Guide To Re-Spray Painting your controllers for melee(Updated 4/3/07)

[Puffinator]

this is really awesome. thanks

 

[ChRed2AKrisp]

hey i have a slight dilemma.

i already have black and red krylon spray paint (which you said earlier is the higher quality paint). It says on the bkac it works on plastics among other things. but when i went to the store they also had krylon plastics paint, which it insisted did not need primer. Is that the only difference? Will the normal krylon paint work on the controller (it does say works on plastics) and if it doesn't when i use the krylon plastics, can i skip the primer like they say?

 

[Tom]

hey i have a slight dilemma.

i already have black and red krylon spray paint (which you said earlier is the higher quality paint). It says on the bkac it works on plastics among other things. but when i went to the store they also had krylon plastics paint, which it insisted did not need primer. Is that the only difference? Will the normal krylon paint work on the controller (it does say works on plastics) and if it doesn't when i use the krylon plastics, can i skip the primer like they say?

I skipped adding primer because the paintcan said I could as well, and it turned out fine. Make sure you still sand and clear coat everything haha

 

[ChRed2AKrisp]

I guess i'll use the krylon with primer then, and hope it works.

oh, also, when you're doing a decal, do you apply primer, paint the whole body, wait to dry, then apply the decal and paint, then do clear coat? or do yuo clear coat, then decal, and then another clear coat on the decal?

 

[The Mad Hatter]

A few pics of the controller I made for my girlfriend.

 

[ChRed2AKrisp]

for your girlfriend? you have a ring on your wedding finger. hmmmm....

but nice job nonetheless.

 

[The Mad Hatter]

for your girlfriend? you have a ring on your wedding finger. hmmmm....

Thats her hand. She took the pictures for me.

P.S. Thats just a promise ring.

 

[Volcom Stone]

A few pics of the controller I made for my girlfriend.

Yup yup! Thats my controller!! I LOVE it!!

 

[ChRed2AKrisp]

You must have spent alot of time on that, it's got so many decals and things on it. Like i said before goodjob.

I think i'm starting mine today, doing one for myself and one for my gf. She wants a batman themed one, oy.

 

[The Mad Hatter]

decals

No decals. I hand paint every controller.

 

[ChRed2AKrisp]

didn't mean decals, i meant like stencils. Unless you're using a paintbrush, and painting them free form. WHich is sick. But i'm assuming you're spraypainting in a stencil like the rest of us.

 

[The Mad Hatter]

didn't mean decals, i meant like stencils. Unless you're using a paintbrush, and painting them free form. WHich is sick. But i'm assuming you're spraypainting in a stencil like the rest of us.

Negative. I got frustrated with the stencils when I first started. I use what is the equivalent to a paint pen and draw my designs on. It takes a little more time but you get a much more "personal" paint job. Helps if you have a little artistic talent.

 

[ChRed2AKrisp]

That's really kickass. Wish I could do that.

Neways, I found a really great way to open your controllers.

It doesn't strip the screw or wear down the screwdriver itself(which is what happened even with my dad's jeweler's kit after several uses).

It doesn't involve melting pen's which is a hassle.

It doesn't involve going ot ebay for a special screwdriver, which is also annoying.

What you need is a something called a Torx head screwdriver. It has 6 wings.

It fits perfectly and you don't need lots of pressure and it doesn't slip over the screw like the flathead. he only problem is you need a really small Torx head. THe bit size you need is T-5. I only found one kit at home depot that went that small, but radioshack would probably have some more. YOu can get a sense of how small the size is from that picture, which is a t5 size. The brand I bought was Husky.

Neways, just putting that out there. It works perfectly.

 

[Sizzle]

My latest three works. They were painted for Gimpyfish, Eggz, and Dark from AZ, respectively.

 

[ChRed2AKrisp]

i would say good, but in the first two pics there's like bubbles or something in the paint.

 

[vericz]

It looks like you tried to rush to get them done. What did you use to get the symbols on there?

 

[The Phenom]

Thank you so much .!!!

 

[Volrec]

I think we all need to agree on what you guys use to get symbols

 

[vericz]

they look like stickers

 

[RelaxImAProfessional]

Hey everyone!!! Im glad to see alll this newww shiiiit!!!! AWESEOME!

but, I cant be updating this or even read this because I am currently in PAKISTAN!!!!

ill be too busy dodgeing suicide bombers(kidding pak isnt so bad), so when I get back I will comment and updates. Laters!!!

 

[Volcom Stone]

I am sorry to say but your paint job isn't that great. You have to take your time! Better to take longer and have a good paint job then to get it done fast and have a fair one.

 

[ChRed2AKrisp]

how many coats of primer/color/clear coat did you put on? include details for stencils, how many coats did you put on of that before clear coat?

I'm thinking 2 coats primer, 3 coats color, 2 coats stencil, 4 coats clear coat. does that sound right?

 

[The Mad Hatter]

Its not really about how many coats you put on. Some I may only have 2-3 coats of finish coat, while other time it could be up to five coats. It really depends on your style and experience at it. The goal is to have a shiny, smooth finish without runs or being too thick. The best way of getting this is several very thin layers of paint.

P.S. Krystle, that was kind of harsh.

 

[JoeyOnly]

hey guys i'm repainting a controller but none of the hardware stores around here stock krylon paints for some reason. are there any other brands of clear coat that work well? I have this painter's touch multi-purpose paint and it says it's a clear gloss, says on the website it's oil based, anybody have any experience with that brand?

EDIT: I found a can of krylon in my garage, ignore this post!

 

[ChRed2AKrisp]

man, this sucks. i'm halfway through, two coats into the color, and the black top is perfect but the red bottom half is all uneven and lumpy-maybe it's because the black paint is new and the red is old and keeps having trouble spraying. I'm gonna get some new stuff tomorrow and try to fix it as best i can with the last coat.

either that or i'll canibalize an old conrtroller i don't use and repaint the bottom half with the new paint.

 

[Kada]

I'll be painting my controller next weekend sometime, and I was just hoping to get some information from you controller experts before I do.

I've been using the same controller for Smash since it came out, and as of about 6 months ago, I use it all the time, and I practice almost every day. I've been debating whether or not I should buy a brand new controller, and paint it, and only use it when I play Smash with other people. That way I don't wear the paint down from practicing, where no one will get to even see the controller. I don't know about how badly controllers wear down over the years, or whether I could be able to use the one I currently have (and love ) without fear.

Are the paint jobs really durable, so I shouldn't have to worry about getting/breaking in another controller, or should I go ahead and buy a new one, and get it ready for when Brawl comes out?

I was also considering switching to double control stick on my painted controller, do any of you who have done that find that it messes you up when you play?

 

[ChRed2AKrisp]

from what's described here, i'd say they are very durable and shouldn't wear down from play. The clear coat is designed to make it so.

 

[wwkd]

gonna try that on my bad controller first.

 

[Press22]

Ok, new controller. I want to paint it, I need ideas thought.
I want it to be unique. Give me some ideas.

edit: where can i get stencils?

 

[Volrec]

Ideas: main character, flag of home contry, logos, like ill assume you play fox, do your favorite costume of fox, starfox logo, the shine hexagon in the middl

 

[Press22]

Where can I get stencils?- I play fox nd Sheik. main = Fox so yeah I want some of him. Green is the fun color - Blue is the serious color.

 

[iconicSLEAZOID]

Well, I decided to do my controller finally, so I thought I'd let people know how I did it.

Contrary to the first post, here's what I used:

Steel Wool - Use this instead of sandpaper to sand down the controller. This will remove the shiny surface of the controller which you should remove but leave most of the texture of the controller intact (for those who want more of an official controller texture). After using the steel wool, wipe down the controller with a towel to remove dust. Do NOT wet the controller once again as the controller will now absorb more water which is bad for the paint drying process.

Rust-Oleum Primer for Plastic - Krylon is more of a "Arts and crafts" type paint, while Rust-Oleum is made more for heavy duty jobs. Do one light coat of this primer on the controller after using the steel wool. While lightly coating the controller, make sure there is no dark spots (where you can see the old paint) left.

** Painting tip: Never hold the can in place while spraying, this give excess thickness to the paint and primer which will cause running of the paint later during the drying process. Stay a good 8 to 12 inches away from the controller when spraying to avoid heavy buildup. remember you only want to give it a light coat for the paint to adhere to.

Rust-Oleum Paint for Plastic - They don't offer as many colors as Krylon does, staying more towards standard colors like White, Black, Grey, Red, Blue, and Yellow (there may be more that I didn't mention), however, like I said, Rust-Oleum is used more for some heavy duty stuff giving you a longer lasting coat (not that I disprove of Krylon by ANY means. As an artist, I use it constantly). After giving the Primer 1 full day to dry in moderately warm temperature, you are ready to apply 1 light coat of Paint. Do not make this coat too heavy, and make sure to follow the painting tip I gave to achieve best results.

After leaving the first coat to sit for about 4 hours in moderately warm temperature, you may add another thin coat. Leave it now to sit for about 3 days to fully dry (the can will say 5 days for maximum adherence, but in fairly warm temperatures with low moisture (70-85 degrees) it should dry faster.

Clear coat may be added though it isn't needed with Rust-Oleum. The paint is very durable and will stand up to dings and minor scratches, though a clear coat does help. If anything, the clear coat will provide a much smoother surface after applying it in several coats. Me personally, I chose 2 light coats of clear coat to give the controller just enough protection (since it's white, It will show scratches) without sacrificing the feel of a standard cube controller.


here's the controller I'm finishing up on right now, it's ceramic white because I have a wierd addiction to white things...White cell phone, psp, ds, macbook, wii, backpack, belts, etc. So it's nothing fancy, just a really smooth job which has the look of an official cube controller.

I mounted the controller to a plank using the screw holes and a few thin nails so I could prop the controller up and give it a nice even coat while I worked. You might find this set up useful to cover any spots you may have missed.

Once it's completely dry in a few days I'll post up the finished pictures. Hope my detail helped some of you and the questions I've seen in here.

 

[ChRed2AKrisp]

seems like a good idea, lso keeps excess paint from pudddling.

btw, to anyone who's painted the z-button, how'd you keep the metal part attached to it from getting paint on it?

 

[Puffinator]

....im not sure if i sanded it enough....

 

[iconicSLEAZOID]

Puffinator, the point of sanding isn't to completely grind the controller, it's just to remove the shiny-ness to prepare it for a paint coat.

Why don't you think you sanded it enough?

 

[DonkeyPirate]

Heh, I was gonna spray all of mine white also so they would match the Wii. Maybe go over the buttons in white or gray match A,B,C,and Z with the other buttons.

 

[Omega_Star]

God, that ruby red controller is so hot *drools*

However, would it be safe for one to paint details (e.g. letters) over the spraypaint using a thin paintbrush before applying the clear coat?

 

[ChRed2AKrisp]

I would think so.

And does anyone have an answer to my question about how to keep the metal part of the z-button from getting paint on it?

 

[Volrec]

Where can I get stencils?- I play fox nd Sheik. main = Fox so yeah I want some of him. Green is the fun color - Blue is the serious color.

Since you're serious in tournaments and you travel alot, go Blue controller with Hexagon in middle

 

[Puffinator]

how do u get the L and R triggers out?