# I want to paint the metal box I used for my DIY pedal? Help



## sambonee (Dec 20, 2007)

what paint should I use to paint over a generic bOx like what an mxr comes withThanks


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## Guitar101 (Jan 19, 2011)

sambonee said:


> what paint should I use to paint over a generic bOx like what an mxr comes withThanks


I paint over a lot of metal equipment both rusty and bare metal here on the farm and I have found the best paint for metal is Krylon indoor/outdoor in a spray can available at Walmart & CT. Dries in 10 minutes and you don't need a primer.


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## Jeff B. (Feb 20, 2010)

I think I've tried just about every brand of paint known and the Rust-Oleum Painter's Touch Series is the best I've used. It's cheap, comes in many different colours, goes on thick and sprays easy with great coverage. The 2X coverage line if it is even better. For pure simplicity it's hard to beat Hammertone paint. It covers just about any flaw in the enclosure. Tremclad makes the best hammered paint I've used, I find the Krylon version of it much too runny. Engine enamel is really good too and very tough, especially if you bake it in a dedicated painting oven outside of your house. Swirl finishes are neat and quite simple to do as well. You just need a few bottle of craft paint from the Dollarama and a can of clear-coat paint to seal it when it's dry.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

+1 on engine paint (available from auto parts stores and places like Princess Auto) since it withstands high heat and will not change colour when you do what I'm about to tell you.

You will want to get hold of a toaster oven from a 2nd hand store or garage sale, and use that for baking the paint. 1hr at 175 degrees Fahrenheit, followed by a cooling off, is usually pretty good. Do NOT try and paint it with one coat. Do 2 or 3 thin coats, baking each one.

Why? The baking assures the paint is completely "cured" throughout, not just an outside surface that feels dry to the touch but has uncured content underneath. Thin coats will reduce the risk of the paint running down the sides and clumping, and also increases the likelihood of it being completely cured throughout. It's gonna stink, so make sure you have good air flow. I do mine in the garage, but painting days are quickly drawing to a close for the year.

A few other things to keep in mind:

1) Do all necessary drilling *first*, and *then *paint. That way, no metal bits will end up scratching the paint.

2) Make sure you prepare the surface of the box well, before painting. Cast aluminum boxes come with all sorts of rough edges and oxides on them. Sand with 220 grit, then buff with steel wool. They don't have to shine, necessarily, but they should feel and appear clean.

3) Elevate the box and bottom lid when painting, so you can get paint on the entire outside surface. I can't begin to count the number of times over the years when I thought I had done a nice paint job, and when I put the thing together I found there was bare or underpainted surface poking out where the top and bottom halves came together.


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## fraser (Feb 24, 2007)

Guitar101 said:


> I paint over a lot of metal equipment both rusty and bare metal here on the farm and I have found the best paint for metal is Krylon indoor/outdoor in a spray can available at Walmart & CT. Dries in 10 minutes and you don't need a primer.


thats what i use-
canadian tire a few blocks away has it, in all kinds of colours, $3.99 a can.

mark suggested baking the paint- ive been using a lamp with a regular bulb for this. works nice.
with the krylon stuff, imperfections kind of melt away when heated like this.
the krylon dries real fast, so ive had luck with it in the middle of winter or summer- even did one on my porch in the middle of a rainstorm- 
it doesnt seem to care.


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## sambonee (Dec 20, 2007)

Wow that's a bunch of good stuff. This is really a great community. Seriously thanks. I'll let you know.


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## Guitar101 (Jan 19, 2011)

A lot of good tips but if you do decide on the Krylon. Make sure you finish adding the required light coats before you let it dry. If you let it dry (I'll say more than one hour) and then decide to add more paint. It will wrinkle. I found that out the hard way.


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## dodgechargerfan (Mar 22, 2006)

True that.
If you keep the coats really light, you can avoid the wrinkle.
It takes a lot longer though. Especially when you have to sand things down and go right through the colour.

 ask me how I know.

I think I've sprayed my pedal box 20 times now over about a 2 week period and still don't like it.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

The other thing to keep in mind is compatibility between the paint, and any clearcoat you spray on top. I imagine it happens less if the paint is baked and fully cured, but I've had instances where I primered and painted the box, legended it with rub-on lettering, and when I sprayed on the clear-coat, the box magically turned into a shar-pei puppy.

Probably the safest is to use same brands of both paint and clearcoat. Krylon has both. Keep an eye out for the finish type. Clearcoat can come in "mate" and "gloss". They both have their charms. Matte tends to have a slightly more textured finish, like those matte recent-issue MXR boxes.

Do try to keep coats of whatever you use thin. Thickness only increases chipping-susceptibility.


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## Guest (Oct 7, 2011)

mhammer said:


> the box magically turned into a shar-pei puppy.


Yea, I googled it:


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Uh-huh. That right there is a Hammond 1590BB with the *wrong* clearcoat sprayed on after painting. Notice the discoloration at one end.


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## Jeff B. (Feb 20, 2010)

mhammer said:


> Uh-huh. That right there is a Hammond 1590BB with the *wrong* clearcoat sprayed on after painting. Notice the discoloration at one end.


I'm glad I'm not the only one who's had issues with dog fur showing up after the clearcoat is sprayed on.


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## sambonee (Dec 20, 2007)

Ok good stuff. Funny stuff. So now I've found a pre painted black gloss box. I'm Hoping to do a stamp for a logo/name and for the back. Thoughts. ? I'm gonna have to make about 200-400 of these. That's why I was thinking of using a stamp. Should I just get it done outsourced? Where would I go fir that? Thx all


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## Jeff B. (Feb 20, 2010)

I haven't tried using stamps myself but Analogman, JHS, Coldcraft and others use it quite a bit. I believe it is Stazon ink they use along. Custom stamps usually aren't too much to have made up.
Screen printing is what's the fastest. It only take seconds per box although the initial setup is more costly and it is more labour intensive. I posted about how I do it over in this thread at MadBean's forum although it won't let you see the pictures unless you log in. You can always have a shop so the screen printing for you although it probably won't be cheap.
Other options are decals, vinyl stickers, iron on's or dry transfer labeling (letraset).

Waterslide decals are great and can give you a faux silkscreen appearance. You make the labels yourself on you printer but it's not fastest way nor most productive way to label enclosures.
You have to print the labels, let the ink dry, seal them with clear coat, let that dry, cut them out, apply them, let it dry, then seal it the label and enclosure with clear coat. It's great for small numbers but for anything more than a few at a time it's a hassle.

Vinyl decals are great. Just like the waterslide decals you print them in your printer. A light coat of clear coat is all that's needed afterwards and they're ready to use. Just cut, peel and stick.
You see these and their variations on many pedals. Devi Ever has a company make them up, though I can't recall the name of the shop that did it. Wampler used vinyl decals on his old designs before switching to silkscreen. 

Iron-on's are just t-shirt transfers.

Dry transfer lettering looks very nice and gives a professional result but since you have hundred's to do it would take a very long time to do.

I get all my decal and specialty paper from here.

If I had 200-400 enclosures in front of me that I had to personally label I wouldn't consider anything other than silkscreening them.


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## sambonee (Dec 20, 2007)

Amazing help through your thread reply about the decals. I really have my task cut out in front of me. We're still working on the graphic design.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

This fellow is well established, and also located in Oakville. Give him a shout and maybe he can recommend some local places that might do graphics for you in bulk (e.g., laser etching).

http://www.thetonegod.com/site_map.html


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