[PAR_WIG1350]

Paint them? And ruin that beautiful machined finish? There are plenty of alternatives to painting, for example, powder coating and anodizing. To make our robot look good we use a belt sander to 'enhance' some of the more visible parts (like the aluminum angle on our shooter hood for example). This gives it a finish that makes it appear to shimmer* as the robot moves. If you really want to paint it, spray paint will probably give you results quickly and without adding too much weight. The time to paint is when the frame is done, all gears, sprockets, chains, treads, motors, wires, control system parts, pneumatics, electrical stuff, bushings, and bearings, among other things, should be either removed or masked off sufficiently (note: gears and sprockets can be painted, but they should be painted separately after being thoroughly de-greased and cleaned).

*(it is honestly more of a sparkle, but that word doesn't accurately convey how awesome it looks)