Trying to avoid mistakes here...

Did a search and looked through a bunch of good info.
But I couldn't find the answers to a couple questions.

I'm going to try cresting for the first time.

I'm going to use minwax stains and minwax OIL BASED wipe on poly.

What paint should I use?

Looks like the right way to do this is to first stain.
Then apply a coat or two of poly.
Then paint the crest.
Then apply poly over the paint till I'm happy.

I'm not crowning the arrows.

I just would hate to see the paint not adhere to the poly OR the overcoat of poly not to adhere to the paint.

.....or smear when wiping on...aaaaeeee..

Thanks a lot for the help!
 

I've had great luck with Testor's model car paint.

Mike,

Thanks for the reply.
Did you also use minwax oil based poly when you had good results?

Thanks

You need to use a water-based paint or the oil-based poly will dissolve the cresting. I believe Testors has both types. So be careful and read the label.

Testor's will run if you use the minwax oil-based clearcoat. I've been using the water based minwax for twenty years without any problems

I use the paint from Whispering Winds with the wipe on poly on both stained minwax wood arrows and also with carbon arrows.

Never had any problems.

"Looks like the right way to do this is to first stain.
Then apply a coat or two of poly.
Then paint the crest.
Then apply poly over the paint till I'm happy."

Yep thats the way I do it also. I think I do 5 coats of poly all together.

So you guys are saying if you use oil base clearcoat you must use water based cresting and if you use water based clearcoat you must use oil based cresting. Right????

waterbased over the oilbased!

1 - stain, water or oil dont matter

2 - seal/clear oil

3 - crest, testors model paint enamel/oil

4 - clear, minwax policrylics waterbased

5 - Duco cement for fletching, "NO bohning"

6 - show everybody

7 - SHOOT!

ok been using this combo for years now never had any problems.
glue -- Duco Cement,

clear coat -- Minwax polycrylics (waterbased)

clear coat on wood -- ZAR ultra, floor finish (oil-based), Varathane, polyurethane heavy use formula (thinned lightly)

paint crowndip -- Rust-oleum spray and non-spray

cresting/swirl -- Testors model paint or model masters

note: i always put a coat of waterbased poly over my dip/crest before a full dip of oil on woods. the oil based clears will make the metallic's and some colors like yellows run!
On wood i seal first sand lightly clean then do my dip/cresting

ALSO: on aluminum shafts i use Rust-oleum clean metal primer FIRST then spray on my crown otherwise your paint will not stick very long found out the hard way years ago! or if i'm just doing a swirl dip i will put a light coat of clear on then paint, oil is better then waterbased here but still works.

I stain with minwax oil based stain, then one dip of waterbased finish, then I do Testor's paint for cresting, then 2 more dips in the waterbased finish.

THANKS!

I stain with minwax oil based. Seal with minwax quick dry poly. and crest with cheap water based acrylic from the craft store. They have at least 100 colors to choose from for .99 to 2.99.

I then seal over the crest with the same minwax poly.

 

i sometimes use cabet waterbased stains they make some cool colors and i can get half pint cans from the paint store for 3 bucks

Benjamin Moore makes some cool colors to
in waterbased and you can get sample half pint cans for 3 bucks

Oil base poly will look a little yellow on white and light colors.

The water base will make any color stay bright.

stain (oil based cabot)
crown dip and creast (latex paints)
clear minwax soft luster wood finish (oil based)

in that order and i use dip tubes for the stain clear coat and the cap dip. i only clear coat up to the crown dip. all materials are available at your local hardware store. this is just one of many ways to do it