Painting crack after

airofu · 2388

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Offline airofu

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on: March 06, 2019, 10:39:26 AM
I have an already assembled Crack and want to spray paint the top plate however it is all assembled and soldered....is it possible to do if I leave all the bits in and cover with masking tape?



Offline Doc B.

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Reply #1 on: March 06, 2019, 10:55:20 AM
Sure, just take your time masking. An Xacto knife is very helpful for trimming the tape to get crisp lines around things like switches and sockets.

Dan "Doc B." Schmalle
President For Life
Bottlehead Corp.


Offline airofu

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Reply #2 on: March 06, 2019, 11:47:49 AM
Thanks, I'm sure it's been done, just after any other tips :)



Offline ALL212

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Reply #3 on: March 06, 2019, 12:46:58 PM
Don't use a roller...   :o

Aaron Luebke


Offline Paul Birkeland

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Reply #4 on: March 06, 2019, 01:24:10 PM
I will the the naysayer here and recommend not attempting this in the manner you're considering unless you're planning to go with some kind of black paint. 

If you're attempting to do a color, you'll want to  detach the volume pot and headphone jack from the chassis and let them hang, then cover those holes on the bottom with masking tape.  You can unbolt the 9 pin socket, remove the retainer ring, then pull the socket out slightly and wrap it in masking tape (but leaving it in the circuit).  The octal socket can be disconnected and left to hang, which will give you access to cover the holes.  The IEC power entry module and power switch can carefully be pressed out of the holes if you use a small flat head screw driver to press on the retention clips.  You don't need to pull these all the way out, just enough so your paint can get to the metal that's under where each of those objects rests on the panel.  The RCA jacks should probably be desoldered and removed.  The power transformer can be taped up pretty easily. 

Paul "PB" Birkeland

Bottlehead Grunt & The Repro Man


Offline Adrian

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Reply #5 on: March 06, 2019, 02:50:42 PM
Most of my BH equipment has the top plate painted Black.
I first spray painted the top with a couple of coats appliance epoxy.  This is meant for kitchen appliances and is hard and resilient and has a glossy finish.
I then assembled the kit completely and made sure it worked.
I then removed the tubes and carefully masked off all of the areas I did not want to touch up with additional spray paint.
I masked off the power transformer iron and did not want paint on it.
Take your time masking and definitely use an exacto type knife for the fine work.
A warning:  consider masking with additional paper if needed on the bottom of the plate to prevent over spray from painting anything underneath.  This can easily happen if you don't take a simple precaution to prevent it.

Adrian C.

VPI Prime w/Ortofon Quintet Black MC/Rothwell MCL Lundahl SUT/EROS/Submissive (3 output mod)/Mainline/Crack - Speedball/S.E.X. 2.1 - C4S/S.E.X. 3.0 - C4S/Paramounts - Blumenstein 2.2 Mini-Max w/DOF mod -Senn HD600/Viso HP50/Focal Elear.


Offline airofu

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Reply #6 on: March 07, 2019, 09:48:47 PM
Thanks for the tips, will try to loosen and pull out/tape what I can..

Looking at a dark grey/charcoal hammered spray paint which seems to be pretty popular....about 5-8 coats with a couple minutes in between should be alright?



Offline Paul Birkeland

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Reply #7 on: March 08, 2019, 04:25:09 AM
Looking at a dark grey/charcoal hammered spray paint which seems to be pretty popular....about 5-8 coats with a couple minutes in between should be alright?
Practice on a scrap piece of metal before you do that to a built Crack.  That would be far too much of that paint for my tastes, and you'll have a really hard time starting over with a built kit.

Paul "PB" Birkeland

Bottlehead Grunt & The Repro Man


Offline Doc B.

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Reply #8 on: March 08, 2019, 04:42:17 AM
One light coat followed by two medium coats works about right, with no more than a couple of minutes between coats. Hammertone paint coats need to flow together to "hammer" well, and if you let each coat dry too much before the next one it will end up without much pattern to the finish.

Once the paint job is complete it's best to let the paint dry for at least a week or two before doing any other work on the chassis. It takes a long time for the finish to completely harden.

Dan "Doc B." Schmalle
President For Life
Bottlehead Corp.


Offline airofu

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Reply #9 on: March 08, 2019, 11:21:56 AM
Thanks, and the best way to apply stain coats? Brush...roller...sponge?



Offline Adrian

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Reply #10 on: March 08, 2019, 01:35:56 PM
I assume you're talking about staining the wood base.

I use latex gloves while applying the stain with a folded lint free rag (sold in the paint section of a harware store).
Rags seem to do a pretty good job of applying the stain and ensuring too much is not used which can sometimes happen with a brush, roller, or sponge.
Brushes, rollers, or sponges can be use but just practice on another piece first to get a feel for the right amount to apply for each coat.  Make sure you pick the right kind of brush for the stain - might say on the instructions for the stain.

Google YouTube staining techniques for additional ideas and tips.

Practice first!

Adrian C.

VPI Prime w/Ortofon Quintet Black MC/Rothwell MCL Lundahl SUT/EROS/Submissive (3 output mod)/Mainline/Crack - Speedball/S.E.X. 2.1 - C4S/S.E.X. 3.0 - C4S/Paramounts - Blumenstein 2.2 Mini-Max w/DOF mod -Senn HD600/Viso HP50/Focal Elear.


Offline Doc B.

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Reply #11 on: March 08, 2019, 01:40:52 PM
Yeah, even if you brush the stain on you still want to wipe it with a rag to even out the color.

Dan "Doc B." Schmalle
President For Life
Bottlehead Corp.


Offline airofu

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Reply #12 on: March 08, 2019, 08:50:38 PM
Yep staining for the base, thanks for the tips.