Hammertone

Frequent question about boxes and accessories: painting, etching, clearcoating, lettering, glueing, and so on.
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Mr. SD-1
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Post by Mr. SD-1 »

I would like to finish a hammond aluminum enclosure with Rustoleum Hammered paint. I have been looking at pictures of hammer finished pedals and there seems to be great variation in the texture. My objective is to achieve something like this:

Image

Not this:

Image

Are there any specific tricks or techniques to achieve hammered style like the first (silver) photo?

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yuuuuuuuuuuun
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Post by yuuuuuuuuuuun »

I use it all the time. it works different on hot days than it does when its cold out. also if you spray on too much the circles or whatever you might call them get really wide and you can see the paint or metal below. it can look good that way too if you pick a base color you want to come through. but for the pictures you posted don't spray on too much at once. also bear in mind if you go too light you won't get much effect at all, if that happens just let it dry and hit it again to get it right.

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jojokeo
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Post by jojokeo »

For what it's worth, always use a primer otherwise risk chipping that you ordinarily wouldn't get and it provides a nice smooth and clean base. Only a single coat is fine. When spraying the hammertone I usually cover all edges and corners first and then get the vertical sides next, followed by the flat large horizontal part last or save the faceplate for last since it shows most (like on an amp faceplate). I've found a rather heavy single coat works great and is all that's needed since it's so thick and resists runs very well. If you're not used to using it, once you quit spraying is when it begins to form it's hammered appearance. Just go fairly slow and evenly and you'll be fine. Finally, give it plenty of drying time when done. It can take a few days and up to a week or more to really dry thoroughly deep down. You'll know if you didn't wait long enough when your pot and switch washers actually sink down into the finish a bit leaving a slight bulge around the edges. It's not a big thing but if you change a component in the future, you'll see what I mean.

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yuuuuuuuuuuun
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Post by yuuuuuuuuuuun »

jojokeo wrote:For what it's worth, always use a primer otherwise risk chipping that you ordinarily wouldn't get and it provides a nice smooth and clean base.
with rustoleum I had the exact opposite, the first 8 or so pedals I built I used rustoleum clean metal primer, all are chipped, and with minimal use. then I started just going paint directly on metal and none have chipped since. Primer is good but not with rustoleum in my experience. the biggest thing I found for durability is polyurethane clear coat over the paint.

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nashsnazzy
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Post by nashsnazzy »

Hey all, I'm a spray painting noob. I've made two bad mistakes with this hammertone stuff. Do you paint the sides first and then the top? Do you paint the whole pedal in one go?

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Blitz Krieg
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Post by Blitz Krieg »

jojokeo wrote:I usually cover all edges and corners first
and then get the vertical sides next,
followed by the flat large horizontal part last

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nashsnazzy
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Post by nashsnazzy »

@Blitz Krieg, do you do that in one go? I seem to get too much on the pedal if I do it in one go and it runs.

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