Type of paint for dominoes

[Kendall Scheier]

I’m making some dominoes for a Christmas gift. What type of paint should I use for the dots; or what should I stay away from?

thanks in advance,


kendall

[Kendall Scheier]

Also I should mention I will be doing them in 5 different colors

[Jim Becker]

I would probably use rattle can colors for the game pieces and use gloss enamel for the dots applied by brush. The latter is even easier if the dots are recessed like commercial game pieces because a nice, soft, fluffy round brush will easily allow you to put the dollop of white into the recess without going over the edges if you are careful and methodical.

[Kendall Scheier]

I would probably use rattle can colors for the game pieces and use gloss enamel for the dots applied by brush. The latter is even easier if the dots are recessed like commercial game pieces because a nice, soft, fluffy round brush will easily allow you to put the dollop of white into the recess without going over the edges if you are careful and methodical.


Thanks Jim, enamel paint is what I thought would be best but honestly don’t know why… I don’t think I’ve done anything it before. The dominos will be bare wood and the only paint will be the dots.

[Allan Dozier]

If you are using many different color dots then I would get an assortment of Testors model paint. It's what we used to use on model cars. I have seen it for sale in Lowes surprisingly. Beats buying a bunch of pint cans.

[Kendall Scheier]

If you are using many different color dots then I would get an assortment of Testors model paint. It's what we used to use on model cars. I have seen it for sale in Lowes surprisingly. Beats buying a bunch of pint cans.


that is a fantastic idea!!

[Jim Becker]

If you get a small round nose router bit, you can chuck it into a drill press and make the "dimples" I mentioned if you want to take the time to do so. Since the cuts are very shallow, the tooling will work fine for the application even though the speed of rotation would be slower than with a router. A router would not be safe. (unless it's a CNC) Doing the dimples keeps the playing pieces effectively flat and the texture is typically part of the Domino game experience, too. But just painting the dots is fine, too, of course.

[Kendall Scheier]

If you get a small round nose router bit, you can chuck it into a drill press and make the "dimples" I mentioned if you want to take the time to do so. Since the cuts are very shallow, the tooling will work fine for the application even though the speed of rotation would be slower than with a router. A router would not be safe. (unless it's a CNC) Doing the dimples keeps the playing pieces effectively flat and the texture is typically part of the Domino game experience, too. But just painting the dots is fine, too, of course.


that’s not a bad idea Jim, I’ve already made all of the dimples with my shaper origin

[Michael Schuch]

Depending on the size of the dot / dimple a toothpick might be easier than a paint brush.

[George Yetka]

I would look at finishing the blanks dark then using the wood as your dot color. Then clearing the whole

[Kendall Scheier]

I’m using walnut for the dominos, so I will be using brightly colored bold colors for the dots.

These aren’t traditional dominoes, they are triangle shaped called triominoes with different sets of dots in all 3 corners as opposed to the 2 sides of normal dominoes. I’m using different colors of paint (one color for 1, different color for 2…etc) to make it easier to match. I don’t want to have to count tiny 1/8” dots all night lol

[George Yetka]

I’m using walnut for the dominos, so I will be using brightly colored bold colors for the dots.

These aren’t traditional dominoes, they are triangle shaped called triominoes with different sets of dots in all 3 corners as opposed to the 2 sides of normal dominoes. I’m using different colors of paint (one color for 1, different color for 2…etc) to make it easier to match. I don’t want to have to count tiny 1/8” dots all night lol

In this case you can try Ora mask. I would cut your blanks, apply Oramask, add your dots, Apply whatever your final finish will be(this will prevent bleeding), apply colors, remove Ora, apply clear everywhere.

[Jim Becker]

that’s not a bad idea Jim, I’ve already made all of the dimples with my shaper origin
I guess I missed that you had the Shaper Origin. But for folks who don't, the method I mentioned can certainly work!

[Kendall Scheier]

I guess I missed that you had the Shaper Origin. But for folks who don't, the method I mentioned can certainly work!


you didn’t miss it lol, I didn’t initially say that I had one. No need to go bragging about a cool tool. I agree, however, your solution was very valid and a good resource for others

[Kendall Scheier]

In this case you can try Ora mask. I would cut your blanks, apply Oramask, add your dots, Apply whatever your final finish will be(this will prevent bleeding), apply colors, remove Ora, apply clear everywhere.

that’s a great process, you won’t have to worry about being really careful with a tiny brush that way

[Jim Becker]

you didn’t miss it lol, I didn’t initially say that I had one. No need to go bragging about a cool tool. I agree, however, your solution was very valid and a good resource for others
Running the dots on the material before cutting into domino playing pieces is a great way to do it, Shaper Origin, CNC or not! This comes under the concept of "order of operation"...as well as the very real fact it's easier to "do stuff" to a larger piece of material than a really tiny on. :)

[Rich Engelhardt]

Testors is no more.
The powers to be at Rustoleum (RPM Mfg.) decided the world would be a better place if small jars of enamel didn't exist so the did away with the entire line.
That was back in 2021.

What's left on shelves is what there is, so, make sure if you start with it, you have enough to finish the job because if they run out local - you could be in for a problem.

There are acrylic hobby enamels is small containers available. I buy mine from WalMart - only because they are cheap.

[Doug Garson]

Rather than a paint brush, I would use an eyedropper to fill the dimples with paint. With a little practice you can get just the right amount to fill the dimple with enough paint and nothing on the surface of the domino. Something like this would work and could be rinsed out and reused many times for future projects. . https://www.amazon.ca/Dropper-Glass-Medicine-Essential-Medications/dp/B0C2KGDM3M/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=1GWI2PGBPB11L&keywords=eye+dropper&qid=1702918416&sprefix=eye+dropper%2Caps%2C219&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1

[Jason Roehl]

If the pieces are already dimpled, I’d paint the whole piece, dimples and all, then sand off the faces.

[Kendall Scheier]

Thanks for all of the ideas and suggestions everyone. I figured I would share what the project ended up looking like and what I did. I used a toothpick and let the paint drip down the toothpick and into the dimples. If I do these again I will probably put blue tape over the pieces before I cut the dimples.

I was able to find some testor paints from hobby lobby in bright colors. Then I finished with shellac. I made 54 of these.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Well done, Sir!

[Kendall Scheier]

Well done, Sir!


thank you Ken. Stellar name btw