Photo-etch and vinegar

I find stainless harder to adhere paint to than brass, but even brass needs a good primer.  For small pieces of PE that do not get bent, I generally do not have a problem, but if the piece needs to be bent and you bend it after painting, that can create problems.

I use AK & Tamiya primers. I've never had trouble painting metal or PE parts.

Yep, an old trick.  Another I like is use of dilute lye.  Put a small amound (small fraction of teaspoon of Drano in about a half pint of water.  Works great on aluminum. It will leave a gray/black coating, clean that off before priming.

Be very careful making and using this- Drano is dangerously caustic and you want a very dilute solution. It will make bubbles while working.  As long as it is bubbling you have a workable solution.

I saw a demonstration on You-Tube that it roughs up the PE so primer and paint sticks better.  I tried it twice and it does seem to help to reduce the paint from flaking off when you handle the PE to much.  The video doesn't say how long to soak the PE so I do it for an hour and then rinse.  I wash the PE before soaking it in cider vinegar.  

Never soaked mine in anything and never had an issue. Certainly not heard of using vinegar before.

This thread had the makings of a good dicussion.

Vineger ? really ?   never heard that before.  I just swish my PE around in water with a little dish soap for a few minutes and rinse and let dry. takes about 15 minutes but maybe there's a better way.   What do you think guys ?