[HELP] Need some advice on painting

[JunkFace]

Hey guys, I'm pretty new to the keyboard modding community but I really want to get my feet wet so I decided to paint my recently aquired QFR.


I did the thumb breaking labor  and got a really even coating.  Probably did about 4 or 5 and waited around half an hour for them to dry between coats. 


I really hate shiny stuff on my desk so opted for some matte finish paint, I haven't used the clear coat or blue on anything yet, but I'll want to put a coat of the clear stuff on after we get this all sorted out.


Here is what I've got painted so far, my issue is even though I waited the paint may not have been dry and it still feels sticky almost a day later.  Now it has been raining a lot the past few days and I'm thinking that might be slowing the curing process (it's been repressively humid), the other thing it could be is I got some janky paint. 

Im not sure if anyone has any experience with that paint and whether or not I should be running into any issues with it.  I currently have it all sitting in my laundry room (which ironically is the least humid room in my place right now).

Anyway what should I expect?  This stuff should be hard as a rock right?

[geniekid]

On the back of the cans I use it says not to paint with humidity over 85%.  It also says it takes 48 hours to dry completely.  I don't know what it says on the back of your can, but if you're painting in high humidity conditions it's possible your paint will take days to dry.

Even when it's fully dried, do not expect it to be "hard as rock".  The clear coat is supposed to be the hard layer but it's not going to make your case bullet proof.  Don't throw the case into a box full of kittens or anything )

[JunkFace]

Yeah, it seems to have dried a bit more and I popped the faceplate and keys on to see how it would look.  I think I'm going to have to wait on the clear coat since its still raining but overall it looks pretty good for a partially completed experimental paint job.

[geniekid]

Make sure to follow the directions on you clear coat can!  Some clear coats can be applied to wet paint but I think most recommend you wait for the base layer to dry completely before putting on the clear coat.

[tigersharkdude]

OP, you could have an issue with your coats being applied to heavy and recoating before being completely dry. Just set the case in a warm,dry place for 2-3 days ... That should help the tackiness go away

[JunkFace]

Put some Ducky PBT blanks on it.  Here's how she looks.  Will do more of these in the future 

[metal1091]

how does the paint feel on the keycaps? is it all that different?

[JunkFace]

how does the paint feel on the keycaps? is it all that different?

Yeah, they feel different but it's all dependent on the paint.

The stuff I have I would say is a little rougher than the PBT and you don't feel the raised lettering (except for the arrow keys cause I didn't really sand them too thoroughly).

I also painted the tab key with a Krylon plastic paint from walmart.  I couldn't get a good light spray and it turned out a little less than perfect.  That one feels pretty smooth (I don't like it, but I didn't do the best job on it).

I can report back later.

So TL:DR the paint and finish I got from Lowes feels kinda like pbt.