Box Finish in a Day

Patience is not one of my virtues. In fact, I'm running a little short in the overall virtues department. But patience is the big one for me. When it comes to finishing stompboxes, I have tried all sorts of paints, sprays, decals, labels, paint pens, hammers, etc. They all turned out like crap and took way too long.

After a long set of trial and error events, punctuated by voluminous profanities, I have finally perfected my Beavis "Box in a Day" technique. Folks have asked about it so I thought it would make sense to post it here as a list.

Note that there are thousands of variations on finishing techniques--mine is not revolutionary nor will it guarantee 100% professional results. But it strikes the balance between good looks and a lack of patience.

Painting

1. Drill all the holes you need in the enclosure
    
2. Use sandpaper to smooth off any burrs or sharp ends
    
3. Wipe down the box with Acetone and paper towels. This will make sure it is clean.
    
4. Paint it with a light coat of spray paint. I now exclusively use Rustoleum because it is idiot proof.
    
5. Pop it in your dedicated pedal-baking toaster oven for 30 minutes at 150°F.
   
   DO NOT USE ANY OVEN THAT IS USED IN THE PREPARATION OF FOOD. THE RESULTING FUMES WILL BAKE ON TO THE INTERIOR OF THE OVEN AND CONTINUE TO LEACH TOXIC NASTINESS INTO SUBSEQUENT RE-HEATS.
   
   You can get a used toaster oven for around 5 bucks. Don't cheap out on this step. Don't cheat with your wife's toaster oven. Not even once.
    
6. Pop it out of the oven with gloves and let it cool for 10 minutes
    
7. Repeat 4-6 until you have good color coverage.

Graphics and finishing

My box in a day method uses inkjet photo glossy white sticker paper. I get the house brand at Office Depot.

1. Print the graphic on white gloss sticker paper on an inkjet printer. Make sure your labeling lines up with the holes you drilled. A good trick is to first print your design on a regular piece of paper. Cut it to size and tape it on top of the enclosure. Use your finger to push down on the paper. This will leave dimples where the holes are, making it easier to get things aligned.
    
2. Let it dry for ten minutes. Stick it on the box.
    
3. Clear coat the entire box, label and all, with Minwax Clear Gloss Polyurethane out of a can using a 1" paintbrush.
    
4. Immediately throw it in the toaster oven at 150 F for 30 minutes
    
5. Take it out, see if it is still tacky. If so immediately bake for another 30 minutes.
    
6. Repeat steps 3-5 until you've got a nice thick glossy coat.
    
7. By now it is usually dry and ready to work.
    
8. Cover the enclosure with blue painters tape to protect the finish/label
    
9. Populate the the box.
    
10. Remove the blue tape.
     
11. Wipe down the box with slightly damp paper towels to remove grease and oils
     
12. 2-3 coats of Carnuba car wax, buff until you're happy
     

Note that the poly will slightly permeate the label using this process. White's will become slightly "aged" looking. Overall the effect is very nice. If you want to spray on some clear coat on the label before brushing on the poly, that may work but I haven't personally tried it.

The best part is that is simple, repeatable, and you can turn around a box in a single day.
 

Some Great Links for Finishing etc.

Fuzzdawg posted some great info on the buildyourownclone messageboards. Thanks fuzz! Link

Paul Marossy has a great page on his DIYGuitarist.com site. Link

R.G. Keen's Geofex site has pretty much covered every aspect of stompbox building and has some good info on the finishing touch. Link

Got more links? Let me know and I'll add them.