How hot will she get?

[bullandvodka]

Hey guys, long time lurker but not so many posts....

I finally manned up and purchased the Stereomour I'd been dreaming about for a year.  Its sitting here in bits in front of me waiting for the build.  I'd like to paint the top plate a glossy or semi gloss slightly off white with the transformer bell and top of the chokes a semi gloss black.

It occurred to me that parts of the amp will get either very warm or truly hot.

My question is, does this dictate my choice in paint?  Do I need a special high heat paint?  Is there anything I need to stay away from?   The black I'm confident will stay black or close enough but the white I'd prefer not discolor from heat.  Where is the heat on the amp?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Jim R.]

Hi B&V,

Welcome!

Your typical rustoleum/krylon is good to about 165 degrees or so, which should be fine for the plate, though I have no idea of how the paint will age in terms of color changes.  The thing that usually get the hottest is the power transformer, and I prefer to use the rustoleum extreme heat ultra gas grille paint -- but it only comes in flat and gloss black as far as I know.  It's good to 1000 degrees, which is somewhat overkill, but I certainly don't have to worry about it.  Maybe use the gloss and scuff it with scothbrite or something like that.  Or you could have things powdercoated, which is good to 400F or so, which is a very large margin for BH gear.

Aside from the power transformer, the hottest parts on the plate will be near the output tubes above where the big cathode resistors are located, but these plates are also fairly thick aluminum and heat tends to even out over a fairly large area.  Also be sure to use footers at least as high as the stock BH ones and allow for plenty of airflow around and under the amp -- i.e., don't put it in a closed cabinet.

So far everybody who has built this amp really seems to love it -- I expect mine to be coming online soon after our pending move to a new home.

Good luck,

Jim

[bullandvodka]

Thanks for the help Jim.

Much appreciated.  Im worried that heat might eventually discolor the white, so I'll look into powder coating it.  I found a local place and they have some white engine parts on display.  If it can hande engine heat, i think im feeling good there.  The transformers i wont stress about since black probably won't discolor.

Hope you get to listen to your stereomour again soon.