Flat paint on a Lexan body.

[OnTheTrail]

Never did a custom paint job on the inside of the clear Lexan body. I'd like to do a flat black but by default doesn't the overall appearance come out glossy due to the outside of the Lexan?

 

[Panther6834]

Best thing to do is paint the inside first, using whatever colors (starting with 'darker' colors, and working your way to 'lighter' colors) you want to appear "glossy". Then, using an X-Acto knife, carefully cut the protective film on the outside (being as careful as possible to only cut through the film, and NOT cutting into the Lexan) around the area you want to be "flat", peel away the film from those areas, and then spray your flat color. When removing the protective film production to spraying the flat color, be EXTRA careful, so as to NOT peel away the film from anyplace other than what's supposed to be "flat". Once the paint has completely dried (1-2 days is what I usually give), remove the remainder of the protective film. The end-result is a body that has "glossy", as well as "flat", areas.


~ More peace, love, laughter, & kindness would make the world a MUCH better place

 

[Sammakko]

would it be possible to scotchbrite the lexan from the outside (or very fine sandpaper, actually), to keep the color inside and the matte finish on the outside?

 

[58_Willys]

Tamiya PS-55 is your friend.

 

[high plains drifter]

would it be possible to scotchbrite the lexan from the outside (or very fine sandpaper, actually), to keep the color inside and the matte finish on the outside?

Just be sure to mask off your window areas before you scuff it. You can go that route yes. As mentioned.. PS-55 ( matte clear) is always good to have on hand when doing any weathered project... whether you wind up using it or not, you have the option. Plus it works well for knocking down the sheen on accessories.

 

[mikemcE]

PS 55 will work well on the outside..... This was painted a bit back, as you can see from current shot, it has survived well

Windows done on this one

 

[durok]

I am a huge fan of Tamiya PS-55 matte clear spray cans...

My silver TRX-4 Defender is now matte-coated all over with a white roof, removed all the body trim pieces and masked my windows with liquid mask before spraying it down.

The silver is now an awesome pewter color:

 

[OnTheTrail]

So PS55 is sprayed on the outside after the matte color is sprayed on the inside?

 

[high plains drifter]

So PS55 is sprayed on the outside after the matte color is sprayed on the inside?

Yes. But there's no need to use matte on the inside if going this route. The shine of the lexan is going to make any satin or matte look like gloss. Use whatever color you want on the inside then hit it with the PS55 on the exterior. Fwiw ( at least for me) the PS55 goes quick.

 

[Inspector86]

Watch the first couple of minutes of this video. He paints the Jeep body inside then moves the window masks to the outside, masks the top and paints the matt black.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALgPkTWoB-I&t=175s

 

[67CamaroSS]

Spaz Stix also makes a matte spray for the outside of a lexan body. The cans are bigger than Tamiya's.

I also tried a matte spray from Krylon, it worked, but it made the body a little rough. It would look OK on a truck bed but not on the rest of the body.

 

[easleycrawler]

Bumping this back up. I painted my lexan body the color I wanted, on the inside. I wanted a matte finish, my local hobby shop didn't have tamiya flat clear, but they had some traxxas paint, matte finish for lexan bodies, so I tried it. It's matte, looks OK, but it has a rough texture to it and a whiteish dust look to it. Is there anything I can use to remove the matte finish, or am I stuck with it?

 

[OnTheTrail]

Bumping this back up. I painted my lexan body the color I wanted, on the inside. I wanted a matte finish, my local hobby shop didn't have tamiya flat clear, but they had some traxxas paint, matte finish for lexan bodies, so I tried it. It's matte, looks OK, but it has a rough texture to it and a whiteish dust look to it. Is there anything I can use to remove the matte finish, or am I stuck with it?

Maybe try to spray PS55 over the Traxxas clear? You may want to test this out on a scrap piece of lexan though.

 

[cul8tr]

Spray the inside of the body silver. Pull the window masks off and place them on the outside. Spray the outside it will be flat. After a while anywhere the body rubs on rocks and what not. The paint will rubbed off and the silver will show. It appears to be scratched to the bare metal.