Acrylic resin

[nosamiam]

Has anyone ever messed with using acrylic resin as a final protective finish for an enclosure? It's thick clear goop that cures really hard. Ends up like Lexan. I found an old thread where someone covered enclosures in fabric and then used the acrylic resin on top. But has anyone tried it with a painted and labeled enclosure?



It's a two part product, kind of like epoxy. It is often used in molds to make solid objects with things embedded for artistic purposes. But I imagine if it is poured on a surface and left to sit, it would be self-leveling. So, you could put the enclosure in a tray, raise it up a little so its not touching, and then allow the excess to drip off. Depending on how viscous the stuff is (I've never used it) it might end up getting really thin, like a thick clearcoat.  If it ends up too thick, maybe whatever is used as the solvent could be purchased separately and added to it to thin it out a little.

They have it at a local arts and crafts store. I was thinking about picking some up and messing around with it. Anybody else already have a go?

[dschwartz]

i´ve been playing with that idea for a while, but i haven´t found a place to buy it..
you have to be patient cause i think it takes a lot of time to dry.
i have seen hadcrafted boxes with rosin covered tops and it looks like glass, and is very resistent..i wonder if you copuld make knobs with that..

[nosamiam]

I'm pretty sure you can make knobs with it. You would just have to make the molds and source the inserts. Or instead of inserts, you could use split-shaft knurled pots and slide the knobs on. I'm thinking you could use a knurled shaft as part of the mold to help make sure you got the size and shape of the hole right. Maybe add some inert pigment to do different colors?

[alanlan]

How brittle is the stuff when applied in a thin film?  That would be my question.  And can it be mixed to different hardness levels?

[nosamiam]

Yeah, looks like I'll have to buy a can and find out. I also wonder about compatibility and adhesion issues with different types of paint (the paint would go underneath). I'll mess around with it and report back.

[GREEN FUZ]

I`m interested in this also. I used to monkey about with this stuff when I was a kid, making paperweights, keyring fobs etc. What I do remember is that after building up the casting in layers, you could put a final layer of acrylic paint in to create an opaque backing for whatever had been embedded. Theoretically you could paint the enclosure with acrylic paint and then cover with resin. The question is, how well the paint adheres to the enclosure. That`s going to be the weak point.

[m-theory]

I use a heavy, 2-part epoxy clear that I would say is probably acrylic.  I buy it at a hardware store, and it's sold as a varnish alternative.  One coat equals 50 coats of varnish.  I mix it and place parts to be cleared on small, disposible plastic cups, and do the work in a disposible cake pan with plastic lid.  Once I apply it all over, I hit it with a hair dryer, to knock out the air bubbles and blow off the excess clear, then put the lid on the pan and walk away.  I check it several times over the next couple hours, to make sure that it's leveling properly and that there isn't some huge booger in it somewhere.  It stays pretty flowable for well over an hour, and isn't dry to the touch for probably 16 hours or so. 

It's a stunning finish (it levels like glass, and looks buffed and polished when dry), is very cost effective, cures very hard and scratch resistent, and adheres like glue (which it sort of is, actually). The only real drawbacks are the dry times and that it can yellow slightly with age. 

The only problems I've had with adhesion were on DD boxes.  I think there's some weird mold release resin used in those boxes.  I've never had any sort of adhesion problem whatsoever on any other size box, and it's downright horrendous to strip off when it's fully cured.  I used a scraper, about 3-4 sheets of sandpaper, and about 30 minutes of sweat to strip a box once.  I've currently got a mosfet boost in a box that's been kicked and tossed around for the past 5-6 years, and other than having several abuse nicks, there's not even a hint of delamination anywhere.  I'd need a stick of dynamite to break large amounts of clear off at this point. 

[nosamiam]

Glad to see someone's used it before. It sounds like it works quite nicely. Now I'm liking the idea of waterslide decals a WHOLE lot! The acrylic coating should hide the edges of the decals pretty well, I would think. Plus they won't be nearly as fragile when they've got a layer of that stuff over them. The yellowing thing I guess is a drawback. I'm gonna try it!

[m-theory]

The yellowing is very minor, and really not even noticeable, unless you really look closely.  If  you had a white pedal, you'd probably notice it more, but I've never painted anything white. 

You will find decals to be challenging, however.  I've done it, but it wasn't easy.  If you have a full face decal, it won't be so bad, but I had cut out very small decals for a rangemaster build, and they floated until the clear set up a bit.  I had to keep poking them down with a small stick until they quit popping up.  If I hadn't been checking periodically, I'd have been SOL. 

[nosamiam]

Had you tried spraying clearcoat over the decals first? I imagine that might dissolve even after it has dried, allowing the decals to lift and move again?

[Sody54]

You also need to make sure your box is predrilled.  You can't drill through the acrylic once it's fully cured, as it peels away from the surface under it and cracks.   It does have a beautiful finish to it though.

[m-theory]

Had you tried spraying clearcoat over the decals first?

No, but that would probably work. 

You also need to make sure your box is predrilled.

I'd say that this is always a good habit.  I hate mucking up a perfectly fine paint job by trying to drill holes afterwards. 

One more thing I do is put the screws in loosely.  If you don't, you'll have to pick clear out of the holes later.  Which leads to another suggestion...somewhere around 24 hours or so after you pour, take a razor blade and CAREFULLY trim the overhang all the way around.  If you get on it before it fully cures, you can usually get it to come off very easily, but if you wait too long, it gets markedly more difficult. 

There's another thing that I do while it's still wet, though it's a bit anal.  As the clear flows down the sides, it's obviously going to leave hangers, but it's also going to leave a buildup along the bottom edge of the box sides.  You could wait until it cures and sand this flat and buff it, but that's a PITA, so what I do is just try to minimize it. 

For about an hour or so after pouring, I'll take the spoon that I used to mix it and carefully run it along the bottom of the sides, to remove that clear buildup.  You can only do this while it's still able to flow, because if you do it too late, you'll leave ugly marks that won't flow out.  You really only have to do this 2-3 times, because by then, most of the excess clear has dripped off. 

Buy the small sized package to get a feel for the stuff.  I think it's around $20, and has a pint of resin and a pint of catalyst, which is enough to do several pedals.  I tried to make myself like aerosol clears, and to be honest, I did get a few gorgeous boxes using aerosols, but it takes a lot of coats and a lot of elbow grease to make them look spectacular.  The 2 part stuff is liquid glass, it's non-toxic and fume free, and it's a heckuva lot tougher than the spray bomb stuff as well.  I had a stunning marblized A/B pedal that I'd cleared with probably 10 coats of spray lacquer and then sanded and buffed to a mirror finish.  The first time I pulled it out of my gig bag, it looked like it'd been drug across a gravel road...really pi$$ed me off. 

[nosamiam]

I had a stunning marblized A/B pedal that I'd cleared with probably 10 coats of spray lacquer and then sanded and buffed to a mirror finish.  The first time I pulled it out of my gig bag, it looked like it'd been drug across a gravel road...really pi$$ed me off. 

Yeah, I know that feeling well. That's my motivation for trying this technique.

Thanks for all the tips! You've saved me quite a bit of trial and error.

[m-theory]

Thanks for all the tips! You've saved me quite a bit of trial and error.

Well, again, I'm a bit anal at times, so some of those tips may or may not seem valid to all, and there's an excellent chance that somebody has figured out much better ways to deal with this stuff.  This is just what I've learned on my own, that I know works, that's all.  I definitely could've saved a lot of hassles along the way, had I known it myself. 

Btw, if you're ever looking for some killer colors in spray bomb, dupli-color has some very interesting things that really pop out with this clear.  The rather costly "mirage" colors that have irradescent properties that change color at different angles, and their anodized colors.  Both of these are three stage systems, meaning that you'll apply a base, a midcoat, and then the clear.  This gives a tremendous amount of depth, and really offers some stunning finishes. 

[nosamiam]

Cool. I'll keep an eye out for Duplicolor. There's no shortage of places to by spray paint around me, so I'm sure I'll be able to find it.

[cloudscapes]

this is extremelly relevant to my interests!

I'm sort of stuck using acrylics this year. mostly for health/smell/environmental reasons, but also because it's so much fu nto apply! (I use brushes). untill now I've been using crystalex acrylic clear which looks REALLY nice, but is so brittle that I dont feel comfortable selling my pedals just yet. if this glue can top that, well...

I'll try and grab some soon

[cloudscapes]

the resin used in this article looks promising:
http://akaranseth.over-blog.com/pages/How_to_make_water_effect_using_resin-660896.html

I found a local store that carries some. I may pick some up tomorrow and try it on a quick project (bypass or booster), to see how it performs.

[nosamiam]

Yeah, I picked some up too. If I get time after work today I'm gonna give it a try.

[cloudscapes]

I gave it a try on a little feedback looper I built last week. I had painted it with acrylics. I got some 2-bottle clear epoxy stuff and oozed some on it. 5 hours later and it's considerably stronger, though still tacky. I'm guessing tomorrow morning (another 10 hours) and it will be strong enough to handle.

it's pretty pricey. a little over 30 dollars for the two 235ml bottles (hardner + resin), so that gives you around 475ml. you waste a bit too if you're just pouring it on. drips off the sides and on whatever you're working on. if you dont waste too much, you get around 4-6 pedals per $30 kit, depending on size.

I'm told that once it's hard, it's near-indestructable! it also looks really nice. it's a smooth gloss shine, like glass, but without being brittle. if this works out, I can see using this from now on to protect the nice acrylic paintjobs I do.

[cloudscapes]

the epoxy resin works! and it looks great!



there's a slight "pillowing" effect especially around the top holes if it's pre-drilled. doesn't really bother me though.