Anyone have any suggestions on Piano Black paint job?

[corryn00]

I am going to be building a pair of speakers for my house soon but i want them to have the piano black finish. Does anyone know how to do this or where i may find more info on how to do it?

Thanks a million,
Gordon

[BrianL]

Depends on what type of piano black. There's the matte
rubbed black finish that Steinway uses and the gloss black
that you find on other brands (I think you can get it on
Steinway as well).

For the gloss, I'd investigate the Crystalac water-based
finishes available from McFeely's. see:

http://www.mcfeelys.com/subcat.asp?subcat=5.10

It requires spray equipment, though. I'm not sure how it would
do with hand application. Comes in gloss and satin.

The really glossy finishes on pianos from the far east usually
use a (poly)urethane catalyzed (UV set?) finish, not do-able
at home.

[corryn00]

i wanna go as glossy of black as i can.

what do you suggest and the method to do it?

[Stocker]

A thick coat of a phenolic resin will find its own smoothness that you can rub as bright as you have elbow grease for. Be prepared for lots of work though.

[corryn00]

do you suppose that product can be aquired at a home depot store?

[Jim85IROC]

Automotive 2 stage Urethane basecoat/clearcoat finishes are like a mirror after wetsanding and buffing. I'm fortunate enough to have access to it (dad own's a body shop), but I realize that most don't.

I painted the tall tangband enclosure in the back with the 2-stage Urethane:

[rcavictim]

Originally posted by Jim85IROC
Automotive 2 stage Urethane basecoat/clearcoat finishes are like a mirror after wetsanding and buffing. I'm fortunate enough to have access to it (dad own's a body shop), but I realize that most don't.

I painted the tall tangband enclosure in the back with the 2-stage Urethane:

Jim,

Why do you need two flashlights?

Seriously, that finish looks awesome! Nice job. That speaker looks very nice.

[tiroth]

A high gloss finish is 90% prep work and elbow grease, and 10% the actual finish used. The finishing article on

http://www.homesteadfinishing.com

gives the basic steps to rubbing out a finish. This process could be used with Crystalac or another water-base finish. (follow the recipe for whatever finish you use, then proceed to rubbing out)

You do not want any solvent or catalyzed lacquer, as they are extremely toxic!

I have seen amazing results from a can of spray paint, but I think it is a lot of work. Getting a better finishing product would probably save some time.

[Jim85IROC]

I've worked extensively with spray paint of many varieties. So far, I have not been able to achieve the same level of shine that an automotive lacquer or urethane can provide. Whatever finish material you use, you need to have one that's at least capable of being highly polished. For example, you can polish flat black all you want, but its properties simply won't allow you to get a mirror shine. Spray paint is the same way to a lesser degree. You can polish the hell out of it, but usually the best you'll get is a blurry reflection. Polished urethanes or lacquers will give you a mirror image.

The old analagy, "You can't polish a turd" couldn't possibly be any more appropriate for this situation.

[tiroth]

Jin, I definitely agree with you. I guess I should have said, the best paint in the world is not going to look good without a lot of prep work and proper finishing.