Board Thread:General Nerf discussion/@comment-25269123-20170715224554/@comment-27306930-20170716013715

You're in the right place Wymario. I've been spray painting my whole adult life. More recently, I've been repainting Nerf blasters. Here's my two cents.

Firstly, Rustoleum and Krylon are decent choices. I've used both of them myself and been satisfied with the end result. The Paint+Primer combo didn't seem to make any difference. I don't think it's worth the extra money in this particular application, but it won't hurt anything either. You probably don't want to use matte white. It's not durable enough, and you'll wind up scratching or scuffing it, and it'll look like crap. Go with semi-gloss at minimum, and gloss for the parts you want to accentuate.

As to your first question about second coats, yes, you can technically apply a second/third coat once the previous coat is no longer tacky. But the prior coat is still outgassing solvent, which makes the subsequent coat more susceptible to running because it significantly increases the drying/curing time. Personally, I like to paint in the evening, and let it dry overnight.

But above and beyond all of that, prepping the surfaces is probably the most important factor in getting a good end result. Sand all surfaces with steel wool or better yet, Scotch Brite pads. Spray paint hates a glossy ABS surface. It beads up and streaks and looks terrible. So you're objective is to just dull the surface, not remove material. A good matte surface will also ensure the base coat permanently adheres, and won't flake off a year from now. Sanding also ensure that finger oils and other contaminents have been removed from the surface, which adds to the durability.

Good luck Wy. Let me know if you have any other questions.