reasons not to paint in gloss?

darron · May 11, 2007, 08:59:34 PM

hello. i like to spray in a high gloss in 50's/60's sorta colours for a nice retro look. not many of the larger effect companies do this and use an ultra matte finish. can anyone think of the reasons behind this? gloss looks nicer in a photo when it reflects the knobs and stuff. gloss would probably look worse though once (or if) it ever got chipped. maybe gloss is a distraction with the pretty lights on stage?

it sounds almost trivial, but i know we like to discuss the TINIEST of things here because they are actually important to us.

thanks (:

darron

Meanderthal · May 11, 2007, 10:09:25 PM

Think of it like house painting- gloss brings out any imperfections, flat hides them(sometimes labled as high-hiding!)... same thing fer pedals. Scuffs, scratches, and chips are gonna jump right atcha with high gloss, maybe scuffs wouldn't be as obvious with a matte finish...

Also, like with Russian EH and Rats and such, it's a textured coating... very beatable... actually made me consider using rubberized truck bed coating... but I didn't. $:-\$

darron · May 11, 2007, 10:21:48 PM

thanks Meanderthal. pretty much what i was thinking. i just got the car sprayer up the road to spray a box for me for free when he sprayed a speckled maroon sort of car. it's cleared and gloss and looks fantastic, but i suppose such things can't last. i suppose i'll be doing things in matte from now on...

Meanderthal · May 11, 2007, 10:50:06 PM

I've seen powder coat finishes that were rock hard, almost impossible to scuff... If you have a way of getting that done, might be worth a shot.

I know a place that does truck rims and stuff, but they don't want to be bothered with little stuff...

Processaurus · May 11, 2007, 11:22:23 PM

Quote from: Meanderthal on May 11, 2007, 10:09:25 PM
actually made me consider using rubberized truck bed coating... but I didn't. $:-\$

I've wanted to do that too. knobs included.

darron · May 12, 2007, 01:48:38 AM

i've had gloss powder coating done. yep, pretty much indestructible. i left an enclosure floating around my ute for a while and it's held up. it doesn't look as perfect as paint.

from my experience, here's some important tips when powdercoated:

1) specify time and time again that you don't want the inside sprayed, and the base of the lid where the groundings all make contact. it's good to have all of the jacks touching the enclosure's metal as well as being hooked up by wire.

2) take a look at any work that they are doing at the time. powder coating places are used to spraying things like fences and play equipment, and they use a large hole in the spray gun. up close nobody cares about fences, and you need a finer spray to get a smooth surface finish. the batch that i just tried came out very course, and even though powder coating can't run, it can be uneven.

3) there's good and there's bad. take a look at what measures they take to prepare the enclosure. is the powder from a large brand name that you know? ask them if they spray to ISO 9001: 2000

Paul Perry (Frostwave) · May 12, 2007, 08:27:34 AM

If there is somewhere you don't want to get powder coated, it might be an idea to mask it off (with temperature resistant tape or with the liquid latex stuff they use to mask holes during wave soldering). Because, the electrostatic attraction will get a certain amount of paint on the 'back' side of the box otherwise. I guess for assured electrical contact, you really need to use selftappers and a connecting wire, or similar.

Paul Marossy · May 12, 2007, 12:07:05 PM

The thing that I don't like about a glossy finish is that it can be hard to see the graphics when light is shining on it from above. That becomes important when you are trying to adjust something quickly when you are in the middle of playing something in front of people. If it's too hard to see what knob is what, you waste a lot of time because of the glossy finish - especially if the ambient lighting levels are pretty low. That's why I use flat or semi-gloss clearcoat finishes.

darron · May 12, 2007, 09:01:14 PM

Quote from: Paul Perry (Frostwave) on May 12, 2007, 08:27:34 AM
If there is somewhere you don't want to get powder coated, it might be an idea to mask it off (with temperature resistant tape or with the liquid latex stuff they use to mask holes during wave soldering). Because, the electrostatic attraction will get a certain amount of paint on the 'back' side of the box otherwise. I guess for assured electrical contact, you really need to use selftappers and a connecting wire, or similar.

probably would be best to ensure perfection. they can just not spray in that area and you get a minimal overspray, as you would with automotive paints also. but they are used to spraying fences and stuff and are a bit crude. in my case they just forgot not to spray inside.

anybody want to buy about 25 cream coloured boxes cheap? they have four audio jack holes for stereo or and effects loop and are MXR sized. PM me

haha

Quote from: Paul Marossy on May 12, 2007, 12:07:05 PM
The thing that I don't like about a glossy finish is that it can be hard to see the graphics when light is shining on it from above. That becomes important when you are trying to adjust something quickly when you are in the middle of playing something in front of people. If it's too hard to see what knob is what, you waste a lot of time because of the glossy finish - especially if the ambient lighting levels are pretty low. That's why I use flat or semi-gloss clearcoat finishes.

i was thinking that also. i'm screen printing at the moment with a satin black sort of ink. i'm glad that you have confirmed what i feared might happen. luckily though my builds are tiny with 2/3 knobs and maybe a switch (:

thanks for all of your input guys (:

Paul Marossy · May 12, 2007, 09:35:13 PM

Quoteluckily though my builds are tiny with 2/3 knobs and maybe a switch

Most of mine are, too. But, when I have 6 DIY pedals on your pedalboard, I don't remember where everything is laid out on every one of them - especially when I'm playing a song and might need to make a small adjustment.

SolderBoy · May 13, 2007, 11:25:30 AM

the labour cost of polishing is probably a factor too. But mostly just a trend. Everything is matt these days. Take a look in Ikea!

I used to work in a guitar custom shop where everything was sprayed in satin. A lot of the big players like it on guitars cuz it looks better under stage and TV lights. (Believe it or not, Steinway have patented a finishing process that knocks the gloss off their pianos so they look good on tv.) It was great - straight out of the gun and into the case! - no leveling, rubbing, polishing etc etc...

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reasons not to paint in gloss?