Stupid Wetsuit Tricks - airbrushing a wetsuit

[David P]

A year ago when I was ordering my first wetsuit (custom) I half joked around and asked if he could sew in a flame design going up my arms. He looked at me kinda weird and said no but he could silk screen it, but it would be a lot of money. I asked if I could airbrush the suit but he didnt know. I totally forgot about airbrushing untill now, thanx!

Ive done black back paintings before, but never only on a canvas never t shirts, oh yeah I flamed my black canvas back pack... when you used the createx white, did you use the opaque? I would think that would make the artwork real stiff. If you used the transparent, how many layers did you have to shoot?

 

[TheNitroxinator]

I used the opaque white. I've forgotten how many layers I wound up putting on. I just kept adding until it was as white as I wanted it to be. The graphic itself definitely has some texture to it, but I don't think its real stiff. It is a little stiffer than the surrounding areas. I don't know if I'd want to do an entire wetsuit with graphics, that probably would be a little stiff.


I may have to try Lavalee-style realistic flames on my .5mil suit (hmmm, maybe coming out of the neckhole and running down the arms). That would go pretty fast, I've seen the technique demoed, albeit that was on metal not a wetsuit. Something to try before heading out on a vacation on Tuesday.

 

[wetrat]

You're very talented Nitrox! Does the paint compromise the insulating qualities of the wetsuit at all? Will it break down the neoprene? Just wondering. It sure does look awesome.

wetrat

 

[Vtdiver2]

I'd like to have some little crabs painted in the crotch of my wet suit.

AHHHHH...........HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!! :lol3: :rofl:
Chris

 

[Vtdiver2]

I used the opaque white. I've forgotten how many layers I wound up putting on. I just kept adding until it was as white as I wanted it to be. The graphic itself definitely has some texture to it, but I don't think its real stiff. It is a little stiffer than the surrounding areas. I don't know if I'd want to do an entire wetsuit with graphics, that probably would be a little stiff.


I may have to try Lavalee-style realistic flames on my .5mil suit (hmmm, maybe coming out of the neckhole and running down the arms). That would go pretty fast, I've seen the technique demoed, albeit that was on metal not a wetsuit. Something to try before heading out on a vacation on Tuesday.

Hey Nitrox, on your first post you mentioned having to stuff towels in your suit so you could stretch the neoprene. What about putting a drysuit inside the wetsuit, taking 2 liter bottles and plugging the neck and wrists, and then inflating the drysuit. It would expand the neoprene evenly and allow you to paint easier.
Just an idea. We've used this inflation technique at the LDS to look for leaks in drysuits.
Chris

 

[TheNitroxinator]

I did a flame job on my wetsuit. It was okay, but I decided to redo it. Nice to know I can always use opaque white and black to eliminate unwanted stuff. Maybe tomorrow....

Lest I not get a chance to respond 'til October...

Does the paint compromise the insulating qualities of the wetsuit at all?

I've been painting on a .5mil suit. It has no insulating qualities, so I really can't comment on its effect. I figured I would wear the .5 suit over the top of other suits, so as to not compromise the underlying suit. I'm not sure if a lycra suit would work just as well.

Will it break down the neoprene?

No. At least not in my limited experience.

on your first post you mentioned having to stuff towels in your suit so you could stretch the neoprene. What about putting a drysuit inside the wetsuit, taking 2 liter bottles and plugging the neck and wrists, and then inflating the drysuit. It would expand the neoprene evenly and allow you to paint easier.

I thought about this. Unfortunately, I don't have a drysuit yet (I'm drysuit certified, but I don't think it would be appreciated if I rented a suit and then got paint on it due to overspray). Actually, a trilam might be really good to paint on. The sealer (Coast Airbrush Safe-T) is more or less a spray on varnish. It should adhere to the top layer of the drysuit just as well as it does to a wetsuit. As far as I can tell, Createx acryllic is pretty flexible.

I'd like to have some little crabs painted in the crotch of my wet suit.

In college, at UC Irvine, Tau Beta Pi came to me and asked me to paint them up a knight with an open face, so they could use it as a pie throwing booth. The knight was naked, save for a helmet and pair of boxers with Tau Beta Pi symbols on it. One of the guys jokingly asked me to "Give him a Tau Beta Pi 'bulge'". A few years later, I went back to visit UCI and Wayzgoose. They were still using the pie throwing booth, and it still had the Tau Beta Pi "bulge" in the boxer shorts (you have to look close). I'm wondering if they still use it. Hmmm, a flame "bulge" in the wetsuit? Well, I don't know if I want to try that until I see what the reaction of underwater animals is... :11:

 

[TheNitroxinator]

Well, its not as good as I would have liked. Maybe with enough skulls added on, or a bird or ray flying out of the flames...

At any rate, the wetsuit is still intact. The next step would be to see how long it could hold up to diving.

 

[Fish_Whisperer]

Oh man.... I just found this thread. 'troxinator, you do some awesome work!! I would happily mail you my wetsuit for painting, if you ever decide to add this service to your catalog of work.

 

[Graham Leach]

...if you want your wetsuit airbrushed...

I am in the process of deciding whether or not to set up a company that produces tailor-made wetsuits that feature airbrushed detailing.

For retro-airbrushing (i.e. the suit has already been manufactured) the company would accept wetsuits from anywhere in the world at designated "consolidation" addresses and then bulk-ship the suits to save on shipping charges. We would perform the work here where I live in the Philippines (a *really* great dive destination) and ship the suit directly back to the owner, passing actual cost of shipping directly to them.

If you want retro-airbrushed wetsuits, I can do them pretty much immediately. I can also do creative discovery with whoever doesn't have the ability to give us a drawing of what they want on their suit (we can work from photos, for example).

If you are in the market for a totally customized wetsuit, drop me a line - I'm trying to figure out whether or not this is a business worth starting and your feedback is really appreciated.

Thank you,

Graham Leach

 

[Graham Leach]

> Hey Nitrox, on your first post you mentioned having to stuff towels in your suit
> so you could stretch the neoprene. What about putting a drysuit inside the
> wetsuit, taking 2 liter bottles and plugging the neck and wrists, and then inflating
> the drysuit. It would expand the neoprene evenly and allow you to paint easier.
> Just an idea. We've used this inflation technique at the LDS to look for leaks in >drysuits.
>
> Chris

Yes, inflating the wetsuit with balloons is perfect...that is the way we set up our neoprene for proper airbrushing.

g.