Re: how to "smoke" clear plastic?

Joe Strout wrote:
> 
> I have a clear plastic shell.  I don't know exactly what sort of plastic
> it is, but it's probably not polycarbonate; it was cheap (bought it at
> the dollar store).
> 
> I need to paint this with something that will make it look like smoked
> plastic.  Some sort of translucent black paint?  I will have lights
> (LEDs) inside, and the goal is that these lights should show up clearly
> when lit, but be completely invisible when dark.
> 
> But dammit Jim (*), I'm a roboticist, not a modeler.  I haven't painted
> any plastic since I was a kid.  So I'm hoping some kind soul here can
> recommend a specific paint and application technique that is most likely
> to work, even in the hands of a newbie such as myself.

Most craft stores have a selection of semi-transparent paints for
projects like faked stained glass. I'd try that first. Though they're
usually in colors, I'm sure they have a gray.

> (*) That's a Star Trek (original series) reference, for the folks here
> too young (or insufficiently geeky) to remember!

What remember!?! The whole three series is on DVD. Just in time for a
new generation.

-- Gordon