Spray painting PVC... can you avoid stickiness?

[Brizzendan]

I've been doing a bit of research on types of spray paint, whether to use adhesion promoters, primers, paint + primer all in one, clear coat afterwards, etc. for PVC handles. Does anyone with good experience with this sort of thing have a go-to rule? I just worry I'd go to all the effort to make the hilt and then after a couple of months the hilt gets sticky or starts to come off in my hands.

As a side note I may have pieces of wood on the hilt, not sure if that makes a difference with which paints to use/if there's some that are good for multi surface.

Thanks!

[Silver Serpent]

On PVC? I've had good results with Krylon Fusion for plastic. It'll be dry to the touch pretty quickly, but fingerprints will leave an impression for up to a few days or so. After it's fully cured, I've had no issues.

[Brizzendan]

Thanks for the reply. Do you typically prime it before and clear coat it afterwards? I know Krylon Fusion says it has a built in primer, but not sure how strong it is.

[Silver Serpent]

I don't prime it, but I do clean the PVC with a quick wipe of acetone first, just to remove any grease or oils from my hands. Clear coating afterwards is always a fine idea.

[Kouri]

Haven't had any issues with sticky paint. Krylon Metallics cure well. Rustoleum metallics seem to rub off without clear coat.

Speaking of clears, Krylon Triple-thick Crystal Clear Glaze makes for a great gloss coat. No issues with handling. On the other hand, the standard Krylon flat coat never cured properly for me - was always getting tacky with handling and/or humidity. Haven't tried any other kind of clear yet.

[Dethlore]

I used Krylon Crystal Clear Gloss clearcoat on mine and it has held up extremely well so far. no prints, no chips, looks as good as the day I painted it!
I didn't prime it and only lightly wiped it down. I used Rustoleum hammered metal for the main base, some Rustoleum Silver and Gold for the emitter, and Chroma Car Paint for my secondary color. All topped with the clear.

[SAMHarwell]

I use Krylon exclusively on my Mando armor (Sintra expanding plastic). I found wash and wipe down the plastic, then primer and a wet sand with 220 grit between coats gives the best results. Top it off with a clear coat.

[Brizzendan]

Looks like I'm going to have to track down some crystal clear coat! Thanks for the help guys. Looking forward to the finished product.