Help!! Blow molds partially faded in the sun....what can I do?

17008 Views 6 Replies 6 Participants Last post by mrincredibletou, Nov 6, 2017

shammus

Discussion Starter · Nov 5, 2017

Hey all,

So I ended up turning my front lawn into a "mini pumpkin patch" of sorts using around 30 blow molds from my collection. I had set this up a couple weeks before Halloween and had even sprayed each pumpkin down with some 303 UV Protectant Spray before and during the time the pumpkins were outside. The good news is most of the pumpkins you see below in the picture actually turned out alright. However, a few of the really old ones lost some of their color. Any suggestions on the best way to repaint some of these? Brush painting doesn't seem to work and I'm not the best with a spray can - can't seem to get the paint on evenly.

Also, what can I do to prevent fading from happening in the future?

Any advice or suggestions is appreciated....thanks in advance!!

trick-or-treat Yard Pumpkin Gourd Winter squash

trick-or-treat Lighting Jack-o'-lantern Night Pumpkin

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lilibat

· #2 · Nov 5, 2017

The best solution would be airbrush painting. Barring that brush painting but using a sponge brush to make it smoother. Not really sure what to do if the UV protectant isn't helping other than to suggest some sort of shade structure.

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Ghost of Spookie

· #3 · Nov 6, 2017

Very cute display!

You might want to check out Hilda's thread where she talked about her blow molds. Unfortunately many of her photos were stored with Photobucket and so no longer are available to see but the text might still be helpful. I'm not into blow molds but do have two of them and remember how great the photos on this thread were to see. The .jpgs can be clicked on and seen and there are photos apparently stored elsewhere that are visible on the thread. If you read the whole thread she explains how she handled different situations with spray paint, blue painters tape, cling wrap, etc.

http://www.halloweenforum.com/hallo...lds-into-whimsical-halloween-decorations.html

This post in a different thread of hers mentioned some peeling and flaking: http://www.halloweenforum.com/hallo...-play-toys-halloween-props-5.html#post1632463

BTW here's a link to her facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/LightheartedHalloween/

On a different note, we used some UV spray on an outdoor intercom speaker which was of a hard white plastic material and it yellowed after a while. I don't hold out much hope for using the spray.

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RCIAG

· #4 · Nov 6, 2017

Hilda painted them with the spray paint for plastic, Krylon is one brand.

I just followed her directions. You tape things off with tape &/or newspaper & spray away. I repainted a blow mold pumpkin I have & that was what I did. I taped up the orange part with blue painters tape & newspaper, sprayed the eyes & mouth black, pulled off the tape & newspaper & did the reverse (put blue painters tape over the eyes & mouth). Same for the stem, tape & newspaper & spray paint.

The key to any spray paint is to be the right distance from what you're painting & to move with the right motion. Too close or slow & you get splotches, drips & it'll be too thick, too far away & you'll never cover it.

Get yourself some cardboard & practice with a can of paint from the dollar store or some other cheap brand to work on your techniques. It's the only way you'll learn to use spray paint properly.

There's also this but I can't attest to how well it works or doesn't work as I've never used it.
https://www.wipenew.com/recolor/

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RCIAG

· #5 · Nov 6, 2017

Ghost of Spookie said:
Unfortunately many of her photos were stored with Photobucket and so no longer are available to see but the text might still be helpful. I'm not into blow molds but do have two of them and remember how great the photos on this thread were to see.

Every time I think about this it just pisses me off even more. Effin Photobucket, eff them.

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Deadna

· #6 · Nov 6, 2017

One great tip I saw Hilda mention was instead of taping off parts you can press playdough onto your blowmold. I remember how tedious it was for me to paint an item that had a lot of curves and couldn't get a crisp edge on some spots. The dough would have been so much easier.

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mrincredibletou

· #7 · Nov 6, 2017

I just put a colored light in the mold, simple and works real well.

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