Willy McDonald
Active member
After seeing several posts (Last year) questioning the durability of acrylic paint I decided to put the "Traditions" line of acrylic paints and mediums to the acid test to see just how well they would hold up. To that end I painted an E Allen Woodduck using Traditions paints and mediums. I used the Traditions line start to finish and did not add any other varibles. Here is the procedure that I followed:
1. Coated the entire decoy with Multi Surface Sealer
2. Textured the surface using a sponge with Texture medium plus a small amount of paint black paint enough to tint the texture.
3. Painted the decoy using paint right out of the bottle (no dilution with water) and added 10% Glazing medium to each color of paint.
4. I did spray some Iridescent Chroma Air Brush Colors on the head and back for the sparkle.
5.Once everything had air dried 24 hours I heat set the paint with a hair dryer. Here is a look at the decoy at the start of the test.
My neighbor has large pond that frequents a lot of waterfowl so I ask him if he would host the test. The decoy went onto the pond at the beginning of May and spent the last 6 months braving the elements. Hot ,Cold, wind, rain and never left the water until this November. Now granted it did not go through the rigors of the hunt in and out of bags etc. but it did get torture that most decoys and paint jobs are never subjected to. I think the results are astunding and IMHO the Traditions line of acrylic products deliver. Take a look at these photos:
Right out of the water....
This folks is major league pond scum at the water line: When I saw this I thought the paint was gone for sure.
Next came a little warm soap & water and was I surprised!
Shots of the back paint
This shot is with most of the scum scrubed off. A little staining but not bad after 6 months.With it all at the waterline I actually could hunt it without any further cleaning or touch up work
Once again I need to stress that I did not introduce any other products or varibles other than Traditions paints and mediums and a small amount of Chroma Air brush paint which is a compatable product. I was really impressed not only how durable the paint waws but also how vibrant it was after 6 months. Comments and questions are always welcome.
Willy
1. Coated the entire decoy with Multi Surface Sealer
2. Textured the surface using a sponge with Texture medium plus a small amount of paint black paint enough to tint the texture.
3. Painted the decoy using paint right out of the bottle (no dilution with water) and added 10% Glazing medium to each color of paint.
4. I did spray some Iridescent Chroma Air Brush Colors on the head and back for the sparkle.
5.Once everything had air dried 24 hours I heat set the paint with a hair dryer. Here is a look at the decoy at the start of the test.
My neighbor has large pond that frequents a lot of waterfowl so I ask him if he would host the test. The decoy went onto the pond at the beginning of May and spent the last 6 months braving the elements. Hot ,Cold, wind, rain and never left the water until this November. Now granted it did not go through the rigors of the hunt in and out of bags etc. but it did get torture that most decoys and paint jobs are never subjected to. I think the results are astunding and IMHO the Traditions line of acrylic products deliver. Take a look at these photos:
Right out of the water....
This folks is major league pond scum at the water line: When I saw this I thought the paint was gone for sure.
Next came a little warm soap & water and was I surprised!
Shots of the back paint
This shot is with most of the scum scrubed off. A little staining but not bad after 6 months.With it all at the waterline I actually could hunt it without any further cleaning or touch up work
Once again I need to stress that I did not introduce any other products or varibles other than Traditions paints and mediums and a small amount of Chroma Air brush paint which is a compatable product. I was really impressed not only how durable the paint waws but also how vibrant it was after 6 months. Comments and questions are always welcome.
Willy
). I have a system of hanging bags that they are transported in, and over time they're going to chafe in certain spots. Don't see where any type of paint is immune from this sort of wear.