Enclosures. Questions. Drilling, Painting

[msurdin]

hey Guys,

Now i've done the research. I just want to get some things straight before I go destroy a good box.

So for painting it I start off sanding it with steel wool until its shiny and smooth?
What is the best paint for just a solid color? Grey or Black?
I heard after I paint bake it in a toaster oven that would be just for that?


what is the best way to drill for a battery box?

Thanks
Matt

[darron]

i find it is better to drill before you paint. if you want to be really accurate, then draw it all up on the computer, then print it. cut the printed sheet and stick (or just lay) it to the face of the enclosure. use a centre punch and metal mallet to mark where the pilot hole will be going. don't use too much force as it's just aluminium and you can dent/shatter it. by that, i mean don't use all of your might. with the dents in place, use a bench drill with a small drill bit of a mm or so and drill your pilot holes. then progressively work your way up through larger drill bits to the size that you need. i might use 3 or 4 different drill bits before i get to the size of a foot switch for example.

painting isn't an exact science. buy a few sheets of different grits of wet/dry sand paper. some enclosures still have rough edges. start with less than 100 grit (really rough!) and make sure that the sides are all even. then progressively work your way up. maybe 80 grit > 150 grit > 300 > 600. Do a really good job before changing grit to make sure you've done all that the previous grit was capable of sanding, as it will take MUCH longer if you move up in grits too fast. 600 / 800 is fantastic for paintint. even 400 should do just for painting.

NOW.... the box is aluminium, so you'll need a metal primer. don't cheap out on paints. where possible, buy automotive paints. industrial paints, whatever you think will be REALLY durable. with your sanded enclosure, clean it up to make sure it's free of residues, oils, and dust. for this, use prepsol, metho (enthanol) etc. i prop the box up from the surface that i am spraying with a cut out of egg carton and cardboard underneath, but you could use wood or whatever, just don't have the box touching the ground/surface as after lots of layers it will stick.

use a SELF-ETCH primer. spray the first coat on. every stroke should be a nice thick spray, as smooth as you can possibly get it without having any runs. remember that the top surface can take a little bit more paint. you'll work out your own way to do this. you are not aiming for total coverage in the first coat of primer, but you probably should be getting something close. leave it to dry. in the sun if it's not windy (dust is bad if you are not spraying in a boot). this can take 30 mins or so between coats, depending on the conditions and how thick you sprayed. some people like to sand a little and prep the box again between coats. spray another layer of self etch primer and wait. spray a third if you want, but two is probably enough. don't touch the box with your oily fingers! from the time that the box is first prepared (rubbed down) don't touch it with human fingers until you are completely done and everything is dry!

moving on to the coloured coat. personally, i find it's better to spray with automotive acrylics. you can experiment with enamels but acrylics seem much tougher when dry to me. do the same thing, spray at least three coats. spray more if you want. do any artwork that you want, then spray clears. if you used an acrylic colour, use acrylic clear. ditto enamel. don't mix types, and if possible, use the same brands together. a tougher alternative might be to use a polyurethane designed for spraying car wheels. that stuff is really durable. i go on about durability because the chances are with regular gigging/jamming you WILL chip it eventually.

as for the oven, getting a cheap toaster oven will help you along the way in speeding everything up. you can use it between coats and bake at less than 70 deg. celcius and you'd only have to wait 15 mins. don't eat out of that oven again though. be careful if you bake the clear coat, as they can easilly tarnish yellow. bake it on a much lower temp or not at all. the paint won't cure to it's fullest strength until a few weeks down the track in my opinion, so priorities tasks with that in mind.

best solid colour? ahm. maybe white? it won't show up scuffs etc. as much. for a solid colour, i don't mind a nice vintage cream colour (:




OR! if you are lazy, a good and EASY was it to sand, prep and spray with polyurethane black spray, about four coats. get the stuff designed for spraying car steel/aluminium wheels. you probably wouldn't need to prime with the self-etch.



OR... go to your local powder coating place and ask them to do it for you. they probably won't charge you anything or much at all if they do it with a large batch for someone who's ordered some fencing or gates to be coated. you'd just have to wait if you were picky about a certain colour. that's SUPER DUPER durable and it probably won't chip or scratch. ask them NOT to spray the inside though as you need good continuity for the jacks and to the base plate. if you already have the drill holes then that will help them out heaps.

or you could to the same thing at an anodizing place... they might not just throw it in someone else's batch though in my experience, so that one could cost money. bummer....


i got an old fridge and turned it into a dust-free spray booth. it is fully sealed and comes with it's own shelves, perfect (: i just made a filtered fan pushing clean air into it, and i wet down the sides when i want to spray and leave it for 5 mins.


hope that helps.

darron

[msurdin]

I found some of that caliper paint. Strong stuff!
So you say white would not show off scratches and fingerprints?
I have not been able to find a cream, I don't think they make it, seems more the red, yellow, blue, black, white.
I do know a guy who owns a car repair shop.... maybe I'll call him up and see if he can get a cream.
Thanks!

[darron]

i just like cream for the vintage looking colour. think of it like a car in terms of which colours show up blemishes more. then you have to decide if you want glossy or matte etc. as that will make a difference. a high gloss with show up a finger print or scratch right away, but looks much nicer. the regular car paints seem to be a nice compromise.

[knealebrown]

darron : ''.....do NOT to spray the inside though as you need good continuity for the jacks and to the base plate''.

im just completing my first build at the moment and have entirely covered the whole box with spray paint, will this affect my pedals grounding? and if so can i just sand away the parts inside that are grounding points?

thanks

[MikeH]

darron : ''.....do NOT to spray the inside though as you need good continuity for the jacks and to the base plate''.

im just completing my first build at the moment and have entirely covered the whole box with spray paint, will this affect my pedals grounding? and if so can i just sand away the parts inside that are grounding points?

thanks

It's likely that when you tighten down your jacks (if they are the open frame sort with metal washers and nuts) that it will rip right through the paint and ground you enclosure anyway.  But you could just take something sharp and scrape away the paint areound your holes for your jacks though.  Probably not a bad idea to do it for your pots as well.

[knealebrown]

thanks guys, helpful as ever!