Calligraphy on Enclosures

[GammaFlex]

So here's my predicament, I am trying to find the most effective way to do some calligraphy (Kanji) on some enclosures that are already painted, I'm doing these for a friend and he has already spray painted the enclosures, there is no clearcoat on them but I don't want to do it and then have it just fall apart on him due to me using the wrong paint type etc....

Is there an effective way to add paintwork on top of existing paint or should I simply ask him for a bare enclosure? Also what kind of paint do you think would be the most effective?

[stecykmi]

I have terrible handwriting, but I would use a brush and either model paint or rustoleum. You are looking for enamel type paint, it can't be anything water based. Home depot or whatever local equvalent should carry it.

Give it a good long time to fully dry and you can clear coat it afterwards. It liable to smear if it's not properly dried.

Good luck!

Edit: Jon (midwayfair) does a lot of painting, he'd be able to give some good advice.

[midwayfair]

Yeah, use a brush and some decent acrylic. Testors or Tamiya are both good.

Practice the writing beforehand on some scrap paper or something else. It will be hard to get it off spray paint when you do it.

[derevaun]

I'm a big fan of India ink--it's composed of soot suspended in shellac, and is quite resistant to fading or running, if you let it dry fully. But I haven't tried it on glossy paint over metal.

[davent]

I've been using India Ink on enclosures painted first with artists acrylics. Recently been playing with diluted gouache which is great because even after it dries you can wash it off with water and try again. I use a ruling pen or popcanpen (made from thin brass) to apply, sometimes a dip pen with various nibs.

http://www.popcanpen.com/how_to/howto_make%20_pen.html
https://www.google.ca/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&rlz=1C1CHMO_enCA576CA576&ion=1&espv=2&es_th=1&ie=UTF-8#q=ruling%20pen%20calligraphy

Test piece with dilute gouache and ruling pen.



India Ink with popcanpen and dip pens

[Russian]

Great to know this Davent! Thanks for sharing.

[Soup39]

Write the caligraphy on plain paper, scan it, and turn it into a waterslide decal

[wgc]

Or print right from word using the font of your choice on water slide, if you're not any good at calligraphy that is

[chromesphere]

I've been using India Ink on enclosures painted first with artists acrylics. Recently been playing with diluted gouache which is great because even after it dries you can wash it off with water and try again. I use a ruling pen or popcanpen (made from thin brass) to apply, sometimes a dip pen with various nibs.

http://www.popcanpen.com/how_to/howto_make%20_pen.html
https://www.google.ca/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&rlz=1C1CHMO_enCA576CA576&ion=1&espv=2&es_th=1&ie=UTF-8#q=ruling%20pen%20calligraphy

Test piece with dilute gouache and ruling pen.



India Ink with popcanpen and dip pens

Dave, your artwork and knowledge of techniques never ceases to inspire me.  You are the master pedal artist.

[das234]

Yeah, Paul, Davent strikes me as a serious artist too with some of the unusual tools and techniques I've never heard of.

As for the calligraphy paint, if it were me, I'd tend to listen to Jon's (midwayfair) suggestions since he does a ton of hand painted stuff. 

Regardless of what you try, I will echo this... test your materials and technique on something expendable before you try it on the final enclosure!

[GammaFlex]

Awesome, I have some nice brushes but I'm going to pick up some of the India Ink and see what I can make happen. Might even try one on one of mine if it turns out nice.

[lincolnic]

If you want to paint it by hand and make sure it's right, why not make yourself a stencil first?

[das234]

As a guy who usually likes to minimize his chances for surprises and failures, I'd normally agree with stencils, jigs, etc. that would improve consistency, accuracy and repeatability.  But, if I understand anything about calligraphy (and I'm not saying I do), I think it's an art that's more about the hand-drawn brush strokes and the subtle nuances that would suffer in the stencilling process.

[lincolnic]

Yeah, plus in hindsight, GammaFlex was asking about using specific paint types on top of pre-painted enclosures. My response was pretty far removed from the original question - sorry!