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Posted

Hey there, newbie here. Been playing for eight million years but I'm just starting to get into the building/creating aspect of the instrument.

Long story short, I teach a lot, and our school does shows with different groups of kids every few months. I had the idea this show season to pick up a cheaper electric, bastardize it (well, strip/sand it and prime it) then let the kids go to town with markers/pens/what-have-you to sign it, draw on it, etc.. then clear over it and have a cool unique instrument with lots of memories/stories behind it.

I know the basic idea will "work," but I've never done anything like this before, so I was wondering if anybody had any suggestions... primarily about the markers/paints, and maybe the clear.

Here's the biggie: My idea was a dark, gray/black sort of primer/base coat, and then to let the students go nuts with bright, bold colors on top of it.

First: for the base: would a dark primer be the best option, or would more or less any spray job work underneath markers/paint pens/etc?

For the marker type things... I know there's a lot of options... Sharpie, Elmer's, etc. make some 'paint pens' or 'paint markers' ... so many options! but I'm really just not sure what the best bet would be, and I wouldn't want something that won't play nice with clear over the top. Oil-Based or Water-Based? Anybody have any insight? I *imagine* it's not a gigantic deal either way but I'm deathly afraid of having the kids design their hearts out and then spraying a clear that completely jacks up the paint underneath!

Also, it seems like from what I've read (though, I've never tried any of this!) that just about any poly type clear over the top will work as long as I'm careful and do some very light coats on top of the marker first before I really pile it on... has anybody ever done anything like this before? I tried searching but really couldn't find anything about this idea specifically.

Thanks a bunch, and once I get a better idea I'm going to throw some attempts on some scrap, and hopefully a few months from now I'll have a sweet first project to post on here. Thanks!

Posted

I think that's an awesome idea. You know you can buy blackboard (okay, its "chalkboard" now isn't it?) paint? That would be a crazy idea, sealing chalk under a clearcoat.

As far as sealing pen under a clear goes, yes it is down to technique pretty much as you mentioned. The same thing applies to things like waterslide decals, signatures, etc. where the solvent in the clear could reflow the inks. The objective is to spray several light mist coats over the target from a distance further back than is recommended without fully wetting the surface....pretty much "deliberate overspray". The paint lands drier and less of the solvent is present. After these seal the inks sufficiently, normal clearing can be carried out. This is good for Sharpies over a light colour for example.

For dark colours with bolder colours thick enough to stay bright over a black surface you'd need to experiment to find out what kind of clear works over all of these different paints without reacting. Again, trying sealing coats is always a good idea. Short of investing in specific stuff - which gets costly - try what you have on hand first of all and see what does or doesn't work.

Yes, definitely a sweet project in more than one aspect! My wife works with disabled kids and I know how rewarding these ideas are. We'd love to see how this goes.

Posted

Pretty sure your blackboard idea is even better than mine! I know they make 'fixatives' for helping preserve chalk, pastel, charcoal, etc. art stuff. Sooo... maybe a fixative over the top, let it dry, then a clear over it? Who knows if it'll work, I'm a bit worried I'd end up accidentally just blowing all the chalk away! But, it seems definitely worth a shot. Thanks for the idea!

Seriously I'm even more excited now. This weekend I'm gonna buy some chalkboard paint, some colored chalk, some clear, and see if I can possibly figure out a method to make this work!

Now the important question: Chalkboard-caster? Chalk-o-caster? Chalk Paul? Chalxplorer? Hmm!

If I can get something that works on scrap, I'll definitely take some pics and share the progress with ya'll. Figure out of all the kids, only about five of them will try to write/draw something obscene, so that's good.

Posted

We used hairspray as a cheap fixative for chalk and charcoal at school, however a lot of them contain silicones which are bad for subsequent finish. Can't see any simple auto clear would not do the trick for most things. The only downside is that they take ages to dry and remain somewhat soft.

This could be a psychological test for the kids ;-)

Posted

Sounds like a cool idea for the kids! As far as clear goes this stuff is a little pricy at $20 a can, but one can will cover clearing a whole guitar AND it cures rock hard in about 3 days. I've used it over top of all kinds of paints like Humbrol and One Shot doing swirls, and water based dyes and it hasn't reacted adversely with anything. Best clear for your app IMO... Good luck!

http://www.eastwood.com/eastwood-s-2k-aero-spray-high-gloss-clear.html

Posted

Might give that clear a shot... I've been looking for a thick, hard clear for a bit now for a few stupid ideas of mine, and it's somewhat hard to wade through the miles and miles of talk about ultra-thin Nitro/Lacquer finishes that really keep the wood resonant... I need less luthier, more decoupage!

Picked up a can of the blackboard paint today (and some bright colored chalk... yay!) and I'm gonna experiment on some scrap today if I can peel myself away from watching football long enough. I'm really torn between a black chalkboard backing with colored chalk designs, or a traditional green with a bunch of white chalk to give it more of the old schoolhouse feel. Hmm! Maybe one this season, one next season.

Pros: I keep finding hairspray suggested online as a fixative, but as you said I'm worried it wouldn't play nice with the clear (or maybe the paint underneath!) Might give it a shot though. I honestly feel my biggest hurdle will be to stop the kids from covering too much of the body and not smear the everloving heck out of everybody else's designs before I can get it home and spray the fixative.

Thanks everybody for the ideas, I really appreciate it. Updates to follow... hopefully positive updates!

Posted

Interesting clear coat there,Sancho.I remember a few years ago I think there was only one supplier for a 2k aerosol and it was much more expensive for a smaller can.I might give that stuff a shot myself,because I do like the ease of rattlecans but I won't use them because they take so long to cure.

I also notice they have black as well...interesting.

Posted (edited)

Interesting clear coat there,Sancho.I remember a few years ago I think there was only one supplier for a 2k aerosol and it was much more expensive for a smaller can.I might give that stuff a shot myself,because I do like the ease of rattlecans but I won't use them because they take so long to cure.

I also notice they have black as well...interesting.

Yeah it's good stuff Wes. I used to get the SprayMax 2k clear from the same place, but noticed they had their own brand of it a little cheaper. It seems to be the same exact product looking at the can and the way it mixes the two parts together is the same, but the Eastwood version seems easier to lay down without orange peel.

I haven't tried any of the 2k colors or primer yet..

Edited by Sancho Marino

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