Question Regarding Spray Painting a Plate

[Dyaems]

I got a Realforce board that has rusts on the plate, so I decided to disassemble it and painting its plate. My question for those who have experience, how many layers of spray paint do I have to apply?

Thank you in advance!

[Leslieann]

As many as it takes.
If you do thin coats it may take 3 (or more!), if you do thick it may need 1. It depends on a lot of factors.

More thin usually results in better quality than 1 thick, especially if you don't know what you are doing, but realistically, if you can't see it, you really just need to prime it and get enough on there to seal the primer (which is not by itself a sealant).

Also keep in mind, I don't know if Realforce plates are the same, but too many thick coats on Cherry MX style plates can result with switches being a hassle to fit. Realforce, based on what I've seen it could be even more fickle, s my suggestion would be to use thin coats and only as many as necessary.

[fohat.digs]

I concur, and add that you should follow all of the directions to the letter, and be sure to allow the full curing time, or more.

[Dyaems]

Yes, I plan to do thin coats, its just I'm not sure how many because if it is too thick, the slider housing may not seat properly. I forgot to buy a primer so I will delay painting the plate for now. I already sanded the plate and removed the rusts so it should be good to go.

Thanks for the answers! I will keep these suggestions in mind.

[suicidal_orange]

I'll add an untested suggestion - if you sand it more you'll have more thickness available for paint.

[Dyaems]

i finished priming it with 2 thin coats, not sure how long would the curing time though. pretty sure the one that is listed on the can is dry time



oh, and i cant find a white primer so i have to settle with gray instead.

[suicidal_orange]

Looking good so far

[fohat.digs]

not sure how long would the curing time though. pretty sure the one that is listed on the can is dry time

Primers sometimes dry quickly to enable shorter total times.

Often paints will say something like "Dries to the Touch in 1 Hour, Cures in 24 Hours" or maybe "Re-coat Within 15 Minutes or Wait 48 Hours"

[Dyaems]

i think im done, or maybe i should buy matte clear? its abit glossy but im good with it. just waiting for it to fully cure so i will probably wait at least 2-3 days before re-assembling it to the board.



pardon for the choice of color

[kgolden]

I like it. Looks great!

[Dyaems]

heres another pic since i usually work with it during evening



still deciding whether to use flat clear or not, have a few days to "cure" it anyway, plenty of time.

[jdcarpe]

I like how it looks just as it is. I wouldn’t mess with a good thing.

[kgolden]

I like how it looks just as it is. I wouldn’t mess with a good thing.

Agreed, I'd leave it how it is.

[Dyaems]

OK, I decided not to use matte clear because it might become thick. Besides, its not going to be seen underneath the keycaps 100% of the time. Anyways, I finished assembling it again so I thought I share it here as well.





Thank you guys for all the help!

[_haru]

Are the keycaps supposed to be that colour or are they just super duper yellowed?

[Signature]

Are the keycaps supposed to be that colour or are they just super duper yellowed?

They are yellow from the beginning