Aesthetic Awesomeness

On behalf of the SNW Admin Team
I’d like to welcome you all to the first day of the 2013 SNW season

What better way to start the 2013 season, than with an aesthetic overhaul of your nerf blasters. Our very own John Pham, has quite the knack for awesome paint jobs on his blasters. He has agreed to share his knowledge, to help all of you delve into the great unknown realm of Aesthetic Awesomeness!

Let us begin

Things you will need:

• Masking Tape
• Sand Paper – 150 Grit (A relatively fine grain sandpaper)
• Paints – You have the choice of several different types here, all with their own strengths and weaknesses
  • Vinyl Dye – The best looking paint type, but is also the most expensive paint type
  • Enamel Paints – Oil based paints that are cheap and easy to use, they dry as a glossy finish
  • Acrylic Paints – Water based paints that are also relatively cheap and easy to use, they dry to a matte finish
• Primer – An undercoat layer, that helps the paint bond to the surface you’re spraying
• Clear Coat – The final coat on your aesthetic overhaul. It’s a lacquer that goes over the paint coats, to seal them in.

How to prepare your blaster:

1. If you are painting the whole blaster, skip to the step 2. Begin the preparation process, by taping up the parts of the blaster that you are not going to paint.
2. Next thing to do, is to begin sanding it down lightly. Try not to sand too hard, as this will cause unsightly scratches and other undesirable marks.
   
3. Sand smoothly and evenly, across every surface that you want painted.
4. Once you are suitably happy with the sanding job, you will need to then wash the blaster. Carefully wash away the excess dust and plastic fibres that you have roughed up.
   
5. Dry your blaster off, it should now feel slightly coarse (furry if you like)

How to paint your blaster:

1. Start by applying thin layers of your primer (Base Coat), ensuring smooth and consistent layers. Thin layers are always best, because they dry quicker and do not bubble/dribble
2. Slowly and methodically apply several thin layers of primer, using a fluent back and forth motion evenly across the blaster  (Allowing the coats to dry, before applying another).
3. Once your primer is layered and dried out, you can now begin doing the same with your chosen paints.
4. Apply several thin coats of your chosen paint (again waiting for it to dry in between coats), until you have reached a desired colour and coat thickness.
5. Once you have completed both your primer and your coloured paint coats, allow the whole thing to dry suitably (this can take anywhere between hours-days, depending on the thickness of your layers and paint types used)
6. Your blaster is now ready for its final coat (Clear Coat). You will want to follow the same steps and styling as above, several thin coats of clear coat. This is the most important part, as this step will seal your hard work in (helping to prevent scratches and marks)

In conclusion:

You should now have a basic understanding of how to prepare/paint your blaster, and be well on your way to making your own colourful arsenal. While this was just a basic run through on painting procedures, there is much more details and tricks that can be applied. Never limit yourself to what you think you are capable of, always try to push the boundaries and experiment in something new!

Credits:
Thank you John Pham for your helpful insight, into the world of aesthetic overhauling!