Reefcan reservoir paint job

[gnarlydudecory]

Thoughts on painting this reefcan ATO reservoir. Idea is to leave naked strip in the front for water level viewing.

Is this a good idea? Or should it not be painted?

 

[gnarlydudecory]

Someone give me advice. Or just do the thang?

 

[Hubert J. Farnsworth]

why do you want to paint it?

if its plastic, you may have a tough time getting the paint to stick because a) it flexes and b) paint doesn't alway bond well to plastics.

i don't want peeling paint around my sump.

 

[gnarlydudecory]

why do you want to paint it?

if its plastic, you may have a tough time getting the paint to stick because a) it flexes and b) paint doesn't alway bond well to plastics.

i don't want peeling paint around my su

why do you want to paint it?

if its plastic, you may have a tough time getting the paint to stick because a) it flexes and b) paint doesn't alway bond well to plastics.

i don't want peeling paint around my sump.

I’m actually going to have it next to my tank on the floor. Not under next to sump. I really have no room because I got my tank set up used. Was just gonna paint it black to kind of blend it with my tank stand. But leaving a strip down the front to see the water level

 

[Cichlid Dad]

It will peel and flake no matter what you do. It is a process and requires special adhesion promoters, chemicals, flex additives and cleaners for it to work and not fail. Hard plastics even fail over time.

 

[gnarlydudecory]

It will peel and flake no matter what you do. It is a process and requires special adhesion promoters, chemicals, flex additives and cleaners for it to work and not fail. Hard plastics even fail over time.

Probably gonna have to try to build a box to hide it if my wife gets tired of looking at it. Thank you for the input. Very much appreciated.

 

[PharmrJohn]

It will peel and flake no matter what you do. It is a process and requires special adhesion promoters, chemicals, flex additives and cleaners for it to work and not fail. Hard plastics even fail over time.

Yep. I've tried to paint plastics over the decades with only marginal success. However, I DID successfully rattlecan paint a mid seventies half ton Chevy Pickup!! $50 paint job!!!!

 

[icedgxe]

I wonder if something like plastidip would work in this situation?

 

[JTP424]

I think your idea of building a box with a view port is probably the cleanest solution.
You CAN use some rattle cans... but it won't be cheap, I'm a fan of Montana Graffiti paint. They do have a plastic primer, which runs about ten bucks a can, and difficult to find in store, you'd have to order and then deal with hazardous shipping etc. Also would need a proper degreaser etc. You'd then need your base coat, and then you'd want a sealer coat, all need to be montana brand to ensure proper adhesion between layers. No guarantee it would adhere depending on the plastic the container is made out of.
You still wouldn't want to get anything near the cap or where you fill it to avoid any unintended paint chips falling in.

 

[Rjukan]

why do you want to paint it?

if its plastic, you may have a tough time getting the paint to stick because a) it flexes and b) paint doesn't alway bond well to plastics.

i don't want peeling paint around my sump.

There are spray paints you can use to paint it. If you go to a hobby store that sells RC cars, they have paints for the plastic car bodies that I'm sure will work well for this application.

 

[Rjukan]

Thoughts on painting this reefcan ATO reservoir. Idea is to leave naked strip in the front for water level viewing.

Is this a good idea? Or should it not be painted?

Sorry, I replied to the wrong message lol
See post above.

 

[Cichlid Dad]

I have been in the auto body business since 1993. I was a painter until I went into the front office in 2008. The process of painting plastic is very detailed and has a lot of different procedures in order for the paint to not peel off. We are taking about rigid plastics made to be painted. This is flexible and is not made to be painted. It will fail and leave a mess if painted.