Don’t want to drive 60 minutes just for official “surfboard paint” for airbrushing on foam. Can’t I just get some tempera poster paint from my local hobby store and use it?
Thanks,
BB
you could use tempra but i wouldnt recomend it. Tempra is generally low quality. If you have a nearby hobby store just pick up an acrillic base paint and you will have better results.
Boodock,
You get what you pay for, I think. I’ve used Temperas with poor results although I might give it another try. It tended to "powderize"after it dried. I have used inexpensive kids acrylic paint from the art store. Worked pretty good,but needed several coats to get a decent look. I’ve used fairly expensive acrylics from the art shop with nice results. All were painted by hand using a brush. I just bought an air brush and would be hesitant to put cheap paint through it. Mike
Liquitex makes an intro level acrylic called ‘Basics’. I’ve sprayed most my boards with it. Works fine, you don’t HAVE to strain it (though it wouldn’t hurt). I’ve never seen these crystalization or flaking problems that people talk about. They’re very reasonably priced and should be at any art store (Even Michaels - if that’s considered an art store… blah). I used a higher grade acrylic on a red spray I did because I heard that that color can be finiky. You can certainly tell the difference in quality, but the Basics work fine.
Howzit rkelly, just did a board with liquitex, no crystallazation but it did bleed a lot. It was paint I had mixed some time in the past and I think I had thinned it out with to much water which lowered the acrylic content which will make it bleed. I've had this happen 3 times over the last 8 years and always with red. Aloha, Kokua
Howzit Bill, When using tempra paint the trick is to make a mixture of Elmers glue thinned out with water added tothe paint to make it adhere to the blank and not bleed. It’s not a method I use but one of my fellow glassers uses it with great success. Aloha, Kokua
I would try using a decent acrylic paint thinned with future acrylic floor wax, no water!! Then strain it and it will stick like crazy to your blank, just as usual not too thick. There is a bunch in the archives on this, I used over 50% future mixed with my last paint and it came out kind of opaque looking, really nice. It dries very fast and my tape did not stick once. I have only done 4 boards this way, but all came out great and the painting was what I feared most about making boards. Lots of ways to skin a cat…a lot in the archives…Peace and waves…
Bought some tempera, thinned it 25% with H2O, even used my da kine sprayer. Went on fine, dried fine, lammed fine. Thanks for the replies.
BB
Da Kine makes an airbrush?
…you might consider going over target, in the cleaning supplies section, pick up a bottle of Future floor cleaner. It’s just clear acrylic, and a lemony scent. It’s $5 for a good sized bottle… cuts paint, without making it watery… also can be used to seal blanks, protect sprays so you can mask over for additional layers, and it’ll seal those pesky little holes in your hotcoat.
there’s a liquid you can add to acryllc or tempera called rhoplex (roplex?) Its like floor wax only not so watered down. Unfortunately it does not have a lemony scent. It dries super clear. 20 years ago when I was an art student we used it to extend paint and keep it glossy. I will see if I can find out where to get it nowadays.
Yea… there’s pleanty of additive/cutters that you can add to acrylic paint; glossy, matte, thicker, thinner, sparkles, irredecence (sp?), etc. They work great, real high quality… you also pay proportionally for them. Future is cheap, pretty much pure acrylic, works well enough, and can be found at any of the ubiquitous Target stores.
Designed for “heavy traffic areas”, like the deck of your surfboard. And it “won’t yellow, even in corners”. What more could you ask for? OK fine, they throw in that lemony fresh scent for free.
…no, I don’t have any financial interest in Johnson Wax. I’m just one helluva salesman 
I will not be under sold!! I work for the competition to SC Johnson, We have a product called NEW SHIMMER, It’s a floor wax, desert topping, and an automotive Lubricant. It come in 3 flavors. Butter scotch (my favorite), Hot Fudge, and Carmel. Plus if you order a case before midnight tonight, we’ll throw in a free Spach-U-Laminatua. The Spach-U-Laminatua can be used to flip burgers, scrape wax, change a bike tire with it, you can even laminate a surfboard with it.
I use Delta or Apple Barrel paints, and cut’em 50% with Future. Works perfect everytime, costs about 4$ to spray a board.
-Ron Popil
CEO Ronco
Makers of the Popil Pocket Fisherman
1-800-555-2345
It all sounds good to me, anything acrylic will work with Future. It might suprise some people here but I have painted many(like lots of) boards with plain old flat acrylic house paint. A quart or a gallon goes a long way. Excellent coverage and never a problem. I have also used Nova and the paint they sell at Fiberglass Hawaii. I always buy my yellow at Fbrgls. Hi. because of the good coverage and end result. You can buy latex paint thinner at Fbrgls Hi., but Future is way cheaper. In fact that latex paint thinner(aka secret sauce) probably is Future, without the lemon. No matter what you use deep reds, blues or green always have the potential for crystalization. Gotta have one of those Spatu-a-whatchmacallits! You know how us board builders are about the latest new tool. Can I get one of those at the "As Seen On TV Store"or maybe Smart and Final? McDing