cookin' your paint jobs

[mahoney]

Do you guys cook your freshly painted pedals in the oven?  if so, what temp, and how long?   and what kind of paint do you use?    I'm getting some cracked finishes using 200 degrees for an hour using spray enamel. help me... please...help me....(dies)

i'll  pick up that oscar later.

[Fret Wire]

I use enamel both and Hammerite. With enamel, after the last coat is sprayed, I wait at least an hour before I bake. I go slightly under 200 degrees for 2 hrs, with no problem. What kind of primer are you using? It may just be a primer problem. Use a self etching primer, especially with aluminum. It's the only way to get a good bond. Advanced Auto has some. It's green, but don't worry. I painted my MicroAmp clone cream like the original, and it covered the primer no problem. And also, check the labels, once in awhile you run into enamel that has some compatibility problems with the primer or clearcoat.

Don't bake on a Hammerite finish! It doesn't work. It's similar to certain polys that may set up quick, but take a while (days) to fully cure. It's tough as nails anyway. Just clear coat over it.

[Ansil]

you can't go wrong with engine enamel that they paint blocks with.  i use it on the warm settting of theoven.


also have you tried the new plastic paint. says it will adhere to plastic, no primering no nothing.  

this stuff is great, i still use primer but it coats so much better than my other paints.

[R.G.]

See the Guitar Effects FAQ at GEO. I bake painted boxes in a surplus toaster oven I got at Goodwill for about $7.00.

You want low temperatures and slow cooking. "warm" is about right. Anything over 200F risks burning the paint.

[ildar]

A readily available primer is XIM, which you can get at Home Depot and/or Lowe's. It is formulated for hard-to-paint surfaces, including non-ferrous metals (i.e. aluminum). One advantage to this product is that you can topcoat it with enamels, something you should not do with automotive primers. The only caveat with XIM is that you can't use lacquer as a topcoat. Any other paint, even flat wall paint, will adhere beautifully to it. Add to this it's relatively low price-about $7 for a normal sized spray can-and it's a no-brainer.

[ildar]

says it will adhere to plastic, no primering no nothing.

Just be careful of longevity. Right now paint professionals (me, for one) consider that stuff unproven and somewhat of a gimmicky product. You should always use primer on metal surfaces unless you are using a special DTM (Direct To Metal) paint.

[Fret Wire]

Another possibility is that you went past the window time for recoats. With most paints, there is a maximum recoat time specified. If you go too long between coats, then you have to wait until the paint is fully cured before you recoat. If you don't, it would crack and come right up when you baked it.

Ildar, I use Duplicolor self etching primer. It states it's compatible with all auto finishes, including enamel. I been using it awhile with both emamel and Hammerite with no problems. I take it that unless it specifies enamel, there may be a compatibility problem with some primers?

I also use an aerosol epoxy clearcoat which is hard as bricks. Luckily, they're all compatible and work great. Which is nice because I'm no paint expert.

[mahoney]

Thanks all.  Fretwire, i tried your method, and it worked to perfection.  Thanks again, this pedal looks great!

[Fret Wire]

You're Welcome. Glad it worked out. You can go down to 150 degrees or less no problem either. As long as you smell solvent and paint, it's baking. I just spent the late evening prepping boxes, two 1590b's, one 1590bb, and one 1590b that I'm going to gold plate. Tomorrow is primer and paint.

[petemoore]

how would you make messed up paint look like a new box?
 crackle painting is an art< i'Ve never gotten it tO actUAlLy cRaCKLE COOL ENOUGH. SORRY  about the capitols..

[Fret Wire]

I can answer both questions Pete. Crakle paint? Easy, bake Hammerite paint! That's what I did the first time I used it. :oops: Didn't know you're not supposed to bake it. But, if you control the process, low heat and check frequently, you can get a nice hammered crackle finish. Tough too. Which leads to the other question. I let it sit a day, than I had to hit it with a palm sander to knock down the raised up wrinkles, and it took a bit! Then repainted, and you'd never know I messed up the first set of coats. If you want that kind of look, the Hammerite paint will wrinkle nicely.

[Ansil]

says it will adhere to plastic, no primering no nothing.

Just be careful of longevity. Right now paint professionals (me, for one) consider that stuff unproven and somewhat of a gimmicky product. You should always use primer on metal surfaces unless you are using a special DTM (Direct To Metal) paint.

be sure when quoteing to remember the whole quote   [notice the little smiley person here this is meant to be taken light and with a friendly demeanor dispite lack of punctuation.]

i said it will do that according to the claim as it states., but i like to primer it anyway, and it comes out better than all the other paints i have used minus one.    and so far i have had it on for a year on about half a dozen pedals and they have less nicks than the rest of them but again, it is true this is something new and well its worth trying thouhg.