What paint ?

[+Weary Banker & Bookworm]

Although we have hidden many caches, I cant say that I have found a really successful type of paint to use on the basic plastic box. I am looking for something that wont easily chip and wont wear off with many rubbing hands opening the box. I rub down the surface with sandpaper first. I have tried several different types - even added a clear varnish to some but still havent found THE answer.

 

What does anyone else use?

[+T.D.M.22]

I use Krylon camo colours. They're ultra flat, and I've never had one fade, even without clear coats. Although I usually do a couple light coats of flat white as a base. Remember too, that instead of one thick coat, use several light coats.

[+kunarion]

I've covered my match tubes with glued and sealed cloth and tape camo (fake leaves, etc.), then painted that, since as mentioned, the paint doesn't change color. Then I seal the covering in matte acrylic coating. I can then touch it up when needed. One film canister lasted 5 years with that process, and it still looks great. But the plastic has become stiff over the years (this one was archived when its tree was cut down).

 

For "tupperware" kind of plastic, the trick is to remove the release agent that's coating the box. Here the suggestion is to use paint thinner:

http://www.krylon.com/how-to/how-to-videos/how-to-spray-paint-plastic-video/

 

But that's for furniture, which may be a less flexible plastic. When a lock-n-lock is painted very well, it becomes stiff and brittle. Nomatter what, the paint cracks and flakes in patches, but still hides the container about as well as it did fully covered. Once the paint's fallen off, it's time to change the box anyway. This kind of plastic is in the same family as Teflon. Use the same paint that sticks to Teflon.

 

Some of the best ones I've found are covered in duct tape, so they stay "coated", but usually stand out. The tape develops strange colors over time. It stays sticky, which I guess is to keep cachers from handling the container too much .

 

If the container is protected from the elements, especially direct sunlight, the paint lasts longer. But in that case, you may camo the cover instead and leave the box as is.

 

One container covering that I'm having a lot of fun with is not "paint". It's fake pine straw. It's easy to melt and form with a butane torch. It covers a lock-n-lock without any paint on the container itself. I sometimes embed a couple of magnets so it can stick to a container, which has its own magnets or metal plate.

Edited October 20, 2015 by kunarion

[+dartymoor]

I recently did 25 sample pots with some old black bitumastic paint I found at the back of the garage. Dip them in, leave to dry. Worked great!

 

Until cachers started reporting black fingers... I'd forgotten the stuff gets soft when it's warm, and takes ages to dry in anything other than the summer.

 

Don't use bitumastic paint... (I generally use PVC tape, but I've got some cloth tape which I'll combine with PVA next time)

[+Oxford Stone]

I've used some Hammerite on a few metal and tupperware containers - so far so good.

[+Weary Banker & Bookworm]

Many thanks for your thoughts and the warning!

[+colleda]

You can by aerosol cans of plastic primer from auto supply stores. Lightly sand the plastic and follow the instructions on the can.