"Painting" the pedal

[polifemo]

Hi,

I´ve just finished my first build: A simple Attenuator (L-pad + some caps and a switch) 

Now I would like to "paint it".

I have no idea of how to go ahead with this and would love to have some info on the subject   

What is powder coat?

The pedal on the pic below has a great colour and depth:



How does one do that 

[Meanderthal]

Tibetan Llama Buddhist Monk Fuzz! Cool!

The finish looks like red spraypaint, with a very light/splattery coat of burgundy, then a thick clearcoat. The words look like computer graphics pasted into the pic, not actually on the pedal itself.

[polifemo]

Tibetan Llama Buddhist Monk Fuzz! Cool!

The finish looks like red spraypaint, with a very light/splattery coat of burgundy, then a thick clearcoat.

Will this spraypaint really stick on the pedal?
I once painted some "metal", and the paint came of quite easily...

(I´ve got a boutique pedal - really expensive - and when I removed the rubberfeet the paint came off as well )

[Dragonfly]

Searching for the words "paint" and "powder coat" here on the forum should give you more suggestions/tips/processess than you'll ever need.

There *may* also be info in the FAQ.
AC

[markm]

A good etching primer coat is one of the "keys" to making paint stick to aluminum.
Many like to bake their enclosures but, the true secret is what's under the paint.
Just like auto-body work, the best finish begins with the best prep work.

[Rafa]

I have a question about painting too
How can I pay paint a guitar like striped PRS? what things do I need?

Thanksss
Rafa

[Pushtone]

There is so much here on painting the is waiting for ya!
Here's a  keyword to search, Duplicolor.
The finish on the pedal above  might be one of these processes where the metal surface is scratched
or marked to hold paint, then sanded, and painted again with a lighter transparent color.

You won't get all the info you need in one reply, you'll have to read a lot and then do it and make mistakes.
And whatever you do DON'T LOOK AT THIS SITE or you'll really be jones'in for a compressor and spray gun.
http://www.swankbox.org/

[Hey, Swankbox.org is down. Oh well there WAS some really increadible pics there.]

After your search, Your next stop should be the Wiki.
http://www.diystompboxes.com/wiki/index.php?title=AllAboutEnclosures

If you have the time, scan the complete PICTURES! thread, it has several gems of information in there as well as several mistakes you can avoid.
There is also a couple of pics of the way folks suspend their boxes for painting. All valuable info.


As far as paint sticking. The bottom line is that paint chips. Using your pedals causes chips.

And you know what chips them? The 1/4" connectors floppin around when plugging pedals in.
I love (ie HATE  ) it when I unplug the guitar and drop the cable to the ground.
The 1/4" connector always seems to land right on my best lookin' pedal and chips the clear.

So, unless you are making pedals to go into a display case, be prepared (emotionally) to let them get chipped.




What can you do about?

Personally I would rather finish a pedal and start playing it rather than painting it.
Thats the main reason why I brainstormed the enclosure etching with PnP mask finish.
It created a finish that , other than the clear, can not chip off like paint or decals.
http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=34304

There are primers made for metal.
I think they are called "etching primers" These stick to the metal well and paint sticks to it.
More steps to do.

Paint will stick better to metal that is roughed up over metal that has been sanded smooth.
Sand with 220 grit wet paper before spraying. Sand in one direction for a brushed look. Sand with an orbiter and get a sandblasted look.
Always sand wet to keep the dust down. Always wear a respirator when sanding. Don't sand around your kids or on the kitchen table.

Sanding sucks!
I take my boxes to a powder coater now. Whats powder coating? Its paint, do a search.

Also check out dano12's "pedal in a day" article (and the rest of his amazing site too),
http://www.beavisaudio.com/techpages/boxinaday.html

[woulfer]

That PRS is the result of a highly flamed maple body. You'd have a hard time making metal look like that with paint.

[Pushtone]

I have a question about painting too
How can I pay paint a guitar like striped PRS? what things do I need?

I think those are wood dyes
http://www.reranch.com/dyes.htm
http://reranchstore.stores.yahoo.net/andyecol.html

[Pushtone]

That PRS is the result of a highly flamed maple body. You'd have a hard time making metal look like that with paint.

I think he wants to paint a guitar, if so thene reranch.com is the place. Like 18watt is to amps reranch is to guitar finishing.




AND YOU CAN DO THIS ON METAL! And it's been done right here by forumite SteveB (and others).
http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=36392.msg394065#msg394065




Posted in the PICTURES! thread.

[rockgardenlove]

I actually do have a spray gun and compressor.  What sort of lacquer is good for boxes?

[Pushtone]

I actually do have a spray gun and compressor.  What sort of lacquer is good for boxes?

WHAT!

Have you mentioned this before rockgardenlove? All this time you were sitting on it and NO pics?




Did you see the DIY sunburst guitar finish article at diyguitarist.com?

And my thread on how I applied that technique to sunburst stompbox finishes?

With a gun and comp you are all set to make some freaking cool boxes!! 

I wish swankbox.org was still up to point at some pictures. 

I remember seeing a DIY spray booth that one can build for less than $100.00.
Uses a hairdrier and plastic sheeting.

Seriously, I knew of no one here shooting paint with a gun. I thought we were all rattle cann'ers.

[rockgardenlove]

Yep, I've got a gun.    I may have mentioned it before, but I don't think I have.

I've been using it for guitars, using nitrocellulose lacquer of course.  I actually have been painting my box using rattle cans recently though.  Haven't been able to arse myself into figuring out what sort of paint I need to buy.

What exactly is a spray booth for?  I hang my guitars from the garage door opener motor in my garage and it works fine. 

[fixr1984]

What exactly is a spray booth for?  I hang my guitars from the garage door opener motor in my garage and it works fine. 

If you have a fairly dust free well ventilated environment then you should be fine. Mostly
a spray booth is used to suck out the fumes and to give a sealed environment to help
keep the dust down so you dont have dust spots in the paint.

[Pushtone]

Yeah, mostly to keep dust down but also to lower humidity.
If the air inside the booth can be warmed it would help when working in the cold damp months of winter.
I'm not talking about baking paint. Just creating a warm and dry enviroment in which to spray.

It's too difficult to heat the entire uninsulated garage,
so a tent or cardboard booth that could keep dust out and heat in would be a good thing.

The design I saw used a hair dryer as a positive pressure, plugged into a DIY filter box and vented through flexible conduit to the top of a tent made with plastic sheeting.
It was part of an article about painting engine parts but I can't find it now.

I would make the tent with some high temp material like aluminum foil and use three 100watt light bulbs as the heat source and a small fan for air pressure.
The positive air pressure and filter would be key for me. My garage is dusty! I can't lay down clear coat without something landing in it.

[rockgardenlove]

Crap always lands in my coats, yeah.  I use some sandpaper usually. 
I dunno how I'd construct a booth exactly though...

I like this idea.  Maybe a frame made of 2x4's and then covered with thick plastic sheeting.

[amz-fx]

This was done with three coats of different color paint.  The base coat was duplicolor gold.  Over coated with Duplicolor Red and then allowed to dry thoroughly.

Then a fast drying walnut paint was sprayed over it and wiped with a paper towel which formed the grain pattern.

regards, Jack