Re: how to "smoke" clear plastic?

refer to the Tamiya PS range for painting clear Lexan RC car body shells, 
especially PS-31 e.g.
http://www.acehobby.co.nz/ossb2/root/OSSBEC3/showitem.asp?PID=29137

refer also to:
"Paints, Colour Charts, Mix Formulae & Strippers & How to spray F/Glass
and 
ABS plastics " on my web page or email direct for a copy of "Tinting Clear

Canopies "

Regards
Alan T.
Alan's Hobby  Model & RC Web Links
http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~atong




"Joe Strout" <joe@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message 
news:joe-79E665.19542321012007@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>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.
>
> Thanks,
> - Joe
>
> (*) That's a Star Trek (original series) reference, for the folks here
> too young (or insufficiently geeky) to remember!