I am toying with the idea of taking an object and painting it completely in a monochrome high-gloss finish. I just don’t know what kind of paint would work. I am thinking some kind of enamel. See this page, scroll down to “Red high gloss lacquered bombay chest” to see the kind of effect I am looking for.
Any idea how this is done? If it’s a really big production that requires a lot of specialized (i.e., expensive) equipment I’m probably out of the game. But I don’t mind investing a little elbow grease.
Prep your object well, prime it with tinted primer, paint it with high-gloss enamel (I would use oil base, not latex, for an “object”, it sticks better, and resists abrasion better), and if you think that isn’t shiny enough, varnish it.
You don’t have to use oil-based paint - most aren’t as good as they used to be, back in the day. Most quality paint manufacturers sell acrylic alkyds now, which are better than oil (alkyd) coatings and way easier to work with.
I would use at least two coats of acrylic paint, followed by several coats of gloss varnish. But be careful to apply the varnish slowly, so as not to create bubbles.
How about spraying, either using a sprayer or paint in a spray can? Also, the link I pointed to talks about lacquer but none of these answers suggested lacquer. Any reason to use or not to use a lacquer?