Recommend a good bright-orange rattle-can paint?

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ThirstyBarbarian

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I'm looking for a good easy-to-use rattle-can paint in a bright orange color.

I'm used to using Rustoleum 2x Painters Touch paints, which I find very easy and efficient to use for good results. Unfortunately I'm not seeing a nice bright orange in the 2x line at my local hardware store. They have one orange that I think is a little too muted for my purposes, and unfortunately I don't remember the name of the color right now --- not sure if it is Marigold or simply Orange --- I know Rusto makes paints by both those names, and I'm not sure which one is at the store. And they have another muted reddish orange that I think is called Paprika. I want something in a brighter color. The rocket will be orange and black, so I want a contrast that really pops.

The brightest orange paint job I ever did was multiple light coats of Rusto fluorescent. I applied enough coats that it was no longer truly fluorescent, but it was a fantastic bright orange. It took forever, and it took tons of paint for just a small rocket (Big Daddy), and I don't want to do that again. I'm not looking for fluorescent, just a bright orange that can be applied in a few coats. This is a big rocket, so a paint that is efficient to work with would be best.

If you have any recommendations, please let me know. Thanks!
 
I used line marking paint once it worked great, had to hit it with clear afterwards. But the end result was nice.

TA
 
Rusto 2x "real orange" is fairly bright. (Marigold is more a yellow-orange-gold.) Make sure you use white primer as it won't cover gray primer very well.
Not a great photo, but this gives some sense of what it looks like on a rocket.

IMG_2639.JPG
 
I used line marking paint once it worked great, had to hit it with clear afterwards. But the end result was nice.

TA

Hmmm.. I'd have to experiment a bit with that. Isn't the can designed to spray downward?
 
Since you are going against black, pretty much anything will "pop" - you may not have to go with something as bright as you would otherwise.

I did this will plain old Rustoleum "Gloss Protective Enamels" - standard, off-the-hardware-store-shelf colors. The orange is obviously done with a red fade, but you get the point:
DSC_0998.jpg

Another one I've used that's a bit brighter, with more pop, is "X-O Rust" Rust Prevention Enamel, in "Safety Colors" (orange of course). Also readily available in hardware stores. Unfortunately I can't find any photos at the moment, but it is a bit brighter and more saturated than the Rustoleum mentioned above.

s6
 

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Rusto 2x "real orange" is fairly bright. (Marigold is more a yellow-orange-gold.) Make sure you use white primer as it won't cover gray primer very well.
Not a great photo, but this gives some sense of what it looks like on a rocket.

That looks pretty good. I'm thinking I saw the Marigold, which really was not the color I wanted. I wonder why my store doesn't carry the Real Orange.
 
Since you are going against black, pretty much anything will "pop" - you may not have to go with something as bright as you would otherwise.

I did this will plain old Rustoleum "Gloss Protective Enamels" - standard, off-the-hardware-store-shelf colors. The orange is obviously done with a red fade, but you get the point:
View attachment 255539

Another one I've used that's a bit brighter, with more pop, is "X-O Rust" Rust Prevention Enamel, in "Safety Colors" (orange of course). Also readily available in hardware stores. Unfortunately I can't find any photos at the moment, but it is a bit brighter and more saturated than the Rustoleum mentioned above.

s6

That looks pretty good. That is the Stops Rust line?
 
I use Rust-oleum Fluorescent Neon Orange:
https://www.rustoleum.com/product-catalog/consumer-brands/specialty/fluorescent-spray


017.jpg


It goes on flat and dries really quick, but you can shine it up with Future or clearcoat it.
 
I use Rust-oleum Fluorescent Neon Orange:
https://www.rustoleum.com/product-catalog/consumer-brands/specialty/fluorescent-spray


017.jpg


It goes on flat and dries really quick, but you can shine it up with Future or clearcoat it.

That's the paint I used on my Big Daddy, and was a great color. But I did not find it easy to work with at all and it took a LOT of paint applied in many many light coats to get an even color that was not blotchy. How did you find it to be to work with?
 
I use the bright orange Rusto engine paint. Very hard, heat resistant and easy to use. Gives you a cool MOPAR look the old dudes love.

I'll take a look at that one too. I bet they have it at my hardware store. Is that going to be compatible with 2x gloss black?
 
I used the Rustoleum fluorescent orange on my scooter. (the pics are in the Lunar launch thread.) I used a grey primer, so it wasn't that bright. Although if it isn't bright enough, you could try this: https://www.amazon.com/Krylon-3101-Fluorescent-11-Ounce-Orange/dp/B000RMRYO6
(I haven't tried it, but the reviews say it is pretty bright)
edit: the link goes to the red/orange, click on the yellow/orange on the same page.
 
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Hmmm.. I'd have to experiment a bit with that. Isn't the can designed to spray downward?

Some are but some arnt, The brite florescent pink I used on one of my rockets was a normal noozel. It's a very flat color so it needs some gloss. It was the best color of pink I found.

TA
 
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That looks pretty good. That is the Stops Rust line?

This stuff.
a2848971-252-rustoleum%20orange.jpg


Works great, easy to find, not too expensive - all around a fine choice.

It's actually better looking in person than in my pic. The color in the pic is a bit washed out, and more pale, than in real life.

sr
 
I used the Rustoleum fluorescent orange on my scooter. (the pics are in the Lunar launch thread.) I used a grey primer, so it wasn't that bright. Although if it isn't bright enough, you could try this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000RMRYO6/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
(I haven't tried it, but the reviews say it is pretty bright)
edit: the link goes to the red/orange, click on the yellow/orange on the same page.

Maybe I'll give the Rusto Fluorescent another chance... I think I have a better handle on how to use that paint now, but it's not easy to get a nice even coat without a lot of work and ANXIETY! The last several rockets I've built, I've had to sand all the paint completely off at some point and start over due to a paint disaster, and I really want to avoid having to sand an entire Warlock down to primer! Just sanding the first time is going to be a nightmare.

Has any one used the Krylon Fluorescent that rc dude linked to above? How does it compare in ease of use to Rusto?
 
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This stuff.
a2848971-252-rustoleum%20orange.jpg


Works great, easy to find, not too expensive - all around a fine choice.

It's actually better looking in person than in my pic. The color in the pic is a bit washed out, and more pale, than in real life.

sr


Sounds good. Thanks for the pic! Sometimes with paint brands and all their sub brands, a picture of the can is the only way to be sure. I'm sure my store has this.
 
Rustoleum Fluorescent Orange and Yellow covered with Krylon triple clear on my Big Daddy. Anytime I want a bright orange always pull for the fluorescents.

Also a muted fluorescent orange with more coats for my upscale RamJet

Sumo rocket finished.jpg
blue-sky-ramjet.jpg
 
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Rustoleum advises on its site that you should always lay down a flat white base coat before applying any of the fluorescent colors. They don't really specify what type of flat white and the only type in their product line is an enamel (recoat within 1 hour or after 48 hours). Their flouro paint labels read like lacquer. I split the difference and after priming extensively with Rusto Filler/Primer, I top coat with Rusto 2X white primer (that's about all it's good for as it contains ZERO solids).

Flouro paints are extremely susceptible to blotching caused by irregular/inconsistent coverage techniques. It takes practice to get an even color shade and most of the fluoro colors will change tint if applied too heavily...pink will darken to a reddish tint, etc. I suspect the same is true of fluoro orange.
 
FWIW-I only needed some for a nose cone and fins. I used the Testor's Racing Orange after trying 3-4 other brands of orange. Yeah- it's a small can and rather expensive by comparison, but I didn't need another can of paint I'd hardly use.
 
Rustoleum Fluorescent Orange and Yellow covered with Krylon triple clear on my Big Daddy. Anytime I want a bright orange always pull for the fluorescents.

Also a muted fluorescent orange with more coats for my upscale RamJet

View attachment 255572
View attachment 255575

These two look great. I used the same fluorescent on my Big Daddy, but I can't imagine using the same amount of care an the same number of coats on a 7.5" airframe. It seems like I might need to block out the next 6 months to get it done.
 
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