Drill or Paint enclosure first ?

[axeman010]

Hi

I am just about to box up an effect for a friend who wants an intricate paint job on the box including fine straight lines. I normally drill my enclosure first and then paint but mine are just one colur. In order to maintain the pattern I thought I might paint first and then drill.

Any body got any experience / views on painting first and then drilling please ?

I have a pillar drill and use a unibit so my drilling is quite accurate but my big worry is will the paint chip when I drill ?

thanks

Axeman

[Paul Perry (Frostwave)]

I've never seen problems with chipping paint - but, boy, is it easy to scratch!!!

[96ecss]

+1 about it being easy to scratch. I always prefer to drill first.

Dave

[Austin73]

+1 for drilling first. Although if your etching I think its etch first drill second

Aus

[darron]

the paint can chip, or be weakened, but the washer that you usually put over holes will usually not make the matter. it's usually okay to paint first. like said above, you'd have to be really careful though not to scratch your work, especially when you drill the sides for the jacks and have to have one of the painted surfaces face down. it's easier to do your artwork around the wholes. the one time that i might drill last would be if the artwork had to match the holes perfectly, then i would mark where the holes would go in the art. i've never hand painted though...

Austin's right with the etching. if you drill first the acid will leak inside and etch the entire raw metal of the underside of the enclosure (i would assume, i haven't been silly enough to do it). not that this applies.

[MikeH]

Pants first!  Then Shoes!!

I mean, uh... drill first, then paint.

[R.G.]

There isn't a definite answer. I can see where having large holes would make placing fine straight lines in the paint difficult in the first place.

It's not hard to drill through paint cleanly. Protect the surface with something like masking tape, then do your marking and drilling. No scratches from the mechanical handling. Be sure to remove the masking tape promptly, it forms a harder bond the longer you leave it on. The blue special painting masking tape is better about that.

But to drill CLAMP THE BOX DOWN WHERE IT CAN'T MOVE AND USE A SHARP BIT. A STEP BIT WILL BE NICE AND SMOOTH. USE A DRILL PRESS.

[Mick Bailey]

Masking tape every time.

[blanik]

now i buy painted boxes but i prefer painting first, that way when i drill, the inside of the box stays clean and the ground is better (otherwise the paint can "seal" the inside around the hole, where the jacks should be making contact...)