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| thund3rstruck:
Ok, I'm got the majority of the construction completed and now I'd like to start painting the unit. I've had some bad experiences in the past trying to paint MDF so I'd like to ask the regulars here on how they did it. I've seen some MDF trim look as shiny as glass and other MDF that looks like smeared hobby paint. What would be the best approach to acheive that glossy, glass like finish? After the effort I put into designing and constructing the unit, I'd rather not ruin it with a poor paint job. Thanks, T3 |
| Stingray:
If you want it to look like glass you're going to need a good air compressor and a paint gun. I have access to a professional body shop, so I used automotive paint products. I gave mine about three coats of heavy build primer, I believe this product is called Featherfill. Then I block sanded the whole cab with 180 grit paper. I gave it another couple coats of some cheap enamel primer I had on hand. Block sand it again with 400 grit. Then I gave it three coats of black enamel frame paint with a good wollop of hardner. -S |
| Veinman:
Did you do all this while the cabinet was still in pieces? |
| Stingray:
If you don't have access to paint spraying equiptment, here's another approach I've used. Get one of those small rollers that's about four inches long and maybe an inch and a half in diameter. Get the type that's for smooth surfaces. Give the cab two or three coats of Killz primer/ sealer. Lightly block sand it with some 400 grit. Then give it two or three coats of enamel, I prefer oil based, because it drys harder, but the downside is that you have to paint in a very clean area to keep crud from getting in the paint. You also have to wait a day between coats. Put your coats on lightly and go over the roller lines with a semi dry roller to help erase them. The result is a shiny, textured surface that's somewhat similar in appearance to the textured vinyl that some cabs are covered in at the factory. It's not a mirror like finish that you would get when you spray it, but it's a nice attractive surface in my opinion. I painted my NEO-GEO this way because I just didn't want to haul it to the shop. I'm not sure I'd recomend doing this with black or very dark colors, but IMO the red turned out great. I would expect similar results with other bright colors. -S |
| Stingray:
--- Quote from: Veinman on April 20, 2005, 10:15:01 am ---Did you do all this while the cabinet was still in pieces? --- End quote --- Sorry, I missed this question. The cabinet was painted just as it looks in the picture. -S |
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