Want to paint a water bottle: Createx Wicked or E'Tac Private Stock?

BijouPyramidette

Double Actioner
Hey folks,

I want to paint myself a steel water bottle. I want to do it in the style of the Designers Republic (see attached image for general gist), which means Very Bright Colors and stencils until the cows come home.

I want to avoid ugly chemistry and epoxy so I thought that I'd clear coat things in the end with Mod Podge dishwasher safe, and then a coat or two of rattle can acrylic gloss just to waterproof the whole thing.

Does it make sense to use something like Createx Wicked if I'm just gonna mod podge it after anyway? Is E'tac nice? I quite like E'tac's focus on color mixing and blending and they have a convenient primary color set that looks more or less correct.

Advice? Thoughts? Prayers?
 

Attachments

  • 4b9e5418bdb3dab3d13977cf2003b4f7.jpg
    4b9e5418bdb3dab3d13977cf2003b4f7.jpg
    252.4 KB · Views: 31
Hey folks,

I want to paint myself a steel water bottle. I want to do it in the style of the Designers Republic (see attached image for general gist), which means Very Bright Colors and stencils until the cows come home.

I want to avoid ugly chemistry and epoxy so I thought that I'd clear coat things in the end with Mod Podge dishwasher safe, and then a coat or two of rattle can acrylic gloss just to waterproof the whole thing.

Does it make sense to use something like Createx Wicked if I'm just gonna mod podge it after anyway? Is E'tac nice? I quite like E'tac's focus on color mixing and blending and they have a convenient primary color set that looks more or less correct.

Advice? Thoughts? Prayers?
I’m don’t know much about Etac at all, but I know there are a bunch of users on the forum so I’m sure they’ll join in soon. Wicked it a good universal paint that also has Primary sets and stuff. It certainly sticks well to a bunch of different surfaces, but I’d recommend using the Createx Autobourne Sealer as a primer, then Wicked on top. The sealer is still in the Waterbased range, so no chemistry required.
There’s a video of them in use and some extra info that I’ll try and dig out so I can post a link.

*Edit - just watched the video to check and they use an Etching primer first over mild steel, then the Autobourne Sealer. So that’s not really what you want unless you won’t be painting the bare metal.
 
Last edited:
Prep is always the most essential step, bad foundations never result in a good long lasting result. A light scuff, a good clean and degrease before laying down light coat/coats of primer would be my thoughts (no experience with bare steel so wait for more experienced bodies to speak up.
@twood may be of help here, he’s done a few steel drink bottles from memory.

maybe @Mr.Micron if he’s woken up from his New Year ‘shine-fest’
 
There are a lot of different "steel" water bottles. All have a coating of some kind. if it was raw, would rust real fast. Even a stainless bottle has a coating. The way I do mine...
1)....clean using soap and water, then using a wax and grease remover clean again.
2)...scuff using a red scotch pad or 400-600 grit wet and/or dry sand paper....Do not sand down to bare metal....Scuff to give the next step some tooth....Clean again with wax and grease remover of some type
3)...you can use a primer at this step...or use autobourne sealer from Createx. The sealer can be colored to match the base color....I have done both steps. Primer then sealer....if you do take it down to bare metal...an etching primer is needed....
4)...after dry, the sealer can be sanded/scuffed to remove imperfections....primer can be scuffed also...
5) base coat
6)..at this point, for added security to lock in your base, you can clear coat. No need for a lot, just enough to protect the base for masking...I do not always do this....but if you do, you need to scuff before painting...
7)...paint away....
8)...after all painting is done, I would suggest a intercoat of some type to protect and stop paint from being shocked by the harshness of a clear...And if using candies or white, it will stop bleeding. I use a trans base or createx Bleed check........Do not use Hodge podge....it is not needed and will not play nice with the clear....
9) After your paint is totally dry and cured ( I always wait 24 hrs)....clear....start your clear with 1 or 2 dust coats, then build up with flood coats....and done
I have done around a dozen like this and they all have survived for years with daily use....
I use all Createx paints, Sealer, AutoAir, and wicked. I use an Acrylic clear....
Here are just a couple I have done. They are all masked using Oracal 631
IMG_3327 (2).JPG IMG_3369 (2).JPG IMG_3351 (2).JPG 1.jpg
as mentioned already, the prep is one of the most important part of a good paint job. Good luck and have fun...
If any questions, feel free to ask...
 
There are a lot of different "steel" water bottles. All have a coating of some kind. if it was raw, would rust real fast. Even a stainless bottle has a coating. The way I do mine...
1)....clean using soap and water, then using a wax and grease remover clean again.
2)...scuff using a red scotch pad or 400-600 grit wet and/or dry sand paper....Do not sand down to bare metal....Scuff to give the next step some tooth....Clean again with wax and grease remover of some type
3)...you can use a primer at this step...or use autobourne sealer from Createx. The sealer can be colored to match the base color....I have done both steps. Primer then sealer....if you do take it down to bare metal...an etching primer is needed....
4)...after dry, the sealer can be sanded/scuffed to remove imperfections....primer can be scuffed also...
5) base coat
6)..at this point, for added security to lock in your base, you can clear coat. No need for a lot, just enough to protect the base for masking...I do not always do this....but if you do, you need to scuff before painting...
7)...paint away....
8)...after all painting is done, I would suggest a intercoat of some type to protect and stop paint from being shocked by the harshness of a clear...And if using candies or white, it will stop bleeding. I use a trans base or createx Bleed check........Do not use Hodge podge....it is not needed and will not play nice with the clear....
9) After your paint is totally dry and cured ( I always wait 24 hrs)....clear....start your clear with 1 or 2 dust coats, then build up with flood coats....and done
I have done around a dozen like this and they all have survived for years with daily use....
I use all Createx paints, Sealer, AutoAir, and wicked. I use an Acrylic clear....
Here are just a couple I have done. They are all masked using Oracal 631
View attachment 61434 View attachment 61435 View attachment 61436 View attachment 61437
as mentioned already, the prep is one of the most important part of a good paint job. Good luck and have fun...
If any questions, feel free to ask...
Awesome info Tony! Thanks. I haven’t had the chance to try Autobourne sealer on anything other than Aluminium Signs blanks. And the ones I get have a powder coat surface, so I wasn’t sure about the prep for the bottles.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Last edited:
Twood,

If you don't mind, what brand do you use for your final clear coats?

Sent from my LG-H872 using Tapatalk

For things like the cups and the plastic ornaments I do, I use Rust-oleum ultra cover Gloss clear. I get it at any hardware, auto parts or Walmart. It costs approx. $10 a can. It works great if you take your time and put on around 5-6 coats. I like it because I can coat anything from metal to plastics. It does harden and cure in about 24-48 hours enough if you need to cut and polish. I usually wet sand to smooth out any nibs and dirt and just put on one last flood coat and it really shines up nice...
For anything that needs a better clear like auto panel or helmets, I use Spray max 2k clear.
 
For things like the cups and the plastic ornaments I do, I use Rust-oleum ultra cover Gloss clear. I get it at any hardware, auto parts or Walmart. It costs approx. $10 a can. It works great if you take your time and put on around 5-6 coats. I like it because I can coat anything from metal to plastics. It does harden and cure in about 24-48 hours enough if you need to cut and polish. I usually wet sand to smooth out any nibs and dirt and just put on one last flood coat and it really shines up nice...
For anything that needs a better clear like auto panel or helmets, I use Spray max 2k clear.
I took your recommendation and tried out the spray max. It works great! I'm curious, if you don't mind sharing, what are you charging for your cups, like the ones you posted above, using the spray max?

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk
 
I took your recommendation and tried out the spray max. It works great! I'm curious, if you don't mind sharing, what are you charging for your cups, like the ones you posted above, using the spray max?

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk
Those cups above were cleared using the Rust-oleaum. I use spraymax for the bigger, or commissioned jobs. It costs me $25 CA for the spraymax, so it is not very cost effective unless I would spray 5 or more at a time. Once activated, it will harden in the can in 24 hrs (or less). I do not save up to finish coat my stuff all at once. I like to take things to completion, when I actually paint something...lol
And those cups were for family and friends. Thinking about it now, I just realized I have never charged for a cup....wow. lollollol
cheers
 
Those cups above were cleared using the Rust-oleaum. I use spraymax for the bigger, or commissioned jobs. It costs me $25 CA for the spraymax, so it is not very cost effective unless I would spray 5 or more at a time. Once activated, it will harden in the can in 24 hrs (or less). I do not save up to finish coat my stuff all at once. I like to take things to completion, when I actually paint something...lol
And those cups were for family and friends. Thinking about it now, I just realized I have never charged for a cup....wow. lollollol
cheers
[emoji23] yeah that's what I was thinking, I charged $45 per cup and did 4 cups so after buying mugs and the 2k, I'm only making about $28 for the Airbrushing

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk
 
Here is how it turned out.
9cdba1e1e5d134007e0647b53f4bd888.jpg


Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk
 
Back
Top