Paint finishing??????

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Hello All,
I need a wee bit of advise on finish work of speaker cabinets..
Is there a thread i couldnt find in here about finishing the out sides?
I wanted to toss out an idea b4 i start to pursue it. I wanted to use Automotive spray gun for applying my paint to my new subwoofer? just wondering if anyone has experiance or advise on what to use for paint and primer and any tips in general?
Kinda of a vague post but i hope it spurs Pics of projects and im sure some quality advise.
:D :clown:
 
I just finished the subwoofer below, with an unconventional paint method. I mixed regular synthetic enamels to obtain the color and then mixed in twice as much clear nitrocellulose laquer - a home made "Duco" style paint - and thinner as required. Applied several layers (spray with manual bug kill pump) sanding in between. Adjusting the mix viscosity you can obtain a textured finish both good looking and easy to wipe and keep clean.

For the stripe, I masked and applied clear laquer, then sanded and polished with paste.

Hope it helps

Rodolfo
 

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that looks great i bet those pics dont even do it full justice! So thats an automotive style paint eh nothing special was needed even tho you used it on MDF?
How many coats of primer ? And how many coats of paint would you guess?

Part of the reason i was leaning toward auto paint is the volume of choices in color. Not that i was going to do anything other then a Black or really Dark blue or a mix. lol
good stuff tho i like that alot....
 
Yes it is MDF and no, I did not use primer at all, just paint. As to how many coats I cannot remember exactly for I made it during a long time span interrutped by other projects.

Just use as many coats as required to obtain a smooth flat surface after sanding (wet sanding # 120 to speed things). The beauty is paint dries almost instantly when mixed with laquer so you can sand about 2 hours after application. Dry and clean with alcohol before painting.

Here is another example, this time top and sides were lacquered clear and polished.

Rodolfo

PS for sanding I use a rectangular knife sharpening stone wrapped in sanding paper, to ensure a perfectly flat surface.
 

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intresting no primer. Those other pics are good also are the flat black fronts with glossy sides nice.
So did you used auto paint with laquer ? or is somthing else? whats the ratio of laquer to paint?
i like how they all have the stripe also you trade mark i take it? Makes for a sano style all you.
 
A couple of notes. I used not auto paint but ordinary synthetic enamels mixed to get the desired color. I guess auto paint may be used directly without lacquer mixing, but it is much more expensive (at least here). In my case, I mixed two parts lacquer and one part paint.

I am also in no way an finishing expert, but like to do and find out things by myself. Certainly there are plenty of much more knowledegable specialists in the forum to give advise.

Rodolfo
 
If you did that without any outside help at all bravo! i have a problem of over analyzing and trying to get all the angles and talkin my self rite into somthing else. If in the end mine comes out anywhere near that i will be happy.
So regular enamel you purchased at like a paint store? cheaper is good i havent priced car paint so it may be more here also.
:smash:
 
Boston,

You'll find laquer... auto or otherwise to be real forgiving. You don't need primer on wood, however an automtoive type "sealer" would be good. What the sealer will do for you form a barrier so the wood doesn't soak up too much solvent. You want the solvent to evaporate and not penetrate the wood.

Polyurethane can also be used as a sealer and can be had for less money... let it dry a few days before sanding smooth. You can then follow with laquer or more poly.

Laquer gives you the option of satin finsh (steel wool), shiny (rubbing compund) but its real advantage is in how it can be sanded and reworked if you mess up.

;)
 
Sorry Boston,

Restored a 100 cars or so when I was in the biz... All before the age of digital. Never that many photos anyway... after 6 to 18 months on a car I usually didn't want to see it again!

I like to see somebody do a faux finish... black and white marble!

;)
 
Another option is my recently discovered favorite, PianoLac It is a water based poly system that is 98% as black as black lacquer and polishes to a harder just as glossy finish. It also does a good satin if you just wet sand it to 2000 grit and wax.

It's a small one man show, and Arthur is very helpful to spray gun newbies. Minimum purchase is about $80, but that's enough to seal, paint and clearcoat 4 sets of 1 cubic foot boxes.

Edit: Poobah, I did a black faux marble for the base of my stands. I'll have to borrow a camera again to show you. I used a home depot marbelizing kit with clear poly on top.
 
that marble finish is very nice and the pianolac is an intresting concept. 80 bucks is fair amount coin tho.
Is there a spot on this forum where people display the finish goods? Little show off spot, so to speak, of there skill and creativty of there finishing prowes?
Just wondering.
Poobah you mostly work in laminates then? Or do you still paint your work just not with a spraygun?
thanks for the replys this kinda info helps alot.
 
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=23208 is the show your stuff thread.

Photographing a high gloss finish so that it looks good is not a skill I possess. My speakers look MUCH better in person than they do in a point and shoot digital picture.

The cab above was finished with automotive spray cans. I spent over $100 for the pair by the time I covered up all my learning curve sand through the finish goofs. I also learned the importance of surface prep the hard way. Even if all goes well, figure 5-6 cans to cover a pair this size with enough for wet sanding to a high gloss. They're 10"w x 17" H x 14" deep, for reference.

Pianolac is an extremely high solids formula that builds quickly, especially with an HVLP gun. I sprayed a lot more than I would now because I took a few coats to figure out how to get a smooth coat with my Harbor Freight touch up gun. 3 coats of black and 9 clear are all that are required for a good finish. Of course you need access to a spray rig for a week - 3 coats a day, sanding with 320 between daily spraying, sand the second to last coat after a day before spraying the last coat.

Edit/hint: If you see MDF fuzz showing up through the paint DO NOT sand. You'll just get more grain rasing, and cost you more paint. Put a few more coats of finish on to cover it up before sanding agian.
 
Hey Boston,

Actually the speakers I build get covered with vinyl fabric... music amps and such.

But I chimed anyway having breathed through a few thousand gallons of solvent.

I restored a 41 Lincoln once in about '83. The client actually found the very same man who used to paint the steel dashboards for LINCOLN. He had this guy, in his 80's, redo the dash. It was astounding... looked like one piece of mahagany. I don't know how many tries it took to get his touch back... but wow.... just rags, toothbrushes, feathers, 3-4 shades of paint and who knows what.

Go for it Boston... just as long as you have a "sandable" (laquer-ish - polyurethane) paint and you'll come out with a pro look on your first outing (you may use 3 times the paint a pro would though).



;)
 
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