What is "vinyl paint"?

What is "vinyl paint"?
Posted in
Custom WorkstationI've seen the term come up a few times, but I still have no idea what it is. Let's try to figure out what it is and why it's so durable on action figures.
Sometimes I ask people what they use and I get a response like "vinilic paint", or "vinyl spray", neither of which bring up useful results when searching for the terms. Is the paint itself made of vinyl? Is it used to paint vinyl? Etc.
However, quick research shows there is such a thing as "vinyl paint":
http://www.ehow.com/about_4778295_what-vinyl-paint.htmlBasically, vinyl paint is used to paint houses with vinyl siding. It soaks into the surface of the plastic, making it very durable. It's similar to the VHT Vinyl Dye I use, which also soaks into plastic, with the added benefit that it apparently can be bought in small tubes to paint with a brush.
Currently I'm looking for more information on where to buy this stuff, specifically the small tubes because it tends to be sold in gallons for painting houses.
There is also something called "artist's vinyl paint". I don't know if it's the same thing, need more research. I called a local art store and they had no clue what I was talking about, so I'll have to try other art stores and paint shops.
EDIT:
The stuff in tubes is most likely the "artist vinyl paint", it doesn't penetrate plastic.

Please wait...
Posted by
Henchmen4Hire on Tuesday, March 7, 2017 - Updated on Thursday, March 16, 2017
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Also, everyone go ask Leo Customs for info on his "vinilic paint", we need names and pictures so we know what we're looking for!
"Our inks are designed to be applied by screen printing in a mass production environment. That said, I think an ink like our System 2 Gloss Vinyl Screen Ink could be thinned with an appropriate viscosity reducer such as our S230 Thinner and applied with a brush. You can find our Technical and Safety Data Sheets here: http://www.nazdar.com/en-us/P/2863/Syst ... Screen-Ink "
I checked out what they recommended and all the technical data is about the same as all the other stuff I've looked at, including the price, which is still insanely high since it comes in quarts/gallons.
http://www.inkcups.com/printing-inks/sc ... fault.aspx
It works on PVCs, ABS, various other common toy plastics, etc. Looks like it's a two part paint, but it has like 8 hours working time so it's fine.
So, I emailed Inkcups Now, asking if it could be hand-painted or thinned (like silk-screeners sometimes do to adjust the viscosity for printing).
I didn't get answers to any of the questions I asked, instead I got:
"I have been in this business a very long time and never heard of anyone using our inks for painting. You want to purchase a sample kit and try it, that is entirely up to you.
This is the j3 ink series. You will need solvent and hardener."
Ok, the kits cost like $75 plus shipping though, so no thanks.
The search for paint continues...
Plastidip is a rubber coating, people use it to coat things like tool handles for added grip. You could also use it to make tendrils by dipping twist ties into it. Maybe you can make poseable capes if you dip wire mesh into it.
Got an answer from 3 customer service reps, and while the info is frustratingly unspecific to what I asked them, it's still useful I guess. I asked them all if they could recommend anything that penetrated plastic, so it wouldn't scratch off, and could possibly be brushed on.
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Colorbond seems to be the same stuff as the VHT Dye I use, they responded:
"It is scraping off because the plastic is most likely Poly Ethelene and nothing will stick to that type of plastic...including [our LVP product]"
Feh. I don't know what plastic is used for the hard discs in the shoulders, but VHT Dye works if you sand it first (and pray).
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TCP Global usually knows what's up, I bought airbrush gear from them before and were helpful:
"We carry SEM’s Color Coat for plastic and vinyl which is a flexible coating, not a dye. However I don’t think it would be a good choice for your application due to the prep work that is involved for proper adhesion and also it doesn’t work out very well when brushed."
D'oh!
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The folks at this site have an informative FAQ:
https://www.vinyldye.co.uk/faq
https://www.vinyldye.co.uk/How-To-Use-Vinyl-Spray-Dye
An interesting bit of info
"IS VINYL DYE AVAILABLE IN BRUSH ON FORM?
No. However many customers have sprayed the contents of a can into a glass jar, then applied it, with success."
That's cool, but we have access to only a handful of colors.
So we're def not looking for "artist's vinyl paints", we're looking for "paint that penetrates into plastic, which is suitable for vinyl and action figures"
Anyway, as for the artist's vinyl paint maybe contact a sign shop, sound like something they might use or at least provide you with more information.
And everyone please feel free to do research too and post your findings, sometimes I feel like I'm just typing to myself lol