Tech: Painting my banjo case

Subject: Tech: Painting my banjo case
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 06 Mar 14 - 11:09 AM

I have just bought a banjo case. Solid, with what I resume is a plastic outer coating - black like many guitar hard cases.

I would like to paint some ID on it so I and others can see it is mine and not theirs.

Any suggestions as to what paint will work well, not damage the coating and not peel off too quickly?

Subject: RE: Tech: Painting my banjo case
From: GUEST
Date: 06 Mar 14 - 11:50 AM

Paint ?

You are a banjo player - stand firm and proud..

Spray it with your own urine to mark out your natural musk scent and claim to ownership !!!

Subject: RE: Tech: Painting my banjo case
From: GUEST,Selby
Date: 06 Mar 14 - 12:24 PM

I wallpaper pasted onto Violin Case pages and pictures cut from the beano
Keith

Subject: RE: Tech: Painting my banjo case
From: GUEST, Ebbie
Date: 06 Mar 14 - 12:50 PM

How about covering the case with stickers and slogans from festivals and events you have attended? I think they are very effective.

Subject: RE: Tech: Painting my banjo case
From: Gurney
Date: 06 Mar 14 - 02:20 PM

If it is the textured vinyl-like covering common to music cases, there are paints which MAY be suitable available from automotive speciality shops.
An English leather-and-vinyl paint used to be called Nuagane, something like that.

Another (and economic) possibility is the tiny Humbrol pots once available from model and art shops, which sticks pretty well.

Memories from my youth.

Subject: RE: Tech: Painting my banjo case
From: GUEST,Grishka
Date: 06 Mar 14 - 04:23 PM

"My other instrument is a Strad!"

Subject: RE: Tech: Painting my banjo case
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 06 Mar 14 - 10:13 PM

It's hard to beat the ordinary Latex artist paint (the stuff that comes in little tubes) for good sticking qualities and durability. Similar compositions are available in automotive and "house" paints, but for painting large surfaces a low cost per square foot is needed, obtained by a method technically known as "dilution." The art shop stuff comes in little tubes that even a poor struggling artist can finance, with enough pure paint (no dilution and no extenders) for most works.

I've used the art shop latex to put address numbers on a number of mailboxes (metal and plastic ones) and there was no noticeable peeling, discoloring, or fading over 12 to 15 years. LiK used the same stuff to "decorate" our camper (plastic sided) rather lavishly with "cartoon characters," and except for a little bit of gravel erosion on one they all looked quite prime after 14 years of rather careless use.

John

Subject: RE: Tech: Painting my banjo case
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 07 Mar 14 - 03:19 AM

Thanks people - all most useful and I am most reassured by:

"You are a banjo player - stand firm and proud..

Spray it with your own urine to mark out your natural musk scent and claim to ownership !!! "

Subject: RE: Tech: Painting my banjo case
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 07 Mar 14 - 03:35 AM

A popular sticker seen on quite a few cases has been:

"Always keep the case locked, so the music doesn't get out."

Unfortunately that provoked someone to apply a felt-tip marker to change at least one case to:

"Always keep the case locked, so the music^BANJO doesn't get out."

Rumors were that the offender was appropriately punished, but few details are known.

My personal favorite probably is the one some unknown person put on my tub bass:

"STAND in AWE. GENIUS at WORK."

(Could be appropriate on almost any case?)

John

Subject: RE: Tech: Painting my banjo case
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 07 Mar 14 - 04:14 AM

Maybe some of those tapes the police chord off houses or whatever that have:

Police - Crime Scene - do not enter?

Subject: RE: Tech: Painting my banjo case
From: GUEST
Date: 07 Mar 14 - 04:35 AM

or this

Subject: RE: Tech: Painting my banjo case
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 07 Mar 14 - 04:56 AM

☢ = ☢

☣ = ☣

☠ = ☠

(Whether you see them may depend on your font set(?)

John

Subject: RE: Tech: Painting my banjo case
From: Jack Campin
Date: 07 Mar 14 - 05:37 AM

Paint trickles of vomit dribbling out through the seal with a plastic toyshop puke epoxied to the bottom.

Subject: RE: Tech: Painting my banjo case
From: Roger the Skiffler
Date: 07 Mar 14 - 05:40 AM

I'm assuming you've already added your Mudcat badge...
I'm sure I've seen a guitar case with "stolen from..." on it!
My washboard bag is covered in "amusing" music-related stickers which are blues, washboard and kazoo-related. (If I can't play, at least I've got an interesting bag!).
and the Mudcat badge.
RtS

Subject: RE: Tech: Painting my banjo case
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 07 Mar 14 - 11:33 PM

John, do you perhaps mean artist's acrylic paint in tubes?

I once took a guitar into the Grand Canyon in one of those cardboardy cases. I didn't want it soaking up heat, so I spray-painted it white at very little cost and effort. It worked fine.

Subject: RE: Tech: Painting my banjo case
From: Seamus Kennedy
Date: 07 Mar 14 - 11:48 PM

Best I saw an a guitar case at an airport: MINE!!!

Subject: RE: Tech: Painting my banjo case
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 08 Mar 14 - 10:09 AM

MINE? Kinda generic, aina?

Reminds me of when you ask a lost kid his mother's name and he says "Mommy."

Subject: RE: Tech: Painting my banjo case
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 08 Mar 14 - 11:34 AM

Leenia - The artist paints we've used have been labeled as Latex and/or Latex-Acrylic. There's a slight difference between the two, but not enough to matter much.

Some of these are available in "pens" for marking or touch-up, but for any significant work the pens aren't an ideal way to "paint" artistic work on. A brush and palette method works much better.

Watercolors of course don't work too well since they don't stand being wet. Artist Oils may get "dry to the touch" in a few days but don't "cure to the bone" for years (or decades).

For changing the color of the whole case, I'd recommend an aerosol can of acrylic/latex enamel, if only because it's much easier to get a smooth coating with a spray than by brushing. In the US, almost any of the "RustOleum" ® brand enamels should be okay, perhaps with a slight preference to one of engine or implement types you'd use to paint your tractor.

Many cases have a "plastic" skin of some sort, and the original covering may have residual mold release or other "unsticky" surface treatments, so the plain water based latex paints may not get as good a "grip" as the "machinery" types.

"Painting" is a little ambiguous. You may want to:

1. Change the color of the entire case, just because
1.a. You like a different color
1.b. You want a good background for painting your own artwork on it.
1.c. You want a uniform surface for sticking things like decals and/or bumper stickers on.

2. Just add your own (painted on) smart-assed comments, or stick-on labels.

My own "home made" banjo case was built up with the "curved parts" mainly out of the heavy cardboard stripped out of a bunch of old 3-ring notebooks. Sides were "heat bent" to exotic curves, but the experience did not indicate that cardboard is a best choice for "formed parts." It worked okay, but the bending is much more difficult than with good wood. Top and bottom surfaces were flat plywood. Unfortunately it's almost impossible to find wood (or plywood) thin enough in my local market so the case is about as heavy as the banjo.

The whole thing was spray painted a lovely bright yellow, and "artwork" applied with what amounted to a "decoupage" technique to top and bottom. Decorations on the lid were "popular art works" but on the bottom I used quite distinctive "classic paintings"¹ for variety.

1. "classic paintings" means 15th thru 19th century naked ladies, so I do try to keep the case "right side up" when children are present.

It's unique and distinctive. Now if I could lift it with the banjo inside it would be just about ideal. (It is heavier than intended.)

Lin painted "original artwork" on our plastic sided camper, using blow-ups of pictures stolen off the web. Enlarging a 3" square picture to 30" x 30" isn't easy, but I managed to get something good enough to guide her with where to slop her free-hand versions on without making them look like tracings. We used the same "artist paints" on the camper as above.

John

Subject: RE: Tech: Painting my banjo case
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 09 Mar 14 - 04:11 AM

Thanks John, that's most useful.

Does anybody have info on making and using - can't think of the word - but you get a stip of stiff card and cut letters out to spell your wdords then spray or paint over the cut out letters ..........

Help!

Subject: RE: Tech: Painting my banjo case
From: johncharles
Date: 09 Mar 14 - 04:28 AM

Stencil.

Subject: RE: Tech: Painting my banjo case
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 09 Mar 14 - 04:38 AM

Les -

The method you describe is used quite a lot by a small group of professionals called "kidnappers." You cut the letters out of old newspapers and paste them onto the "ransom note."

A little more seriously - the hobby/art shops, and some office supply stores, probably have "stick on letters," adhesive backed, that you can peel off of a sheet and stick where you want them. If you're not fussy about letter size and style, the lumber yard probably has very similar sheets for making address labels for your mailbox.

Some similar places should also have "stencils" in which the characters are cut out. You tape the stencils down and then spray or brush paint "in the holes." Lift off the stencils and your lettering is pretty much done. (The stencils are popular for making borders on walls when you repaint the bathroom, but the ones for that use tend toward flowers, ivy, scrollworks and the like.)

You can also use your printer to print what you want, trim it down to a "sign size." Glue it on, and then (when the glue is dry) paint over it (brush or spray) with a clear varnish or lacquer. This method is called "decoupage" in the hobby shops, and any Barnes probably has 300 books on the method - or you should find lots of descriptions on the web.¹

Note that things you print on an inkjet printer are NOT water resistant, but covered with a suitable varnish/lacquer overcoating they should be durable enough. Most inkjet inks also do fade some in sunlight, but within reason that just makes your artwork look "ancient and impressive."

¹ The "creative little old ladies" who support the hobby shops like decoupage a lot, but they like to be "creative and original in the same way as everybody else" so there should be lots of discussions in the bookshops and on the web if you look a little.

John

Subject: RE: Tech: Painting my banjo case
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 09 Mar 14 - 05:55 AM

Thanks John & John - Stencil - the very word my brain could not find so early in the morning