Are people painting their printers? If so What paint? Inside and outside? Will they warp if both sides are not painted? If you are painting your printer, post your pictures here as well.
My PP MK1.5 was painted prior to assembly with Zinser BullsEye white primer. It's often shown in the banner, with red letters. That was a mistake, because I covered all the part number marks, so I needed a map to assemble it. I've never decided what "color" to paint it, so it's still primer white.
I used Rustoleum primer and Rustoleam enamel finish on my original Phlatprinter. I painted it after it was assembled though. No warpage.
After lots of reading, I used a brush-on shellac based primer/sealer, don't remember whether it was BIN or Zinssler for a base, priming major assemblies after they were glued together, then used rattle-cans from the hardware store in contrasting colors. On my "mark 1" I did the Y gantry in silver, the Z gantry in red and the main body in blue with silver for the lettering, hoping the colors would make it interesting to watch when all the parts were moving. Then I put the whole think inside the "cone of silence" so it all looks light blue from out here! I'm glad I painted it anyway.
I painted my MK1 with off the shelf latex indoor house paint. I used a roller to roll it on. I did paint mine before assembly however. I chose blue for the outside case, white for the insides and table top area, and red for gantry. The choice of red was intentional since this is a moving part and red signifies danger. I plan to paint my Phlatprinter in the same color scheme.
I painted my phlat 1 inside and out before assembly in 3 coats white latex house paint, in hindsight this was a mistake, because I had to go back later with a razor blade and trim the paint from most tabs & notches to get the corners to suck together tight enough. My next phlatty will be assembled before painting. :mrgreen:
I thought about that (thankfully) and waited till I had it completely assembled. Taped the areas I didn't want the paint and spray painted it. 1 coat of primer and one coat of gloss gray and black. With the Phlatprinter 3's ability to be completely disassembled/reassembled using the nuts and bolts we should have no problem if we don't go to many coats thick. I am thinking of deck stain for my new one. Easy to wipe on available in different colors, protects and doesn't add a thickness as long as I do a light sanding it should absorbed into the MDF. Found this ehow on how its done http://www.ehow.com/how_5623125_stain-mdf.html Mark and Trish
The decision to paint or not to paint, for me, is two fold. #1, I want it to look nice, but even more important than that is moisture protection. I live in Florida where the humidity can be pretty high and my Phlatprinter will have to spend a lot of time in a shop in which the air conditioner is not on since I only use it when I am in there working. The paint will protect the wood and keep the moisture out thus preventing warped parts over time. Stain will of course address the beauty part, but not the moisture proofing, at least, I don't think so. I don't really know how well MDF handles moisture as compared to pine for instance, but I know you don't want to get it wet, so painting seems to me to be a good investment.
I decided to paint my MK1.5, but could never decide on the color. Well, at least I got a good coat of primer on it, so I don't leave "less than oil-free" fingerprints all over it.
