Painting Aquarium Silicone Caulk?

[Alinda the Reef Fish]

I've been desperately looking for a thread on specifics about painting silicone tails made Aquarium caulk but I haven't been able to locate one. How does painting onto that kind of silicone work? Most websites say that silicone caulk won't stick to paint but I've seen tails that are made of this material that have been painted onto, so obviously it's possible.

[MerQueen Nerissa]

Many people brush powdered pigment onto the not completely cured silicone, and then put a clear coat on top of that.
Another option is to paint the neoprene base and then make sure the silicone is thin enough that you can still see the paint job underneath.


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[Alinda the Reef Fish]

Does the color still come out really bright with powdered pigment?

[Fifi Tigg]

Does the color still come out really bright with powdered pigment?

Yes, I've made many tails using the brush on pigments and if they are good quality pigments they do come out bright some may need a couple of coats

[Alinda the Reef Fish]

Yes, I've made many tails using the brush on pigments and if they are good quality pigments they do come out bright some may need a couple of coats

I have seen your tails and I absolutely love them. That's the kind of quality I'm aiming to achieve with my tail in color and sculpting!

[OceanRose]

Hi Alinda
I made a bra using aquarium silicone poured into moulds and then (once cured) stuck onto the bra - then painted.
(If you want to see what it looks like, it should be in my album on my profile!)
I think Fifi's method may be better for a couple of reasons, but here is what I did in case you are interested ....

I squeezed caulk into a container, thinned it with Naphtha (or the equivalent), and added pigment until I was happy with the colour, then poured into moulds and when set, stuck them to the bra with more caulk.
I used this same mixture to paint the silicone, (but I made it a little thinner so that it glided on when I used a paintbrush).

Drawbacks are that caulk gets gooey/lumpy fast, so you have to have a plan, and do things quickly or in small batches.
Also, I don't know the toxicity of caulk+thinner - definitely protect yourself and work in a well ventilated area!

*edit: Also, use cheap paintbrushes :-D

[Alinda the Reef Fish]

Hi Alinda
I made a bra using aquarium silicone poured into moulds and then (once cured) stuck onto the bra - then painted.
(If you want to see what it looks like, it should be in my album on my profile!)
I think Fifi's method may be better for a couple of reasons, but here is what I did in case you are interested ....

I squeezed caulk into a container, thinned it with Naphtha (or the equivalent), and added pigment until I was happy with the colour, then poured into moulds and when set, stuck them to the bra with more caulk.
I used this same mixture to paint the silicone, (but I made it a little thinner so that it glided on when I used a paintbrush).

Drawbacks are that caulk gets gooey/lumpy fast, so you have to have a plan, and do things quickly or in small batches.
Also, I don't know the toxicity of caulk+thinner - definitely protect yourself and work in a well ventilated area!

*edit: Also, use cheap paintbrushes :-D

Thanks! It's really good to know there are several methods to applying the silicone caulk onto the tail! While I would love to go right to dragonskin, I don't think I am ready for that investment so this seems to be the best course of action. I will have to do some test runs and see what works best for me, but I will definitely try this during my tests. Thank you!

[WaterDragon]

Thanks! It's really good to know there are several methods to applying the silicone caulk onto the tail! While I would love to go right to dragonskin, I don't think I am ready for that investment so this seems to be the best course of action. I will have to do some test runs and see what works best for me, but I will definitely try this during my tests. Thank you!

You could pick up a sample size of the dragon skin for about $30 if you want to mess around with it.

[Alinda the Reef Fish]

You could pick up a sample size of the dragon skin for about $30 if you want to mess around with it.

That's something I plan on doing in the future to get used to working with the material before I make the full investment. My health has been going back and forth over the past five months so I am trying to avoid spending a huge chunk of change until my doctor gives me a clean bill of health so I'm not worried about finances.