Swirl painting?

[fatt-one]

Hi Guy's.
I'm having a problem trying to swirl paint some boxes.I have a bucket of water,borax,and as I try to swirl the paint it just clots up around the stick I'm using to swirl with

am I missing something here? does anyone have any ideas on what else I could try.....??

by the way I'm using plastic-kote paints......the spray works great!!!!
Thanks fatt-one

[Snuffy]

Another method ...
instead of water fill the bucket with shaving cream... flatten it out using a piece of cardboard to drag across the top
Instead of spray paint use paint out of a squirt bottle (I dont think it really matters.. just craft paint). Squirt different colors in parallel lines and then swirl it up with a popsicle stick.
Dip in the enclosure for a couple seconds, keep it steady, take it out and your done... Spray some clear coat on after for the nice finish.

I saw this on a KPBS kids show and they were pretty pshyced about it

[jonathan perez]

what then happens to the shaving creme?

creme shaving happens to the what then?

happens the what to creme shaving then?

then what happens creme shaving the to?

[ildar]

I recall a thread like this from some time ago. IIRC, several colors of oil-based paints were floated on water and the box was dipped into the paint. You'd have to float a fair amount of paint to get a good coverage, and squeeze bottles would work nicely to achieve a swirl.
As always, make sure the boxes are prepped correctly, especially making sure that you prime them with a product compatible with your finish.

[gmr1]

You've likely seen this, but just in case you haven't:

http://www.projectguitar.com/tut/swirled.htm

[R.G.]

You mean painting like this?



There are two methods, as explained in the 1997 article at geo - Swirl Painting  http://geofex.com/Article_Folders/swirlpaint/swirlpnt.htm

The dip method is good if you want absolute control of the pattern, but if you just want colored swirleys and Mother Nature to select your pattern for you, the drip method works nicely and produces a much thicker coat of swirl.

[jonathan perez]

THANX RG!

i was looking for that article forever! i think i saw it back when i didnt know anything about electronics and REALLY wanted to do it...but never did, obviously.

im doing that next weekend, for sure!

[fatt-one]

Hi Guy's,
Thank-you for the replies,I have seen all the info you guy's have put up in this post,I have prepped the boxes,all is ready to go,just can't get the paint from clotting up on the serface of the swirl................maybe I should add the paint extender as mentioned in the guitar article? maybe thats what keeps the paint from crusting over,I can't even get 10 seconds out of it before it all clots up
Thanks
fattone

[R.G.]

maybe I should add the paint extender as mentioned in the guitar article? maybe thats what keeps the paint from crusting over,I can't even get 10 seconds out of it before it all clots up

I don't think there's any question - thin your paint. Ten seconds of setting time is way too fast. You want paint that stays fairly liquid for a minute or so.