what kind of paint to use on zytel/plastic scales?

sogflash

sogflash

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Aug 28, 2011
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if I am to paint one of my knives with zytel or other plastic scales, what kind of paint can I use? a long lasting result is of course wanted.
 
i've never done, so no first hand experience, but i've seen posts where folks have dyed them using rit dye. i've seen the before and after pictures and most looked really good, and i believe the dye is permanent?


note: there may be a color issue trying to dye a yellow handled/scaled zytel knife blue and turning green or other color mixing issues, that i do not know? maybe one of these folks who have done it will come by and give you all the advice you need to know?

can't help on paint products....sure there is a good product(s) out there for this application...but i don't know about it.
 
Yep, the Krylon paints developed for plastic furniture would probably work. If you want to spend more, you can use Duracoat's line of spray on finishes. They work very well on plastic and metals but will need to cure before use.

With that said, nothing you use as a coating will last forever. It will rub and scratch off during use and getting banged around.
 
CWL said:
Yep, the Krylon paints developed for plastic furniture would probably work. If you want to spend more, you can use Duracoat's line of spray on finishes. They work very well on plastic and metals but will need to cure before use.

With that said, nothing you use as a coating will last forever. It will rub and scratch off during use and getting banged around.
Click to expand...

Very true. I've had the best luck painting plastic with Fusion but nothing I've used is impervious to scratches etc. The best luck I've had is evenly scuffing up the plastic and then applying thin coats of paint, letting them 'gas-out' and fully dry between coats. I've never painted Zytel, but I'm not sure I'd try it out with something that I care about.
I've also used Rit dye for some custom disc golf discs with mixed results. Different plastics made a big difference in whether or not the dye 'took' so experimenting might be the only way to get a definitive answer.
 
I agree with CWL----I don't like painting stuff that gets handled/gripped regularly, either! The paint always ends up either chipping/flaking or sometimes 'burnishing' and then the item looks extremely tacky IMHO.
 
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