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Q&As since 1989


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Painting Pool Balls

Having searched long and hard across the internet for purple and black pool balls and finding nothing, I've come to the conclusion I should just paint some regular red and yellow balls...

But what do I paint them with?

Chris Evans
Hobbyist - Bristol, England
2005

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2005

Chris,

You didn't mention what those pool balls are made from! Assuming a bad scenario and they are made from Pe or PP, I'd paint the ENTIRE ball with one colour and then, when dried, with the other colour.

Paint? Ah, I know nothing about paints but a little about plastics ... so I'd opt for a 2 component urethane paint. Why? Because of its abrasion resistance and also because that during the curing cycle, .. it being a paint needing a catalyst ... it will shrink, very nicely, onto the ball.

Regular paints don't shrink very much, do they. But the 2 component paints aren't cheap. But if an 'ordinary' paint will adhere, I'd go to the local paint shop and get some advice.

Am only replying because I, too, was a Bristolian. Anyhow, food fer thort, eh.

Freeman Newton [deceased]
(It is our sad duty to advise that Freeman passed away
April 21, 2012. R.I.P. old friend).

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Pool balls are moulded aren't they? I don't know if anything you paint them with could withstand the abuse that they take on the table, or change the dynamics of the ball in general. If you do find something, do a couple of them in brass to see how much mileage you can get out of the joke.

Sheldon Taylor
supply chain electronics
Wake Forest, North Carolina
2005