How To Create Faux Border Guard Bakelite
Fine wet sandpaper (400-500 git) and contact cleaner
First you want to make sure you degrease the thing as best as you can. You want to super squeaky clean. I start by taking the wet sandpaper (dry) and start to lightly go over the entire surface. This will clean up the ruff mold lines and open the pores of the surface. Don't go crazy with it, you want to keep the surface texture and don't want to get rid of the hard lines of the checkering but you want to go over it and clean it up. After you are satisfied with that take the contact cleaner and hose it down. Make sure you get all the dust and crap off and and this point you can never touch the grips with your bare hands again. The oils from your hands will prevent the paint from sticking correctly. Let dry completely.
Next you will want to mix the thinner and green. Since the green is already transparent yout dont need alot of clear. I cant tell you an exact amount but maybe a 80 to 20 mix. When it comes time to spray make sure you do lots and lots of light even coats. Its easy to add more, to take it off you will have to start the entire process all over. Just take your time and cover it till your happy with how it turns out. You might be able to get away with not using the clear but it allowed me to use more coats to have more control over the paint. YMMV.
After that is all said and done let it dry and then if you want spray the clear coat. I like flat clear but you could get a satin if you wanted a little sheen. If you use the gun a lot then you will at some point wear through the paint which is why the clear is a good idea on top of sanding and degreasing in the first place. It allows the paint to soak into the grip better. After the clear again let it sit and dry. If you want to do multiple layers of clear make sure you wet sand between coats and let it dry completely when you are done before clearing again.
