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.


Paint will be difficult to apply in a uniform manner necessary to
produce a controlled level of light attenuation. Can you apply some
tinted film to the inside of the shell?

Contact an outfit that does auto window tinting to see what might be
available.


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

-- 
Paul Hovnanian     mailto:Paul@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
 life was fair, Elvis would be alive and all the impersonators
would be dead. -- Johnny Carson