"Distressed" paint jobs

[ianmgull]

Greetings!

So I'm about to box up a tube screamer and since this is going to be the most awesomeist, rockingest, coolnessest, tube screamer ever I want to give it the worst paint job ever!

I ordered a lot of old knobs off of ebay. Most look as if they were salvaged from old TVs and radios. I want to make this pedal look like an ancient relic of some sort. I know I've seen spray paint that looks rusty, or abused in various ways but I was wondering if anybody here has any idea's (can't remember what the spray paint I saw was either!).

Thanks!

ian

[Dragonfly]

montezuma was painted with a few different colors, sanded down and clear coated

[jefe]

I seem to remember someone around here (it may have been in the pictures thread) describing how they had painted their box, lit it on fire (!), and then did some various sanding to it. An idea I had was to go outside and scrape it on the sidewalk, for that random nasty look. Whatever you choose to do, just have fun!

[MarcoMike]

someone came out with the rusty-copper-finish

I don't remember the procedure, but it should work by just dipping the pedal in a Cu(I) or Cu(II) solution. if you have Cu(I) I'm pretty sure it will form a thin layer over the aluminum box (works also on iron). if you have a Cu(II) solution (more common to non-chemists) I'm not sure it will self deposit, you may need to push the reaction electrolitically: take a battery, voltage depending on many factors, HI current possibly. + to a metallic piece (the bare copper wire) and - to the enclosure, dip both in a CuCl2 or CuSO4 (better) solution... and look if something forms on the enclosure.

The whole process works with iron, steel and stuff. aluminum is very easilly etched by cupric solutions once the protective (passivating) oxide layer is removed, so it might "over-react"

well, when/if you get the copper layer to form on the enclosure you could let it in the garden for few days, that's it!

otherwise.... Sodium Hydroxide works quite well on Al, give it a try and be creative! (too little will do nothing, too much will perfectly clean the aluminum from the oxide layer, giving you a shiny box. you have to experiment

(EDIT: both Drangofly's and Jefe's ideas sounds really good....)

[trotskyismyniece]

You could put it in a bag full of nails or other sharp and/or metallic objects then shake it around for awhile.  That should simulate the regular wear and tear of it getting knocked around.

[BINGEWOOD]

There are some kits for patina and rust finishes.  I found some at the art store, Michael's I believe.  Some were from "Sophisticated Finishes" and there is another type I can't remember the name of that has a more psychedelic look. 

[drewl]

I've found that globbing on thick coats of clear finish over paint that's still wet leaves some real cool looking cracks like lightning bolts that make the pedals look real old....sometimes the paint bubbles up and orange peels just right....

[greigoroth]

Maybe take a look here for some different ideas

http://steampunkworkshop.com/altoid-etch.shtml

[John Lyons]

Here are a few of mine:


Aged Oak Dr Boogie


Torched Ash and roofing tar


copper plated BB sized box


Copper plating experiment "one off"


"Antiqued" pine

[ianmgull]

Wow! Thanks for all the great info folks. I'm starting to like the idea of copper plating.

John: Did you use the method from this site?

http://steampunkworkshop.com/altoid-etch.shtml

The copper plating looks very smooth, I'd love to start with that and let it get extremely oxidized before putting a clear coat on it. Does anybody know abouts how long it takes copper to oxidize?

[tehfunk]

Man! John. I am loving that exterior work, those fine examples really make me think twice about turning out plain pedals...

[John Lyons]

I didn'y follow the steampunk site as I did mine before that was put up.
But they do share a similar process. Joe davisson hipped me to the idea.
I don't have the recipe right here but if you search copper plating the initial thread will come up here.
very toxic and all that, Be carefull and wear gloves and goggles as well as using a ventilated work space.

The copper plating is the same process as the steampunk site I beleive.
The process is suoer variable and I did many to get the different variations shown above.

You can buy kits to copper plate aluminum that would work much better I think. Google around and see what you find.

John