#dishwasher safe modge podge for the water bottles

[zeestarfishalien]

Being able to look back through good books and find my sometimes absolutely gold comments is such a highlight.

My stickers bring me joy to have with me on everyday objects like my switch and my water bottles. So much more joy than they bring me sitting in a dusty corner of my room. Yeah, they wear away eventually but it's worth it. It shows that it is loved.

A brief moment of rationality from the bird place.

[stimtoybox]

is it possible to repaint a tangle jr?

Anon, I’m going to throw a lot of info at you (a few of us have been discussing this for a while now) but the short answer is that I don’t know. In theory, possibly, and I’ll talk about how I think it’s best likely to work if it does, but I haven’t tried it myself; this all comes from my knowledge of fashion doll and My Little Pony customising (I have collected and worked on both) and time spent working in a game shop. I developed odour and chemical sensitivities, so I no longer handle anything that isn’t a child-safe acrylic paint or PVA glue. Given how clothes absorb these odours and how sick they can make me, I’m not even game to use a respirator, since I’d have to smell my clothing between removing the respirator and removing my clothes/showering. I’m far more a customising theoretician than I am a practicing customiser.

By the way, it may be a whole lot easier just to buy a new Tangle in the right colour!

If I were going to paint a Tangle with the intent of wanting the paint job to last (as in this is a Tangle I mean to use), here’s how I’d do it:

1 - Wash the Tangle. Dishwashing liquid and water is fine. This just removes any oils left by your skin that might stop the sealant or paint from adhering to the Tangle.

2 - Seal your Tangle in a light layer of sealant. This gives it a layer of what’s called tooth - something for your paint to grip. Otherwise you run the risk of your paint peeling straight off the Tangle. You know how when you paint a house you paint a primer coat and then the colour? Same thing.

(I’ll talk about types of sealant below.)

3 - Paint your Tangle. Either use a spray paint designed for plastics (I know doll folks have had success with auto paints) or a brush-on. I would not use a cheap acrylic paint from the belief that they would chip under the kind of heavy handling we give our Tangles (if they cover the Tangle in the first place). The brush-on paints I would first try are the Citadel Base Paints (check hobby stores, game shops, your local Games Workshop) because these are designed to both go on plastic and be used on figures (Warhammer miniatures) that are handled. They run about $6 AUD for a tiny pot, but you’ll only need the one pot.

When painting, many thin coats are better than one thick one. Let your coats dry between painting. The best way to paint, I think, is to pull apart your Tangle, put the inwards connector end on a kebab stick or something similar and poke the other end of the stick in a block of foam. You’ll be able to paint, by hand or spray, the whole piece without touching it.

Be aware that brush strokes will make the finish uneven; the unevenness will be more prone to collect dust, become sticky or flake/chip under wear. If you use brush-on paints like the Citadel pots above, use a sponge brush. Even a makeup sponge will give you a smoother finish than a paint brush unless you’re good at painting.

4 - Wait. Make sure your paint is absolutely bone dry before sealing.

5 - Seal your painted Tangle. You can use a brush-on or spray-on sealant, but make sure it’s designed for plastics. Don’t use Modge Podge, watered down PVA or a sealant, varnish or fixative designed for paper or wood (unless you’ve Googled to see if it works on plastic). They’re very likely to not seal and turn your paint job sticky or tacky. You should do a couple of coats at least (again, a few thin coats over one thick coat) and again let the Tangle dry thoroughly between coats.

(Again, if brushing on sealant, use a make-up sponge or sponge brush. You’ll still have strokes, but they won’t be quite as prominent.)

6 - You should (finally!) have a finished, painted Tangle that is as safe to handle as any will be … in theory, because I can’t actually prove how well these materials will work on a Tangle as opposed to the materials for which they are designed. That doesn’t mean it won’t chip, even if it works. It will. It’ll just chip less, and hold up longer, than a Tangle painted with acrylic and no sealant.

On sealants:

This information is based on my best guess and my knowledge of painted Warhammer miniatures/doll customizing. For spray sealant options, I’d use something like Mister Super Clear (MSC is very common in doll/BJD and MLP customising) or (which may be more accessible to most without purchasing online: try hobby and game shops) Warhammer’s Citadel Purity Seal.

(If you use a spay sealant: do so outside, with a ventilator. There’s some safety info here. The ultimate safety guide, including model information, is here. Seriously, go read this. Sealants are toxic. Do not ever inhale them. Also don’t spray seal in high humidity; spray sealants tend to go cloudy when it’s humid.)

For brush on sealants (your option if you want something physically safe to handle, but still seal outside in a well-ventilated area) Liquitex Varnish (also available in a spray) is probably your best bet: it has been successfully used on plastics (demonstrated here). Probably also available at specialist art and craft shops.

Lastly … if you’ve read all this and you feel like just getting a pot of paint and trying it out as is anyway, I don’t blame you. This is a lot of effort for a Tangle. This said, if you want to forego sealing, please at least do spend the money on a good paint. (I can’t tell you how well it will hold up without sealing. My inclination is less well, but I don’t know how much less.) Acrylics might not even stick to the Tangle plastic, and the amount of fillers (content that isn’t pigment) in the cheaper versions of these paints is like to give you very poor coverage. Get your Citadel Base pot, at the very least, and try it on a Tangle you don’t mind ruining.

(As a case in point, I can’t get my cheap bottle of acrylic to properly cover the outside edge of a makeup sponge coated in PVA, so I very much doubt it will well cover a Tangle.)

I would very much like to know how this goes if you try it out, anon. Good luck!

(And if folks with more painting and customising/modding experience wish to add or correct, please do so.)