacti]

Maybe the fact that it's primed all together? Have you tried dipping a piece just sanded smooth with no primer on the piece

 

[tahu505]

Maybe the fact that it's primed all together? Have you tried dipping a piece just sanded smooth with no primer on the piece

The hydrodip film is transparent and takes on the color that it is place on top of, so I would need a white base. The instructions also say that a primer helps with adhesion. I did just get an email back from a higher up from the company that is saying they are unfamiliar with the automotive paint that I was recommended and used and that I should be using hydrographics paint. I found hydrographics paint from their website and have emailed them again to confirm that it is the correct paint that I should use before I order a small amount to test

 

[Negativecacti]

The hydrodip film is transparent and takes on the color that it is place on top of, so I would need a white base. The instructions also say that a primer helps with adhesion. I did just get an email back from a higher up from the company that is saying they are unfamiliar with the automotive paint that I was recommended and used and that I should be using hydrographics paint. I found hydrographics paint from their website and have emailed them again to confirm that it is the correct paint that I should use before I order a small amount to test

Ahh ok I'm not too familiar with hydrodipping and wasn't sure if the primer was a problem

 

[tahu505]

Ahh ok I'm not too familiar with hydrodipping and wasn't sure if the primer was a problem

I'm just learning about a lot of this too lol. I'm posting all of my mistakes and hopefully soon solutions so that others can learn too

 

[tahu505]

I'm still waiting for the hydrographic paint to come in. While I'm waiting, I sanded off the automotive paint the best I could. I'm leaving one of the UNSC eagles for now since it was mostly alright.

While mostly smooth, some parts are a bit rough. I was told the hydrographic paint will need to be primed before it's sprayed. Since I'll need to fill in and sand some bits, im going to put on a thick coat of filler primer and lightly sand it. It's not a guarantee that the filler primer will work as a primer for the hydrographic paint, so I am only testing it on a single piece.

 

[tahu505]

I wet sanded the test piece at 600 after filler primer.

Hydrographic paint

The test dip itself went good! The hydrographic film adhered to the part significantly better. I ran into issues when I was rinsing the part because I was impatient and increased the temperature of the water to remove the UV glue faster. The increased temperature ruined the finish. I can still touch it up and as long as I'm more patient during the next washes, I should be able to get good finishes.

I filler primered the remaining parts so I can put them through the same process.

 

[tahu505]

Finished repainting everything with hydrographic paint

This time when I went to hydrodip, I rinsed with cold water and did not rush it. The first small piece I did, I think I sprayed the activator from too far away. I got a little closer with the next 2 dips and they came out perfect! I'm back on track!