Hi fellow puppeteers,

here's some news from Belgium... I'm still working on the marionettes, I will give some more pictures within a few days.
I also have a problem: as I have mentioned earlier I paint the puppets with acrylic paint on apoxie. One of the heads made contact with a hard object and I see that the paint doesn't realy stick on to the puppet.
Is there a way to fix the paint better on to the apoxie?

Thx Johian

You need to prime the surface first.  I'm not sure what formula of acrylic you are using, but you can try some different primers on a test surface and then test your acrylic.  I assume you have auto parts stores in Belgium.  If I were going to do this here I would go get some auto body touch up primer and try it first since this kind of primer should adhere to the epoxy.  You can also contact the company that made your epoxy and ask them what kind of primer to use or contact the acrylic paint manufacturer and ask them what kinds of primer they would recommend.  I would do both to save some time.

You probably won't be able to get the acrylic to adhere directly to the epoxy without some kind of priming coat.

Hope this helps.

Marty

I just wanted you to know that you amaze me and your talent for puppetry. I am always excited to see what new project you are working on.

Billy D.

Hello puppeteers,

I did some resurch on the net and found a answer to my question about the paint. I want to share this with you all. I quote:
Question . . . primer before painting Apoxie® Sculpt?

What is the best primer (if any) to use when painting Apoxie® Sculptwith  waterbased paints?? Thanks.

Answer

The best surface prep is to wash the cured Apoxie® Sculpt surface with a light detergent or other cleansing agent. This will help the paint to adhere evenly, avoiding spidering, etc. Primers may be helpful, but are not necessary. Primers may be helpful to make the final show color more uniform, if desired. However, other users find that using a whiter base (e.g., Apoxie® Sculpt White color), when cleaned and top coated, is easier than using a primer, and shows the top coat color the best.

I will do the test and tell you the result.

Greetings Johian

Hi Johian:

Thanks for the update. 

My advice on primers was based on the assumption that you were using one of a variety of epoxy materials that come in 2 parts, a resin and hardener, that are mixed together before use.  They are notoriously difficult to paint.
What is Apoxie Sculpt?

Marty

Here's the product page:

http://www.avesstudio.com/Products/Apoxie_Sculpt/apoxie_sculpt.html

Thanks Na.  I've used a variety of epoxies and 2 part putties, but had never heard of Apoxy Sculpt until Johians post.

Marty

Here is a model of my control. First of all I have to mension that all the numbers give the measures in cm and not in inches. So : 1 cm = 0,393700787 inch. I will also give the translation for the words: het kruis = the control, zijkant = the side, voorkant: the front, achterkant = the back. Making puppets is also learning other languages   . When there is something you don't understand, please feel free to email me. I will try to help you out. Greetings Johian

Forgot something - the attachments... sorry.
  Johian

Thanks for sharing Johian, i am sure many puppet builders like myself will have good use of these information.

Puppet hug,
SHould