Awesome!! Maybe you guys can help....

Zeke · 09-09-2008, 07:35 AM

I was dicking around on the Web in response to a question about the art I did 40 years ago trying to find an example. I knew I had only seen one example in 10 years and I think the page is forever down.

But, I was reading something and an idea popped into my head. This would involve passing a magnetic field under a panel that was just sprayed with paint containing metallics. I can see an Aurora Borealis effect or better. I need to make a powerful magnet or buy one to try this out.

Anyone got such a contraption? A new career awaits.

or has this been done already?

kstar · 09-09-2008, 07:39 AM

Milt:

I like the idea.

Google "ferrofluids" and watch this!

Zeke · 09-09-2008, 07:41 AM

OK, I realize that most pigments in paint are non ferrous. However, some of the trick ones have been coated in a vacuum chamber. I wonder if some of the coatings themselves will react to a magnetic field if it's powerful enough. I can always buy my own pigments and make the paint. Iron oxide is one I can think of.

legion · 09-09-2008, 07:41 AM

Sounds interesting. Give it a try.

When I was a kid my dad used to have two large magnets. One day, I stuck them together--he could never get them apart again. Then I set them on his case of business-critical floppy discs.

craigster59 · craigster59's Garage

Milt, I've gotten rare earth and electro magnets from McMaster Carr in the past. I don't know what the price is, but I was thinking an electro magnet wired to a rheostat might give you some control over the strength of the field.

Zeke · 09-09-2008, 07:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by craigster59

Milt, I've gotten rare earth and electro magnets from McMaster Carr in the past. I don't know what the price is, but I was thinking an electro magnet wired to a rheostat might give you some control over the strength of the field.

So would distance and movement. That's where the artistic endeavor comes. Not to mention the colors. Here's what I posted on the other thread in response to a question about what I did:

I can tell you that the sculptures were made from fiberglass molds or vacuum formed plastic. I painted with the original "flip flop" paints which were actually finely graded fish scales suspended in a God awful lead solution and then clear lacquer. (No wonder I'm goofy!) Just like RC cars, I painted inside clear plastic in some cases and on the outside in others. The effect was that the piece turned colors as you walked by. Sure, this was being done on the custom car circuit, but the art world had not seen much of it, so it was novel to them.

And, of course, the shape of the sculpture had a lot to do with it. I did not design anything, just executed what I was directed to do. I was pretty damn good with a spray gun moving from one set of colors to another within a single panel.

You can't get the original materials anymore because of the lead. It was called Murano pigment and came in about 4 different shades that flipped to an oposite color on the color wheel. Fun stuff.

scottmandue · 09-09-2008, 09:31 AM

Back in the 90's Ford had a "pearlesent" paint they used, the white would look three different colors depending on what angle you looked at it, I had a 94 T-bird that was green but would look navy/black at a certain angle.

Never heard of anyone using magnetic fields, I know of one guy hits his wet canvases with high voltage to get special effects.

dhoward · dhoward's Garage

I think that was David Archer. Lacquer on glass and did mostly space-scapes. X-wife has all 6 that we owned.

M.D. Holloway · 10:08 AM

Years ago I was on a development team that formulated conductive paint. We used all sorts of filler - silver flake, nickel plated with silver, copper particles plated with silver heck, I even plated plastic microspheres with silver! Made for a delightfully light coating that conducted electricity.

TerryH · TerryH's Garage

Electro-magnets are incredibly strong and easy to manipulate with switched power, but I would imagine very localized.

scottmandue · 09-09-2008, 11:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dhoward

I think that was David Archer. Lacquer on glass and did mostly space-scapes. X-wife has all 6 that we owned.

Yeah, that sounds like him.

How about rubbing paint all over naked women and having them roll around on canvas?

Sure it has already been done... but... well, who cares!

nostatic · nostatic's Garage

Milt, my g/f is a sculptor and she primarily works with plastics and f/g. If you're interested I can put you in touch with her. If something like this has been done, she'd know about it.

kstar · 09-09-2008, 11:40 AM

Zeke · 09-09-2008, 11:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TerryH

Electro-magnets are incredibly strong and easy to manipulate with switched power, but I would imagine very localized.

Yes, localized. you could "drag" the pigments to reflect light differently than the randomly placed-by-spray that gives the uniform look of a car paint job.

More than once I've had an acrylic enamel metallics "cascade" inside the paint thickness while the top did not run or sag because I went too fast. It's not even interesting, much less desirable. Had to be redone. Now, to control that would be fascinating.

Here I am telling the world how I would achieve uniqueness.

Zeke · 09-09-2008, 11:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nostatic

Milt, my g/f is a sculptor and she primarily works with plastics and f/g. If you're interested I can put you in touch with her. If something like this has been done, she'd know about it.

By all means, run this by her.

JCF · 09-09-2008, 04:41 PM

There ya go - seems like you're coming out of that funk already.

Problem with being an artist is that if you are serious and are at it long enough you end up not much good for anything else.
Or at least your heart and head have a hard time re uniting to get much satisfaction for very long from anything else.

MBAtarga · 09-09-2008, 05:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kstarnes

Kurt, I'm trying to place just what this might be an impression of - any hints?

kstar · 09-09-2008, 05:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MBAtarga

Kurt, I'm trying to place just what this might be an impression of - any hints?

I posted that "art" in response to Scott's reply above.

Hint: You've likely seen more than one before.

Zeke · 09-09-2008, 05:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JCF

There ya go - seems like you're coming out of that funk already.

Problem with being an artist is that if you are serious and are at it long enough you end up not much good for anything else.
Or at least your heart and head have a hard time re uniting to get much satisfaction for very long from anything else.

Musta been the problem all along then.....