Painting some Accessories Help

Try sanding the surface of the weapons, it might allow for the paint to stick better as it gives a rougher surface for the paint. Even then, however, there is risk of paint coming off.

I had this problem when I was making a spear for my MMPR Blue Ranger. The paint wouldn't adhere to the spear, and scraped off easily. There are a couple of ways to deal with this.

#1. You could make a mold of the weapon and then cast it in resin. The cast will hold paint quite well.

#2. You could paint the weapon, then give it a coat of super glue to protect the paint. I normally use Gorilla Glue, as it gives a tough protective coating. However, if it's just for the tendrils, you might get away with just using regular super glue that dries clear. If you decide on Gorilla Glue, do some test pieces first. Gorilla glue will foam up if too much is applied. I've found the best way for a smooth coat is apply a bit of GG to your finger (wearing a nitrile glove of course), then rub it over the part until evenly applied.

#3. Super glue again, but in this case applied to the weapon before painting, so the paint can adhere properly. Then add a protective later of glue after painting. This is what I ended up doing for my Ranger.

These are the best methods I've had success with.

Good Luck!

I use citadel paints, granted they are acrylic bars they do work well especially with a base but if I'm painting something I usually varnish it and paint over it again or use super glue after a single coat and paint over it as well. Of course occasionally there are the plastics that don't accept their new colour, who knew they had a fashion sense, but usually it just requires a tune up.

Dr. Nightmare said: "There are also some plastics that simply won't let paint stick to them."

Absolutely true, the best you may get with those plastics is an EXTREMELY fragile layer of paint sitting on the surface which will peel and flake simply from touching it, and no amount of sanding or prep will make it any better.

And as he also said, paint can scratch off even with thinner layers, but it will definitely come off easier if applied too thickly. As far as "thinning" you don't have to necessarily add anything to the paint but just use less of it for each layer. It won't cover the underlying color right away, which might be a bit disconcerting at first, but after a few layers it'll look fine. Just remember to let each layer dry first before applying the next.

Acrylic paint has poor durability for the most part. The only reason it's recommended for painting toys is because it's easy to work with and won't react badly (get sticky) with most toy plastics, like enamel and lacquer paints tend to do.

Painting in thin layers does zero for durability, the paint will come off with a scratch no matter what.

There are also some plastics that simply won't let paint stick to them.

I would skip the primer, that just adds unneeded material. Rub/sand off all the paint on the handle, paint it whatever color you want, then give it a coat of super glue, like Anti said. That's the only way you're going to protect the paint enough to let it stand up to high-friction situations like that.

Is the primer coming off as well or just the paint? If that's the case you may want to try lightly sanding the pieces to give the paint a better surface it can adhere to, maybe use a very fine steel wool rather than sandpaper (wash thoroughly afterward). If it's just the paint you can still try a light sanding of the primer and repaint. What I usually do with handheld accessories (swords, axes and knives so far) which I think may chip is brush on a layer of super glue to the handle and then once the glue is dry spray it with a flat acrylic sealant to remove the gloss, haven't had any issues.

Also, are you painting the guns with several thinner layers of paint or just trying to cover them in one go? Oftentimes if you apply the paint too thickly it will easily scratch and peel. Anyway, hope that helps. \m/

Sorry, new to this, but how should I be thinning? Does thinning vary from color to color?