Light bar- how to paint?

[Jonj238]

I want to paint the lenses on my light bar an amber color, and figure the best way is to paint it on the inside. I do not have an airbrush, so all I have is amber signal light brush paint. As you can see in the pic, I test painted some glass and it looks terrible. Is there a good way to paint the lens or should I leave it clear and just paint the lights on the light bar?

?

[GLMFAA1]

Tamiya tints work best

greg

[Madd Trucker]

for light bars I use the Tamiya clear red , bluue or orange

[jrherald420]

I have to agree, tamiya clears are the best way to paint clear parts.

[av405]

Here you go:

http://www.policecarmodels.com/clearredpaint.html

These are all you'll ever need.

[Chuck Most]

X5 on the Tamiya. The Testors stuff is okay for small lamps and lenses, but for anything the size of a light bar, it's Tamiya or nothing.

[Jonj238]

Thanks for the help. I assume Tamiya works good with a brush?

[GLMFAA1]

Dipping will work also, Brush light coats

greg

[av405]

Brushing light coats has always worked for me, especially for something as small as a light bar. Just practicing on a spare light bar lens.

[Chuck Most]

Again, going with what others have said- build it up in light coats. It brushes on very well, and levels out smoothly. I like to wait 15-20 minutes between coats, any sooner and you might remove the previous coat rather than paint over it. I also like to brush on a coat of Pledge Future (or some type of acrylic clear) after the last coat has dried, but that isn't mandatory.

[Foxer]

an alternative is using Sharpies. As good as the Tamiya clears are, I get even better results on lights with sharpies.

[Art Anderson]

Also, it's generally better to paint the globes/covers on the outside, as when you paint them on the inside, the paint tends to puddle into corners, making a darker area--doesn't do that when you paint clear colors on the outside.

Art