Painting ropelights?

dropbear_luke

dropbear_luke

Full time elf
Joined
Dec 30, 2011
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Toowoomba
Hi,
Ive been making some new designs out of clear/white ropelights. I was wondering if i could, and if so what paint to use to paint the specific parts of the ropelight for more definition. I dont want something too opaque that the light wont shine through. I know u can buy special bulb paint, to paint individual bulbs, but what about ropelight? any ideas? what have u all done?
 
I was told by a guy who does static lights that in the past he has used glass paint to paint clear ropelight when repairing sections. Not sure where you can get this but may be something to try out and leave out for a while and see what the sun does to the paint, no harm in trying it out and posting back the results.
 
yeah thanks, i was thinking oil based paint, because the water based ones might run in the queesnland rain. but ill keep looking around :)
 
only problem with oil based is drying time, you can get some enamel based acrylics these days....unsure if they will be suitable for ropelight tho
 
I use the bulb paint for my rope lights without problems. It dries fast which is good because it sometimes takes a few coats to get a deep colour.

Jon

Sent from my HTC Desire using Tapatalk
 
some paint I have used with good results on clear rope ligths and incandesents.is made by krylon 2303-x-metals spray paint. It works really well and I even used it on a xeon strobe for a test and there was no washout.
 
I have used the Krylon stained glass paint, it has worked well and is sticky for a few days until it really dries. Get it from some craft stores, however the cans are small and quite expensive. I am looking for an alternative at the moment.

Daniel.
 
Krylon is about the best. There is a work around regarding the dry time. but honestly can not remember it right now. Clean the rope first with something like acetone or mineral spirts.
 
Krylon spray stains work great to color sections of clear ropelight, as folks above posted. They allow a lot of light to pass, unlike paints like Fusion, etc.
Here's a little tip I have been using for quite a few years when staining clear rope - the colored stain will dry much faster, and not remain tacky for days, if you first spray the rope with clear krylon/similar paint.
It bonds to the plastic surface, and drys quickly. The stain is then applied over it, and drying time is about 25% of what it otherwise would be. There is no additional impact on light transmission.
Say goodbye to sticky ropelight/smudged fingers!
Greg
 
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