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Spray Painting MDF
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javeryh:

--- Quote from: ahofle on November 14, 2006, 11:06:22 am ---Just curious why so many people are after glossy/mirror finishes on their arcade cabs.  I don't recall ever seeing an actual cab that was glossy.

--- End quote ---

I can't speak for the others but I'm building this cab for my daughter and I want it to be as girly and fancy as possible.  It's tiny (80%) and I think a mirrored, glossy finish will go with the girly pink theme.  I probably wouldn't finish a "real" cabinet like this though but that's just me.
AlanS17:
I personally don't need a mirror finish. I would settle for uniform. I intend to get some adhesive-backed sideart onto my next project anyways. It might be the last machine I ever build, and I want it to be a good one.
ahofle:

--- Quote from: javeryh on November 14, 2006, 11:56:43 am ---
--- Quote from: ahofle on November 14, 2006, 11:06:22 am ---Just curious why so many people are after glossy/mirror finishes on their arcade cabs.  I don't recall ever seeing an actual cab that was glossy.

--- End quote ---

I can't speak for the others but I'm building this cab for my daughter and I want it to be as girly and fancy as possible.  It's tiny (80%) and I think a mirrored, glossy finish will go with the girly pink theme.

--- End quote ---

Wow, that is awesome.  Your daughter is a lucky girl.
sealslayer:

--- Quote from: javeryh on November 14, 2006, 11:01:11 am ---I'm going to give the spray painting a try on some scrap MDF.  I had problems on my last cab getting into the corners/joints and making everything look smooth (there are a few small runs).  I will be buying the paint in cans though because I don't have a sprayer or anything.  In order to get a smooth, mirror-like finish I guess I'll pick up:

1.  white primer/waterproof glue (I'm going to try both methods)
2.  colored paint
3.  sandpaper
4.  rubbing compound

Is there anything I'm forgetting?  How many coats of each should I put on there?

--- End quote ---


If all your holes are filled nicely then that's all you should need, when it comes to spraying the primer I'd go with 3 coats sanding between them all.
My cab took 6 coats of paint but as I said earlier I could have got away with less if I had used white primer.

As your going to be cutting back with the compound I would spray until it looks nice and even then add one more coat for the paint that will be lost while you are lightsanding and cutting back with the compound.
Its very easy to sand too much and suddenly see the primer appear underneath and make all your hard work a waste of time.

Here's a link that a member placed on another topic about spraying, it shows all the principles of using compound etc.

http://www.mnpctech.com/case-mod-paint-computer-pc-case-mod-how-to1.html

If you do end up getting a run then let it dry for about 20 minutes and sand it back with medium grade wet n dry until its smooth then continue spraying, its no good spraying over it as it will get higher and higher the more coats you put on.

Only other advice I can offer is go slow and steady, practise on some scrap, go too slow and you'll get runs, go too fast and you'll get a uneven spray pattern.
While your spraying your looking for a nice gloss appearing as you spray if its not then your going too fast.
Start at the top of the panel and move left to right then come across the panel about a  inch lower so the new line of spray half covers the line you just sprayed  from right to left and continue until you get to the bottom, don't be tempted to go back and cover a bit if it looks blotchy, you can cover that bit on the next coat.

Your probably going to end up with overspray but don't worry about that you can light sand that down after its dried nice and hard. If it looks and feels rough after you have finished don't worry that wont be your final finish, once you get your hands on the compound you'll truly see your hard work come to light.
javeryh:
Thanks for the tips sealslayer. 

Can you buy spray paint in any color you want or are you limited to what is in the cans on the shelf? 
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