The most important things to remember when painting your stompbox....

[Dragonfly]

Things I've learned the "hard way" when painting my stompboxes.

1) DRILL IT : Don't try to drill after painting. If you're careful, it might work out, but usually it just leads to frustration. Get your box drilled, and "test fit" your parts to make sure everything fits ok before even thinking about spraying a finish.

2) VARIETY IS NOT A GOOD THING : Make sure that your paint and your clear coat are the same type...preferably the same brand....for instance, don't mix a laquer clear coat on a enamel finish...sometimes it works of, but usually the paint either crinkles or flakes

3) BE PREPARED : Even though your bare metal box "looks" like its ready for paint, it isn't. sand it lightly with 600 grit (or smaller), and then clean it off with acetone. Rinse with water and dry off carefully.

4) GET PRIMED : Sandable primer works wonders when painting boxes. A coating of primer, when sanded, will help reveal flaws and low spots in the metal, and helps fill them in. Plus, it helps the color of the paint be more "true" to the color on the cap.

5) PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE : Spray light, thin coats every few minutes, instead of heavy coats. Heavy coats tend to run, drip, or "pool" at the bottom edges of the box, whereas thin coats adhere far better. Being patient and taking your time in this step will save you lots of frustration and heartache in the long run.

6) GIVE IT A REST : Yeah, I know that now that your stompbox has paint on it you're anxious to apply decals or lettering....but wait ! Let it sit at least 24 hours (i actually try to wait for 72 hours) so that the paint has a bit of time to harden before adding decals. If the paint is too soft, you're bound to get fingerprints in it. Some say "baking" the finish at a low temp helps it harden quicker, but I didn't really find much benefit in that. Time seems to be the real determining factor in a nice hard finish.

7) WORDS TO THE WISE : Now it's time to apply the decals. If they are inkjet decals, make sure that you shoot a thin coating of clear paint (the same as you'll be using later) over the decals, otherwise the ink will run when you get it wet. When applying the decals, make sure that you work very carefully. I put a thin coating of water (just a touch) on the pedal to assist in moving the decal arround. Toothpicks are a handy tool for getting the decals oriented and in their proper place. when you have them placed, use a tissue to carefully soak up excess water. Make sure that there are no air bubbles under the decals.

8 ) IT'S ALL BECOMING CLEAR NOW : OK, your stompbox is looking great, and you've let the decals dry for a few hours, so that all the water is gone. Now it's time to spray the clear coat. Remember what I said about being patient and applying thin coats ? This is especially important here. Spraying a thin coat every 15 minutes or so will soon build up a nice thick clear coat without having drips or runs.

9) LET IT BE : Allow the clear coats to dry for 48-72 hours before trying to install the parts. Personally, I recommend waiting for even longer if you can. Be careful when you install the parts, and use the proper size wrenches for the job. Always use washers. Pliers are not good to use on stompboxes, IMO, as you'll inevitably slip and mar the awesome finish that you've worked so hard to achieve.

10) ROCK OUT : Plug it in, and enjoy your new pedal !  Be sure to post pictures in the "Pictures" thread so we can all see the great work you've done !

I hope this helps...

AC

[jasonsmusicgear]

It does help, thanks Dragonfly

[markm]

Great advice AC!
Only two things I could add to it;

1) Self Etching primer is the way to go as it will stick like nobody's business
2) I wait sometimes Weeks before doing anything such as decaling or assembling.
    I've been the "baking" route as well, it helps I suppose but, not enough to justify to me.\

Thanks for this!! 

[Dragonfly]

Great advice AC!
Only two things I could add to it;

1) Self Etching primer is the way to go as it will stick like nobody's business
2) I wait sometimes Weeks before doing anything such as decaling or assembling.
    I've been the "baking" route as well, it helps I suppose but, not enough to justify to me.\

Thanks for this!! 

great advice.

the key is "patience".

[Auke Haarsma]

Great advice indeed!

I tried baking as well. 20 minutes at 220 degrees celsius... works wonders...and changes the colour of the paint got me some cool effects though (like an old, 'yellowed' paper). So if that suits your design it's ok.

[MicFarlow77]

AC and Mark,

Awesome Advice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I say the School of Hard Knocks, while a cruel place at times, is still the best education for the money...   

Thanks,

Mick

[John Lyons]

Nice post Andy, it always comes up...!

Couple things to add.
RG mentioned "flashing off" the box with a propane torch to burn off any dusties before painting, makes sense to me...

Also. The baking things works well for me. I use a thrift store toaster oven set to 100ish degrees roughly. It heats up the wet paint and boils off the solvents (not literally boiling...) in about an hour, the same way waiting a week does.
+1 on the self-etching primer.

John

[theundeadelvis]

Good info for sure. Gawd if only I didn't lack patience! Funny you post this, cause I was just thinking of doing a similar thread on decals. I was going to do a step by step on using waterslides and maybe on powder coating your own enclosures too.

[soulsonic]

Has anyone here done waterslides over a powdercoated enclosure and then used clearcoat over that? I've been wanting to try it, but I have no idea what kind of clearcoat will work well over powdercoat..... I'm actually tempted to just get a silkscreening kit and not bother with decals any more.

Any advice about this? I've gotten some great results with waterslides, but I'm getting sick of fooling with alot of that stuff when it's all just an attempt to look like what a silkscreen does anyway.

[ubersam]

y'all forgot about not inhaling the fumes... we'll, it might be fun for some but I prefer to use a filtered resipator/spray painting mask, not just the plain ol' dust mask...

[theundeadelvis]

Has anyone here done waterslides over a powdercoated enclosure and then used clearcoat over that? I've been wanting to try it, but I have no idea what kind of clearcoat will work well over powdercoat..... I'm actually tempted to just get a silkscreening kit and not bother with decals any more.

Any advice about this? I've gotten some great results with waterslides, but I'm getting sick of fooling with alot of that stuff when it's all just an attempt to look like what a silkscreen does anyway.

That's how I do all my pedals. Powder, water slide, clear. Works great. Although, silk screening would be ideal. Hmmm, wonder how much the equipment would be for that?

[GREEN FUZ]

My experience of baking the painted enclosure is not so positive.

Before After



As previously mentioned baking also discolours the finish.

Good info for sure. Gawd if only I didn't lack patience! Funny you post this, cause I was just thinking of doing a similar thread on decals. I was going to do a step by step on using waterslides and maybe on powder coating your own enclosures too.

I`d be curious to see a tutorial on powder coating if you get round to it. I`m finding spray paint has a certain impermanence to it. Not that I expect pedals to last for ever being kicked round a stage.

If anyone wants a toaster oven they can have it for the price of shipping.

[theundeadelvis]

I`d be curious to see a tutorial on powder coating if you get round to it. I`m finding spray paint has a certain impermanence to it. Not that I expect pedals to last for ever being kicked round a stage.

If anyone wants a toaster oven they can have it for the price of shipping.

[/quote]

Hang on to that oven! You'll need it to powder coat too!

[JimRayden]

Thanks Andy. Saved to a document on my desktop.

---------
Jimbo

[GREEN FUZ]

Hang on to that oven! You'll need it to powder coat too!

Ok. Offer rescinded.

[GREEN FUZ]

As a general rule, if spraying outdoors don`t do it when the weather is damp or humid as the paint always seems to take even longer to dry. This clearly rules out doing it in the rain.

[GREEN FUZ]

The silkscreening route is definitely do-able, and for a minimal outlay, but there are, dependant on complexity of design, so many steps involved that it is only really practical if you intend to do a production run. For one off designs water-slides are a good compromise.

[Sir H C]

Breathe deep when painting.

Nah, had a paint shop where he would stop all ventilation and paint.  Scary dude, 5 teeth and a fifth of hard liquor a day.

[bluesdevil]

Greenfuz - What a shame,that wolfman graphic looked killer!!!! I would recommend lacquer clearcoat over decals on bare or powdercoated boxes. No baking required and will dry fast and harder than enamel.
 

[John Lyons]

Baking isn't really for multi layered work with different mediums. Using the oven is for straight spray paint to speed up drying time.
You aren't looking to actually bake anything just to get the ambient temperature dry and warm as if painting in the desert on a hot day.
120 or so degrees is the max I'd say, some paints can go hotter but just to be safe. For decals and such you just want to get the humidity out and to warm the paint so the solvents escape and the paint hardens.

John