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I've been looking for an item I need which is a hollow hemisphere with outer diameter of ~25 mm. Ideally, I'd like them in green, but I can only find them in clear. Do these sorts of domes exist in opaque color? Would I be able to just stain the clear ones?

Is there another material for this type of object that can serve the same function? I need to be able to paint onto it.

This object will be decorated with a custom image and used to cover pieces in a board game I'm designing for my family.

enter image description here

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  • What exactly do you need? An opaque green dome made of a paintable material? Maybe you can rephrase your question to ask after a solution to the problem you face, and not just after one (or two) of the possible solutions. – Joachim♦ Dec 4 '19 at 23:45
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    For example, why wouldn't spray-painting a dome like the one in your image be a proper solution? – Joachim♦ Dec 4 '19 at 23:46
  • @Joachim I made an edit, does that illustrate the concern? – David Coffron Dec 4 '19 at 23:47
  • Can you tell us what you need it for? That way, we can think along with the process, and maybe find alternatives that are easier to attain. It seems like you've come up with a specific solution to the problem you're facing, but are only asking after that specific solution. – Joachim♦ Dec 4 '19 at 23:49
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    How strong and inflexible do the domes need to be? For example, if the purpose is only to hide something under it, it could be pretty flimsy and crushable. If it needs to stand up to handling, you would probably want something sturdy. Are you thinking along the lines of, say, plastic clamshell material? Rigid, molded plastic? Can you provide a link to the clear ones you found? As long as you can paint the clear ones, would that be satisfactory? If you've already found domes that are ideal except for the color, painting them would be the logical way to go. – fixer1234 Dec 5 '19 at 1:21
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If you're going to paint them anyway, especially opaque, I suggest spray-painting the semi-spheres. That way, you can get the exact green hue you want them to have, you can control whether you like it glossy or matte, and - dependent on your skills - can have them look really smooth.

  • I suggest sanding these transparent domes a little first, with very fine sandpaper (≥ ~300);
  • applying a layer (or two) of the spray-paint. To prevent the light plastic domes from flying away when paint-brushing, tape them on something heavy (like a wooden plank) with double-sided tape;
  • gluing the custom images onto the surface (depending on the paper by letting them soak in the glue, so they will follow the curved shape of the domes closely);
  • and finishing it off by applying a layer of transparent (glossy or matte) varnish.
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  • Maybe paint the inside of the dome. I saw a great example for dripping craft paint into ornaments this week on the news. They swirled the pigment around to cover the inside surface. It would be even easier with a dome. 🌸 – Not The Face Dec 21 '19 at 3:48
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If you are feeling crafty you could make paper mache (papier-mâché) domes using a ping-pong ball or similar as a form. Simply mache over the ball and cut it along the middle when it dries. Voila! two small paintable domes.

(fyi - paper mache is strips of paper soaked in wheat paste. )

edit: Use the inside of the ball to get the dome smooth on the outside.

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    Or soaked in dilute PVA, or wallpaper paste – Chris H Dec 10 '19 at 17:53
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You might be able to find cheap green plastic Xmas ornaments that you could cut in half. Hmmm, maybe those catnip balls that unscrew so you can refresh the catnip.

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