Board Thread:General Nerf discussion/@comment-35070608-20190409011645/@comment-27306930-20190413000509

Not necessarily Z. The trick to getting a smooth scratch resistant finish is sanding, degreasing, and using the right paint.

You just sand all the surfaces to a matte finish. The best thing I've found for that is Brite Pads. But because of their rough surface, many 3D prints are already ideal for painting.

Prior to painting, wipe everything down with rubbing alcohol (or cheap vodka) to get rid of dirt and finger oils. Mmmm, cheap vodka. On my fingers. That's a favorite 😊

Any of the paints that are formulated for plastics, especially ABS, are pretty scratch resistant. They have a bonding agent that softens the plastic, so the paint can meld with the surface.

If you follow these three simple steps, you'll love the end result and your blaster will be as scratch resistant as any factory painted blaster.

And of course, wait 'till the paint is dry AND hard. Unfortunately, sometimes that takes a week.