So, I found a new way to paint my enclosures using those rattle cans....

[MicFarlow77]

Hi All,

After many attempts, I gave up trying to paint using those spray cans.... kept getting trash in the tops of my paint jobs...... I was not happy.....

Well, I was doing something totally unrelated to stompboxes a few weeks ago when it hit me.... paint those darn things upside down..... so I dropped what I was doing at the time (probably a chore on the "Honey Do" list...) and went into my dusty basement where I build my enclosures... I grabbed a bit of wire, rigged up a way to hang it upside down and started spraying like a madman.....

Result: A perfect finish! No dust or crap in the face of that enclosure at all! There was a very minimal amount on the sides because I was hanging it from the rafters to dry, so I probably stirred up a bit of crud that fell into the sides.....

So, yesterday, I decided to make a bit more friendly setup.... I took one of them cake spinner thingies they use to decorate cakes, mounted it upside down in the top of a large box that I used to use for powder coating and I wired my enclosure to it... upside down of course! (BTW, I already had a large hole in the back of this box with a filter and fan to draw back powder and fumes... total cost for that was $20.. The box is from UHaul... a type that has a hanger bar for hanging clothes in... cost was about $5...)

Result: A perfect finish!

Also, I used spray lacquer from Home Depot or Lowes... I forget which.... in any event, I shot 4 or 5 coats of white and 2 coats of clear for a perfect finish in less than an hour... let it sit overnight and it is spot on!

Something so simple... why did it take me so long to figure it out??? 

Thanks,

Mick

PS... Next up is designing some stable brackets to use that will allow for both mounting the enclosures to the brackets and the brackets to the spinner....

PSS... This same setup will work for powder coating too if I decide to get back into that.... woohoo.....

[Paul Marossy]

For years now I've used a coat hanger wire to hold my enclosures while spray painting them. I can hold it at whatever angle I need to in order toget the best results. It's been working pretty good for me.

[Toney]

Nice Mick.
I have had the same issues with pollen and other detritus landing on the wet surface.
I like to do them normal side up because I can break the spaying rules a little and load the surface for the final coat. Gives it more of a luxurious, liquidy finish.
My solution? I have two.
As soon as I finish spraying, I place one of those fold out  plate-of-food-insect-protector-mesh tents over the wet box. 15 minutes later, when there is a little surface drying, I transfer it (carefully) to a clean shoe box, with the lid a little open. This serves as a drying box overnight.
I do all my painting outside. Not a fan of the fumes.

[Paul Marossy]

I also do all of my painting outside. I learned after painting my very first enclosure that putting it on a piece of newspaper on the dusty floor of my garage was not going to give me optimum results...

[iaresee]

The limited painting I've done I've done in my garage, in a box. Just a card board box with on open end. I drap a garbage bag over the open end while it's drying. Seemed to work okay. Never thought to hang the boxes. I'll have to try that next time. It'd be trivial to hang them from some bent coat hangers just inserted through the top of the box.

[Paul Marossy]

Actually, I stick the ends of the hanger thru the screw holes or the holes in the bottom cover. The tension on the wire holds the pieces on the hanger wire. It takes a little bit of practice learning the best way to hold it and stuff, but the learning curve is very quick.

[nelson]

I use butchered hangers to hang the enclosures, I use a converted ikea wardrobe as a painting booth.



I don't use a fan, I tend to paint and leave the window open while shutting the wardrobe afterwards.

The fan would do nothing but circulate air and dust, imo.

The solvent fumes rise, so a hole in the top is sufficient.

[davent]

For painting an enclosure i make a base/jig from a similarily sized scrap of wood, four long drywall screws and and double sided foam tape.



Can then paint enclosures over under sideways down or any which way you want and it's securely afixed to the jig, at least so far so good. Would be easy enough to stick to a ceiling joist in the basement for inverted drying.

To combat the dust i've found a few strategies helpful. I too use a shoebox as a drying environment, in the cold winter basement i set the box in front of a small heater/fan. Some colours of paint just seem to show the dust better(?) then others, like solid white or black so i try to avoid those.  Embrace the dust, if you can't beat 'em join 'em,  use a low pressure airbrush, toothbrushes and paint brushes  to create stippled finishes that no dust will ever be noticed upon, blends in becomes an organic design element.





Switching to an airbrush was a big plus in the dust battle.  Use waterbased acrylic paints, no noxious fumes, can paint in the house year round in the great white north, goes on fairly dry in thin coats so dries extremely fast leaving less time for dust to settle, the dust that does settle pretty much brushes off. Can do multiple coats with different colours minutes apart, do a coat hit it with a hot air gun for 90 sec., do the next coat, repeat...

dave

[Toney]

 


That looks like art deco inlayed wood.

Just beautiful.
Far too nice to stomp on 

[ParlorCitySound]

I'm really close to pulling the trigger and buying a powdercoating gun from Harbor Freight; along with a little toaster oven, I think it will save me a lot of trouble.

[MicFarlow77]

I'm really close to pulling the trigger and buying a powdercoating gun from Harbor Freight; along with a little toaster oven, I think it will save me a lot of trouble.

In my case, dust on the face of the enclosures was still an issue... even with powder coat... If you have a method of painting currently that you are happy with as far as dust bunnies is concerened, then go for it... nothing is more durable than powder coat... I bought from ColumbiaCoatings.com.. they are great to deal with.

Awesome ideas from everyone else....

Thanks,

Mick