Angelus paint is NOT god's gift to mankind.
it is extremely good as an entry level paint especially for its price and what you get for it. if you are starting out, i would definitely recommend you use angelus off the bat because it is just convenient.
however i absolutely can not agree it is THE BEST @#%$ out there. also, Angelus is actually a relatively small company, not a mega factory corporation. to say they are the best because they are the biggest is not valid. i am pretty sure they started out as makers of Gourd paint. a Gourd is like a squash or pumpkin that people paint on. they didnt get into the "custom shoe paint game" until well after i had already posted my home-made leather paint formula in the Jurassic "less then 3000 members" Era of niketalk (chances are very probable that whatever "custom paint formula" you read on the internet was a decendent of this formula, and usually an uncredited one at that).
i have used angelus paint 5 or 6 years ago and i still use it today when i dont have time to mix something up. the formula definitely has changed since then. to say they have been using this formula since Adam and Eve is absolutely untrue.
here's the bottom line. Angelus is a great and convenient "off the shelf" paint. its cheap and ready to use. and its the best recommendation i can give you if you are starting out and unsure what to do.
just had to say that claiming Angelus being undisputedly the best in the world is really not likely. best in its price range? probably.
it's all relative anyway. paint is only one tool. it's a personal preference depending on how well it suits you. there is no such thing as a definitive "best out there" paint you can buy. you'll have to find a formula that's best for you based on trial and error and "customize" that paint to suit your needs. in case you didnt know, not all paint is the same even when it comes from the same company.
there are parameters that make paint "good" or "bad"
pigmentation: how opaque the paint is
viscosity: how fluid or thick the paint is
elasticity: how flexible the paint is after it dries
durability: how strong it will hold to wear OVER TIME
finish: how matte or glossy the paint is.
now 2 paints from the same company will vary in all parameters. thats why ANGELUS WHITE is inferior to FOLK ART's WHITE in the pigmentation department, but superior to folk in the elasticity dept. there is no such thing as paint that exceeds in all parameters in ALL COLORS... off the shelf. Angelus has irregular and inconsistent pigmentation with different colors. ever wonder why high end art paint prices differ depending on the color? primarily because of varying pigmentation characteristics of different colors and materials used to ensure proper pigmentation across the spectrum.
it is possible to tweak your own paint to strengthen store-bought paint in the areas where it lacks. you just have to mix them and have a good knowledge of what exactly it is youre doing. that takes years of experience or just luck or a natural sense for it. there are ways to increase or decrease any parameter of any paint, you just have to know what materials to add to what.
here is a extremely vague and general guideline to how you can tweak your own paint to fit your needs:
changing pigmentation: you cant. you need to find a good base to begin with, preferably something incredibly opaque. this is the most crucial step.
viscosity: i personally find that making paint more fluid and slightly watery is the best for use on sneakers, especially when doing lines or details. there are a few good ways of reducing viscosity. NEVER ADD WATER. instead go for acrylic ******er or airbrush agent (which slows the drying of the paint giving a finish that has no brush strokes) also 70% isopropyl alcohol is good.
elasticity: acetone does a good job of destroying acrylic paint in its fluid state making it elastic when it dries. you can also add textile medium.
durability: honestly there isnt a whole lot you can do to initially change this parameter. you can increase durability by adding Liquitex Matte Varnish (the ONLY thing liquitex makes that is worth buying). its not a lot but it definitely will help.
finish: if paint is too dull then add Liquitex Gloss Varnish. if the paint is too glossy then add Angelus Duller. adding duller does lower the paint's overall durability due to the fact that the duller is somewhat of a powder-based substance.
keep in mind that anything you ADD to paint also lowers its overall pigmention (opacity). i find the best way to handle Paint Parameter Customization is to find different paints that are already strong in certain areas and mix them with paints that are strong in other areas.
for example:
here's a quick rundown of how i achieve my black paint. I start with:
Createx Airbrush Acrylic Black. Pros: good elasticity, good durability, and already has acrylic ******er for a smooth brushless finish. Cons: high gloss finish, moderate pigmentation.
Speedball Acrylic Textile Screenprinting Ink. Pros: extremely high pigmentation. already has textile medium for elasticity and superior durability. Cons: viscosity is like paste, extremely matte.
theres a lot of other stuff i add to it as well as some isopropyl alcohol and acetone, but for the sake of example, you see the 2 paints balance each other out. the createx is not super opaque. but the speedball is. the speedball is not fluid, but the createx is. the createx is ultra shiny, the speedball is ultra dull...etc. the result is an incredibly opaque, incredibly durable and smooth paint with a factory finish. both the speedball and createx have agents which ****** the paint and cause it to dry very very slow, which is both good and bad. but the acetone and alcohol does help dry the paint faster. but in any case the slow drying removes the brush strokes.
i come from an extinct, forgotten, and disrespected old-school philosophy that believes that "there's no better way of doing something then Doing-It-Yourself." whether thats a DIY sneaker or DIY paint to make the DIY sneaker.
There are far superior quality cars in this world then Audi
There are far superior quality electronics in this world then Sony
There are far superior quality shoes in this world then Nike
There is far superior quality paint out there then Angelus
all of which has probably never seen the inside of a huge factory assembly line.
i'm not trying to sway anyone's opinion with this post. if Angelus works perfectly FOR YOU (probably a majority of you customizers out there) then no one can dispute that. but, claiming angelus is the best on earth is discouraging people to find better alternative product on their own
and correct me if im wrong but isnt that the entire point of customizing to begin with?
dont limit yourself ONLY to factory-issue, store-bought, preset handouts.
at least thats the whole reason why i started painting in the first place.
somebody please save all that cause i hope i never have to write that all out again in my life.
PS - all this nonsense over what paint is the best is really less significant in comparison to HOW WELL YOU PREPARE the leather. use acetone to completely remove all the waxy weatherproof coating and it doesnt matter THAT MUCH what kind of paint you use. you'll end up with differing levels from GOOD to EXCELLENT. in any case as long as you do a good job in the acetone prep phase, the overall strength of the paint will be GOOD ENOUGH no matter what paint you use as long as it is a respectable paint to begin with (in other words no kiddie paint or off the shelf liquitex)
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www.methamphibian.com
Updated 1/1/06
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