Krylon Vs PlastiKote ???

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Sitting Duck

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Sorry if this has been asked many many times

No doubt Krylon is the best - should be for price

But is it really that good - as probably looking at spraying some bits

UKARA is a fortnight away - so understand if this is techy subject atm

Ok - Screwfix have PlastiKote Matt Black reduced to £4:55

I have spayed up one base coat atm of a battery front handguard

(lawyers please note I haven't broken any law yet - refit to gun yes maybe but atm I am just doing an art project)

Ok gonna give it at least another coat maybe two but as I am trying to make

a decent looking job of it - start spraying say 8 inches from gun and pre-spray 3 inches from area making sweeping

strokes across the area & 3 inches past it and finish etc all that technique stuff

Now probably gonna use up a bit more paint with all pre-spraying and numerous light coats rather than one thick coat

and probably full off runs etc.....

What I was wondering after say 3 thin coats would it be much more prone to chipping and looking crap & all that

So maybe if PlastiKote isn't up to job would a final coat of Krylon be worth it or a tough matt varnish/laquer ???

PlastiKote = £4:55 at local ScrewFix

Krylon = probably no gonna get much change out of £15 with shipping as many local places don't stock it

So PlastiKote is about a third of price of Krylon so could go nuts putting down a few nice coats and maybe

a final Krylon top coat if required - presume these 2 paints would be ok on top of each other

Both made in USA for what it is worth, I'm sure Krylon is better as is used for camo etc...

just wondering how good and is it worth it on top of 3 coats of PlastiKote

Any experienced sprayers out there confirm or share any info please - fanx in advance btw

 
Either are good, halfords camo range a very good too, probably better than krylon tbh.

 
Your technique is good, but why would you think you need a top coat of Krylon? If the PlastiKote doesn't bond properly you'll just be poapering over the cracks.

As far as PlastiKote goes it's fine, I would suggest you use the Matt Super range http://www.plasti-kote.co.uk/Product/pcode---4181/pccode---6751

Krylon has the advantage of coming in camo style colours in their Fusion range which incorporates an adhesion promoter for use on plastics. Socom Tactical ell it for £7 a can so God knows why you'd be paying £15 a pop.

PlastiKote is made by Valspar who have UK production and far wider distribution, Krylon is made by Sherwin Williams who don't. Hence the price difference.

 
Krylon is very good, Plastikote can end up looking satin rather than flat matt if you put too much on. Another good alternative is Humbrol acrylic sprays available from good hobby shops, they do a huge range and cost about a fiver, though its a smaller can.

Whatever paint you use it will wear and scratch over time though.

 
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Ok guys cheers for replies

just Krylon through post would be over a tenner and some places seem to charge a bit more than others for postage

Think I will continue with a few careful thin coats of PlastiKote and see how she goes for now

time will tell - but hey under a fiver will do me for the moment

 
I can get cans of Krylon for £7 or so from Patrol Base but yeah anything over that price I wouldn't bother. I bought some black spray paint from Motorsave for about £4 or £5 and it was just as good really.

 
PlastiKote is utter SHITE. It's not proper matte at all (my M4 was reflecting ambient light off the PlastiKote painted parts) and if you don't treat it with a protective coat it will come off with a fingernail. IMO Krylon is the best I've used and is actually suited for painting weapons, be they real steel or airsoft, as you don't need to put a lot of effort in for a decent effect and it will stay on even if you scrape it against plastic buckles etc.

 
The best result I have had is the matt black paint from poundworld, unfortunately they only have black but it's only £1 a can :)

 
straffham said:
Krylon is very good, Plastikote can end up looking satin rather than flat matt if you put too much on. Another good alternative is Humbrol acrylic sprays available from good hobby shops, they do a huge range and cost about a fiver, though its a smaller can.

Whatever paint you use it will wear and scratch over time though.
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Humbrol stuff is great. As suggested, the tins are quite small but a huge range of colours in matt finish. Hobbycraft do a good range near the air fix type models. I tend to use the cheaper Halfords camo colours for the base coat, then the Humbrols for adding colour/stripes etc. so the smaller cans are not an issue.

Krylon is good stuff too, but postage costs on pressurized containers drive the price up unless you want to buy 6 cans or so to make it worthwhile.

If you want to protect it a bit more then Rustoleum do a matt clear coat that looks good. But anything will wear over time - I think they look better with a little wear and tear anyway :)

As for mixing one brand over another, the secret is to let the first coat fully dry before going over over it with a different one (a few days at least)! That should negate any issues.

 
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Thing to remember when painting is that surface prep is the most imortant factor. Needs to be completely free of dirt and grease, running some fine wet and dry abrasive paper over it, clean it again with detergent (washing up liquid, diluted, rinse, dry, then ideally use IPA (isoproyl alcohol) and a lint free cloth to give a final clean, before spraying several LIGHT coats of paint from about a foot away, leaving a few minutes between coats. Fewer coats the better. Applying varnish after will not protect the paint if it hasn't been applied correctly to start with. Preparation is key to a decent finish. Also don't mix different types of paint (acrylic with enamel for instance) or you can end up with paint finish resembling crazy paving!

 
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