So, we all know that dip is the new thing to do to your MINI. Personally, I think a lot of the "black outs" look pretty sweet. But one thing has always bothered me... you can only get Plasti-Dip in matte black! Well, personally, I kinda think I might like gloss black!

So this really only left me with one option... clear coat the Plasti-Dip. Now logically, I would think that if Plasti-Dip is removable then, if you put a clear coat over it, it should still be removable. Not being sure of this I wasn't about to even think of trying on my car without being sure. So I did a little pilot experiment.

I used an old snare drum stand that I had lying around as it was chrome plated and I didn't really care all that much about it's aesthetics. In the pilot test, I applied one coat of matte black Plasti-Dip followed by a coat of Rustoleum clear glossy sealant. I used some post-its to "tape off" one section of the stand so that I could compare the matte finish with the glossy. Here are some of the pics...

After Plasti-Dip coat...



After clear coat...



After it was all rubbed off with my thumb...



Once we get some better weather (probably tomorrow), I plan on putting on multiple coats of PD and Clear. And then let it sit for a day or two and see how easy it comes off. But I think, so far, the results of the pilot test are looking promising.

I'm excited.

 

Awesome idea Moxie. I love the plastidip stuff, except on my door handles. They come off too easily there.

 

I had thought about that to but it will get too messy and risky ..... Ill try it out once i see your results !!!! XD

 

I'll be running the second part later today (after brunch ). I'll post more pics tomorrow after it's had time to dry for a while. Thanks guys!

 

Thanks for doing this experiment!

 

So here are some preliminary results...


After three coats of Plasti-Dip...




After three coats of Rustoleum glossy clear...



All I can say is... wow! It looks so much more... BLACK! Sweeeeeeet. So I'm going to let it sit for the rest of today and most of tomorrow and then try to remove it. I guess we'll find out then!

 

If this turns out, it would be a very cheap and impressive way to do the grill and headlight surround. Flat black looks fine but glossy looks better. In your latest picture however, the glossy part seems unsmooth. Is that the camera effect or does it look granulated?

 

It does seem to look a little "granulated". I think that's mostly due to the Plasti-dip not really having a "smooth" texture. It's not really all that noticeable, but I'm going to do more playing around with it before I actually do anything on the car itself. First will be the grill (if this works out the way I want it to).

 

You should make a video so we will se how it comes off hopefully it dose
XD

 

Well... after two and half days of sitting, I finally got around to trying to peel off the Plasti-Dip. And it didn't go well, thus the reason I didn't bother posting any pictures. Basically, you have to pretty much pick it off just like you would any other type of paint.

So the results are not as hoped for, but I would say the experiment was far from a failure. At least it's been done and we know for sure.

I will say that, after letting the clear coat set for a couple days, it looked much better and less "grainy."

 

So the glossed part didnt come off at all???

 

Why not just head over to the sign shop, get some gloss black vinyl & wrap the parts? At least you know it'll come right off with a hair dryer and some time... Good idea though with the clear.

 

It comes off, just not very easily at all. It reminds me of my fiancée picking fingernail polish off.

Yeah, I was actually thinking that I might do that.

 

Check with your local sign guy - or even FedEx-Kinkos. They usually have black gloss vinyl - the better or larger sign shops will have several types and thicknesses. Also, the better or larger sign shops can give you some advice on wrapping complex curves, using a soap solution to "float" the vinyl onto the parts, how to cut so the vinyl doesn't wrinkle, etc. Just make sure you catch them when they're not busy. My local guy has actually given me, gratis, a square foot or two here and there to play with.

 

so it sounds like if you are 100% positive that you want glossy, this works well, it just ends up being permanent?
I am in the same kind of situation, i want to do the front grill, but i think with how shiny my paint is from polish and wax, a matte black grill will stick out like a sore thumb.

How much can one expect to spend for a decent amount of vinyl?

 

I think 10 yards by 15 inches is around $60(3m IIRC). Remembered seeing them online while I was looking.

 

You can get some Oracle on eBay pretty cheap (for glossy black).