Custom Color NES (Originally Vinyl Dye NES Question)

[nickus9]

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Edit :

the 2nd page will have stencils if anyone needs to use them (perhaps you have found or made better, if so please do let me know!)

This is what i have so far prior to stencils :



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Hello,

I was looking on the forums and i did not see answers to these specific questions (although i could have went right over them?_

I am trying to color my nintendo and thanks to you guys i have discovered that vinyl dye is the best option, but i have a few questions here that i could not find answers to.

1.) Where can i find a wider selection of colors? I can usually only find 5-6 generic colors

2.) if they only make around 6 colors available at most shops, can i make my own color by dying something white first then slowly adding another color? (example would be adding red to white in order to make pink...its a birthday gift for my wife)

3.) Is there a confirmed way to give vinyl dye a glossy finish? I've read conflicting reports that people say you shouldn't wet-sand vinyl dye because you will just end up adding more coats.

Can i wet-sand and then add a clear coat to it to gain this effect? Does the clear coat have to be some kind of dye? Or can it just be Krylon?

Thanks for reading and hopefully this has not been asked 50 times haha. I do not look to be that person who repeats a post, i did honestly look around for answers to these questions first.

[Anapan]

At most local vehicle body-work supply shops where live, there are many more than 6 colors available but it may vary depending on where you are. You could always order online.
My dad and I use it for car interiors all the time when doing restoration jobs. The dye itself comes in matte, satin and gloss finish varieties, tho drying conditions can affect the final look a bit. Usually making sure the surface is clean and smooth (or just grease/oil-free on textured surfaces) is enough. 2 coats of the gloss finish type will make most any plastic surface shine, tho if it's at all porous it usually needs more coats.
You mentioned Krylon Fusion - it doesn't need much or any prep work usually - it's an amazing product.

[Ziggy]

Why can't you just mix the dyes to create the color you want, then dye the console? For example: Take red dye and add a little white to create pink, then use the pink dye on the console.

Also, if you're going to end up spraying it with a clear coat anyway, then why not just spray the color you want? Krylon Fusion comes in pink.

[Anapan]

Vinyl dye comes in a spray-paint can so mixing colors isn't a good idea if you want uniform color.
Ziggy's right - using only Krylon Fusion should give excellent results without mixing brands.

[nickus9]

Yeah I went to some body shops and home depot but they don’t have much. The vinyl dyes that they do have only come in colors like tan, dark red, grey, black and white.

I was looking online but did not find an obvious site with a ton of these dye choices. The best I could find was a burgundy or a can of something that didn’t specifically say vinyl dye on it (and I have horrible luck so I don’t want to ruin a console by using the wrong product. Could anyone link me to a place where I can order these online since it would be a bad idea to mix them? Perhaps I am just using the wrong keywords… could you also direct me towards a decent gloss finish type that you recommend?

I was leaning away from Krylon at first because through several forums I saw complaints about it not being a true vinyl dye. I guess some people have complained about it not doing the same things as a vinyl dye does. Everyone here seems to have had some experience with it though, so I can assume it is identical to vinyl dye then in terms of results?

I’m being so specific because I already botched my SNES using spray paint/wet-sanding…I want my NES to be multiple times better in terms of quality. I want everything to be perfect this time because if it doesn’t work out, I don’t want to pay 45 bucks to potentially fail again haha.

Thanks again for the helpful responses!

[Ziggy]

I have had nothing but great success with Krylon products, including using Fusion on consoles and carts. You pretty much just have to follow the directions on the can.

Things I have sprayed with Krylon Fusion include SNES cart shells, SNES consoles, and Gamecube console, and maybe a few other things as well. I remember this one thread, some one was bashing spraying a cart black claiming that it would never look as good as dying it. Jeffro (another forum member) and I both posted pics of SNES carts that we sprayed black using Krylon Fusion. Some one claimed they looked like Killer Instinct carts LOL.

I once had an indigo Gamecube but wanted a black one, so I sprayed it. I intentionally sprayed just one side so you could see the indigo color through the cracks (I thought it'd look cool). If it weren't for that, you'd be hard pressed to tell it apart from a real black Cube.

I've been spraying SNES carts for the past two Charity Auctions, and I've heard nothing but compliments about how they look.

Am I saying spraying is as good or better than dying? No. If anything, dying will always be better than painting. But if you use Krylon Fusion properly, I'm sure you'll be pleased with the results. I know I have been.



May I ask why you were sanding the SNES? And what paint(s) you used? You might get better results if you change your technique a little.

[nickus9]

Ahhh that is exactly the reply im looking for!

Here were the steps i took, feel free to adjust them for me and tell me how i would do them were i to use Krylon (if you feel like taking the time that is).

One note :
I used 2 paint colors because i wanted it to be blue and orange. Both were the same kind of rust-oleum but they were sprayed over one another after one of the coats had dried. I wont be doing anything like this again because it contributed to such a horrible end product.


1.) sanded snes 220 / 400 / 800 grit (i was told it helps when you are adding primer and paint to the console)

I have learned that it is probably best to lightly sand with 600-800 rather than go any lower than that

2.) Primed all pieces with Valspar interior / exterior primer

3.) Painted with Rust-oleum gloss protective enamel

4.) Wet sanded with 1000/1500/2000/2500 grit (very lightly, just using the weight of the sanding block really)

I was told you are supposed to do this prior to the next step but i feel it messed things up and made the console look crappier

Is there ever a time you would recommend step 4?

5.) rubbing compound onto the console after wet-sanding (i was told this gives it a shine after buffing the wet-sanded scratches out)

this didn't seem to do anything like i was hoping it would. Very small areas with paint had chipped off from the wet-sand so perhaps i did not let it dry long enough).

6.) Use a metal polish to help it look glossy

I didn't actually do this step. I had failed so miserably at my first console attempt that i completely skipped it. Now i just have a crappy SNES sitting in front of my TV to serve as a lesson of what NOT to do.


Thank you again for the awesome reply

[CRTGAMER]

@ nickus9 - If I'm reading your latest post correctly, you are no longer going the Vinyle Dye route? I tend to agree with Ziggy, use paint designed for plastic such as Krylon Fusion. I think it wouild work better if there is NO primer underneath since it is made to stick to the plastic.

Vinyl Dye is great for what it is meant for, a surface that has to be able to remain pliable such as car seats to avoid cracking the finish. It works by soaking into the material, as in Krylon NO primer. Because it works by soaking into the material, the thought is the textured surface of a game console would remain intact. This of course is killed if any sanding at all is done. If the console surface is really in great shape with a very thorough clean with alcohol, maybe it might be a good method? Most older consoles already have nicks and dents, so light sanding and Krylon might be the best route.

[Ziggy]

Yeah, you really don't have to sand at all.

Rust-oleum is great stuff, I love it as much as Krylon, but I have never used it on plastics before. It's always the brand I turn to when I wanna paint metal though. I tent to stick to Krylon for plastics and woods.

As for step four, yes, I can think of a time when you might want to wet sand after painting. For example, I sprayed and wet sanded a guitar body (made of wood) before clear coating. But I have never wet sanding something plastic, and I don't think I ever will.

Krylon Fusion is really easy to use, and will require less steps, but the steps are CRUCIAL to get the job done correctly.

1 - CLEAN: Seems simple, but I would just like to emphasize. Any time you're painting something, you wanna make sure the surface is as clean as possible. Sanding can be thought of as the same step, as sanding and cleaning are both prep work for painting, but most of the time you don't want to (or even need to) sand. You especially don't want to sand something like a SNES console. It has a textured surface, and sanding it will destroy the texture. If you're doing something like a NES console, which isn't textured, you could sand if you wanted to but it's really not needed. Fusion boasts no sanding required, and my experience with the product has proven it to me. If you lightly sand it though, it would hurt. But if you do, just make sure you sand BEFORE cleaning. Or otherwise: clean, sand, clean.

So, yeah, just make sure it's super clean. Pay strict attention to all the creases and corners, making sure they're all free of dirt and grime. You don't even need to use anything abrasive. Some paper towels and/or a sponge will work fine. Maybe some Q-Tips and/or toothpicks to get into corners if need be. Rubbing alcohol is best. You could even take it to the kitchen sink and use a dish soap, so long as you make sure you completely rinse all the soap off. And of coarse, allow it to fully dry before painting.

2 - SPRAY: Spraying sounds simple enough, but the technique is very important. You want the coverage to be perfectly uniform. You want to do multiple LIGHT coats - DO NOT TRY TO COVER IT IN ONE COAT! You want to do light coats to avoid having the paint build up in any one area. Corners and creases are harder to get, so don't try to cover them in one coat. If you're having a hard time covering a crease or something, wait until your next coat and change your angle of attack.

I forget exactly what it says, but just read the directions on the can of Fusion and follow them exactly. I think it tells you to wait a minute in between each coat, so the process actually goes really quickly. Also, it'll tell you about drying times, how long your window is for addition coats, and curing time.

One thing I can tell you about drying and curing time - DON'T RUSH IT! Wait a good 24 hours before you handle it. You can reassemble a console at this point, but only if you're careful. IIRC, the can says it takes a week to fully cure. I've notice that if I keep something in my basement (where I usually spray) it actually takes longer than a week (probably due to the damp environment). You want to wait at least a week for it to fully cure, as the paint could easily chip. Once fully cured, it's like cement. I've never had a problem with Fusion, with normal handling.

You can clear coat if you wish, but I don't recommend it unless you're going for a certain look. Fusion colors come in a few sheens, usually satin and gloss. I like to use only satin. When you spray something with glossy paint, it never looks good in my opinion. If you want it to be glossy, do it right, use a satin finish and then go the clear coating route. Clear coating is a whole other procedure after painting, with sanding and all that. Also, take note of what the directions say on the can about clear coating (if you choose to clear coat). I believe it tells you how long to wait after painting to apply a clear coat.

So really, using Krylon Fusion is as simple as cleaning and spraying. It's just all the small details that'll get you an amazing job. I recommend practicing your spray technique if need be. You can practice on a piece of cardboard or something that you don't mind spraying (like one of those plastic tote boxes).

[nickus9]

I thank everyone for their replies. I will certainly use all this to my advantage when painting my NES.

Ziggy587, you have exhausted all of my inquiries and i dont think i can thank you enough for taking the time to give such prompt and in detail responses which perfectly answered my questions!