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Sound Reinforcement - Forums for Live Sound Professionals - Your Displayed Name Must Be Your Real Full Name To Post In The Live Sound Forums => SR Forum Archives => LAB Subwoofer FUD Forum Archive => Topic started by: chris fletchall on October 09, 2005, 03:55:25 PM

Title: How to paint my subs.
Post by: chris fletchall on October 09, 2005, 03:55:25 PM

Forgive me for I have never had to do this before. Im thinking of puting a line-x on my old dual 18" subs and was wandering what I need to do to my cabs to prep them. Do I just tape and paper off the speakers , inputs and handles or do I take all of this off and  Paint it all. Thanks to anyone that can help me with this.

Title: Re: How to paint my subs.
Post by: Al Limberg on October 09, 2005, 04:14:41 PM

I would definitely recommend that you strip the cabinets completely and prep the surfaces very well.  Finishes such as line-x do not hide flaws but rather tend to emphasize them and make them look even worse.  Get reasy to do some serious sanding and filling to end up with a finished product you'll be happy with.

Al

Title: Re: How to paint my subs.
Post by: Ivan Beaver on October 09, 2005, 05:47:57 PM

I would add to the complete stripping, to use bondo (the body filler) to fill any voids.  It works and sands easily, and will give a good base for the lineX.

Title: Re: How to paint my subs.
Post by: Al Limberg on October 09, 2005, 07:33:09 PM

Good call Ivan.  There's nothing that's quite such an eye opener as opening a 6 ounce can of Formby's filler and having the oh so obvious aroma of Bondo assault your nostrils.....especially when a gallon of Bondo would have cost the same as the 6 ounce Formby's!!

?;o)
Al

Title: Re: How to paint my subs.
Post by: John Halliburton on October 09, 2005, 08:40:12 PM

Line-X likes a clean, dry surface.  The shop I take my cabinets to actually has an "oven" to leave the cabinets in for a couple of days, to drive any moisture out.  I've also been told that the bare plywood is best in this regard, so sand 'em down.

Best regards,

John Halliburton

Title: Re: How to paint my subs.
Post by: chris fletchall on October 09, 2005, 09:50:24 PM

Thanks for all the good replys about this. Im starting my prodject this weekend by striping the cabnets down bare. Then I will do some bondo work on the corners and from what I understand every other crack and whole in the cabnet. Make the whole thing as smooth as a babys butt right? then soft sand . Should I prime these? If so with what?

again thanks for all the help.

Title: Re: How to paint my subs.
Post by: Scott Shaw on October 09, 2005, 11:25:47 PM

Hey Chris, I coated my HDH cabs with Herculiner. Looks pretty good. The Line-X should do well. Like The other guys said, fill all imperfections and work with completely bare wood. The carpet will come off pretty easily but not all will come off. Also, when you strip the carpet you'll notice sharp edges on the back of the cab. You need to get a router and round the sharp edges a little. Otherwise they'll chip. Hope this helps.

Scott Shaw

Title: Re: How to paint my subs.
Post by: chris fletchall on October 10, 2005, 09:59:49 AM

scott
do you have any pics of your finished cabs anywhere. That would help with insperation.

Title: Re: How to paint my subs.
Post by: Joe Jones on October 10, 2005, 10:17:59 AM

Google DuraTex. Water base, applies with a roller, only $46 a gallon, same stuff that at least half the manufacturers use.

Title: Re: How to paint my subs.
Post by: Scott Shaw on October 10, 2005, 05:29:37 PM

Sorry Chris, I don't have the digital technology to post these "pictures". I'm just a simple cave man.

Good Luck
Scott

Title: Re: How to paint my subs.
Post by: [x] on October 10, 2005, 10:08:08 PM

What subs are those? It looks like you have a mishmash of drivers being thrown in there. While a lot of pro sound drivers are designed to have similar electromechanical parameters, you might not be getting all the performance you could be getting. And if those are DIY subwoofers, where did you get that perforated metal grille material?

Title: Re: How to paint my subs.
Post by: chris fletchall on October 11, 2005, 10:42:35 AM

The bottom subs are four Peavy HDH-3 subs.The inner speaker on both towers is a carvin 1588 main. and the top is a Yourkville Maxim 1000. We put the carvin main on bottom because it was to heavy for me to put on top at most shows. And my help is not always help. Is this bad that I put the carvin here?

I checked out the Duratex , and yep that's the stuff I think im gonna use.

Title: Re: How to paint my subs.
Post by: Tom Herr on October 12, 2005, 08:09:46 AM

I would not suggest fine sanding the cabs. Strip them, fill the cracks, dents, scratches and holes if any. Then  sand with 60 or 80 gritt. Most of these heavy coatings will bond better to a coarse surface.

Title: Re: How to paint my subs.
Post by: Robbie Nelson on October 20, 2005, 10:17:54 PM

I second the Duratex. I just gone done applying it to two sample boxes a few days ago and it is really great stuff. Virtually no odor, simple water clean up, no thinning down, rolls on with ease! Exactly what I was looking for.

Title: Re: How to paint my subs.
Post by: Mike Maki on October 23, 2005, 06:07:32 PM

Hi,

Do you happen to have a link or more info on Duratex? I googled and it came back with hundreds of links but couldn't find the paint or a US supplier.

Thanks,

Mike

Title: Re: How to paint my subs.
Post by: chris fletchall on October 23, 2005, 09:55:25 PM

Robbie
would you be able to take some good pictures of your finished product, and tell us how you applied it to the cabnet( roller, spray ) that would be great.

Mike here is the link I found http://www.acrytech.com/DuraTex.htm

and for all the other speaker builders out there. Im finally ripping all the old carpet off of my subs and getting started on this prodject. On the front corners of the subs there is a nice bit of damage that will need to be filled. Now if I fill this with bondo then apply the DuraTex do you guys think that it will break off real easy or will it take a few beatings before it needs repaired again. I dont know how strong the DuraTex is yet or for that matter how strong the bondo is. Should I use another filler for the corners?

Thanks

Title: Re: How to paint my subs.
Post by: Dave Rickard on October 26, 2005, 02:52:36 AM

Robbie,

I tried to send you a PM.  Did you get it?

Dave

Title: Re: How to paint my subs.
Post by: Hank Staples on November 01, 2005, 09:20:04 PM

Seems the makers of Duratex are down since the last hurricane and will be a while before they are able to ship any product.    I was hoping to paint some of my cabs as well. Anyone have a supplier that I can buy some from in the meantime??  

Title: Re: How to paint my subs.
Post by: Hank Staples on November 01, 2005, 09:25:11 PM

Title: Re: How to paint my subs.
Post by: Robbie Nelson on November 13, 2005, 12:29:45 PM

Sorry for the delay. I will be completing a small project this week that will use the duratex. I'l show pictures of the process and finished result. I might even just make another thread out of it.

Thanks

Title: Re: How to paint my subs.
Post by: chris fletchall on November 13, 2005, 01:38:13 PM

that would be realy cool.

Title: Re: How to paint my subs.
Post by: Mike Butler (media) on November 15, 2005, 08:44:00 PM

chris fletchall wrote on Sun, 23 October 2005 21:55

... I dont know how strong the DuraTex is yet or for that matter how strong the bondo is. Should I use another filler for the corners? Thanks

Bondo has very low mechanical strength. I would use it to fill holes, dents and other low spots, but not corners. Marine-tex or other high-strength epoxies are better suited. Let's face it, corners have a tough time with impacts. Better yet, protect the corners with hardware.

Title: Re: How to paint my subs.
Post by: danhitt on December 08, 2005, 02:13:59 PM

Great to hear of the acceptance of DuraTex Texture Coating out there. If anyone has pictures of a completed project using the DuraTex and would allow me, I'd like to put them on our website to show other Pro Audio guys how it looks. Also, I'd like to quote you on the website if you will agree to allow me to do it. Thanks for allowing us to help you with this great product.
Dan Hittenberger
Acry-Tech
www.acrytech.com/duratex.htm
sales@acrytech.com

Title: Re: How to paint my subs.
Post by: Kevin Unger on December 08, 2005, 03:57:48 PM

danhitt wrote on Thu, 08 December 2005 19:13

Great to hear of the acceptance of DuraTex Texture Coating out there. If anyone has pictures of a completed project using the DuraTex and would allow me, I'd like to put them on our website to show other Pro Audio guys how it looks. Also, I'd like to quote you on the website if you will agree to allow me to do it. Thanks for allowing us to help you with this great product. Dan Hittenberger Acry-Tech www.acrytech.com/duratex.htm sales@acrytech.com

Bill Fitzmaurice (http://www.billfitzmaurice.com/) has quite a few pics of boxes He used Duratex on.

Title: Re: How to paint my subs.
Post by: Paul Gariepy on December 08, 2005, 11:55:49 PM

i dont know about duratex but heres my dual 21" in beautiful RHINOLINER

Title: Re: How to paint my subs.
Post by: Jorge Terrez on December 11, 2005, 08:12:04 PM

  well , I tried to order duratex and it was really hard to get it , I guess because of the hurricane , so after one and half month waiting I decided to cancel the order and start looking on the web for a different product , I found this product called duplicolor truck bed coating , it is a really good product , you can buy it in any autoparts store (pep boys , Kragen , napa autoparts , etc) and it is really easy to apply , you can use a roller and it gives you a nice textured look , like most of proffessional speakers have rigth now , you can also find it in a spray  , I bought both kinds to give it a try , and I ended up using the spray can, it covers the surface really fast and gives an even textured look , I will post some pictures later and see what you guys think about it.

   here is the website :  www.duplicolor.com

Title: Re: How to paint my subs.
Post by: Scott Shaw on December 12, 2005, 06:17:49 PM

Jorge, I tried the Duplicolor and didn't have a lot of luck with it. It became brittle after a while and with my boxes packed together in the trailer it began to rub off in the form of a fine dust that got all over my hands every time I touched one. I ended up using Herculiner and had much better results although the texture is a little rougher. Wish I could post a picture, but I haven't gone digital yet!

Good Luck
Scott

Title: Re: How to paint my subs.
Post by: Jorge Terrez on December 12, 2005, 09:32:12 PM

 hi Scott , I had the same problem the first time I used it , I used my spray gun and compressor and I think I didn't use the right pressure and volume of paint , so after a few days  I start having the same problem you had , the paint will come off easyly with my hand , that's when I tried their spray can , and since then the coating has adhere to the wood really good , I have use my speakers a few times and the coating seems be working pretty good right now , I will upload some pictures later .

Title: Re: How to paint my subs.
Post by: Terry Smith on December 14, 2005, 04:38:21 PM

here is a product you might want to check out:
http://www.zolatoneaim.com/z20_1.html
i used to use this stuff back in my car audio competition days to paint my sub box with.  it looks GREAT, is very tough, and is available in multiple colors, just let your imagination be your guide.  i painted mine semi-gloss black with a grey fleck for effect; like i said, it looks great!  i highly recommend it.

Title: BS-212 Duratex Photos
Post by: Antone Atmarama Bajor on December 16, 2005, 12:32:41 AM

     I just painted my BS-212's with Acrytech Duratex.
I used a hand roller for the first coat, and a textrured foam roller for the second coat.

    The stuff has the consistancy of Jello Pudding, and smells just like art Acrylic Paints for Painters or, siliconized acrylic caulking.

Title: Re: BS-212 Duratex Photos
Post by: Antone Atmarama Bajor on December 16, 2005, 12:35:18 AM

Heres a close up you can sorta see the texture, though it was hard for me to disguise the wood patterns from my oh so soft Marine Grade Ply, Even after Heavy sanding.  Though you can't tell from this shot.

Title: Re: How to paint my subs.
Post by: chris fletchall on December 16, 2005, 01:10:32 PM

were you satified with the out come of the duratext.

Title: Re: How to paint my subs.
Post by: Antone Atmarama Bajor on December 16, 2005, 03:52:28 PM

     I haven't put it through the rigours of being packed and bumped and scraped yet.  But I do like the finish so far.  I could have probably done a better texture job with a hopper gun but the roller didn't do to bad.

    It feels almost like its coated in plastic now.  But I guess the real test is to put the things through abuse.

    I used a little over Half a Gallon to cover 2 cabs with 2 coats ~ 22 X 24 X 40 each.

    If I wanted to cover the wood grain a on the sides a little more it would probably take a third coat.  But I'm fine with how the cabs look.

    I will give an update after I abuse the cabs a little.

Antone-

Title: Re: How to paint my subs.
Post by: Geri O'Neil on December 17, 2005, 01:56:14 PM

What became of the Line-X idea? We've had subs, wedges, drumfills, and sidefills finished with it for several years now and I'd never go back. They still look like new and some Armour-All makes 'em look even better. Occasionally, a little tear will develop, but Super-Glue takes care of that. Better than sanding and refinishing.

Would I re-finish our KF-760s with Line-X? Well, no. At least not until I talk to the factory folks about it first. And even then, I think we'll re-finish them with the EAW paint the next time and use LeCovers for the carts.

Still, it's just Line-X for us on everything else.

Geri O

Title: Re: How to paint my subs.
Post by: Gary Phillips on December 17, 2005, 03:29:02 PM

Hey Geri -
Roughly what did the Line-X cost per sub cabinet?
Thank, Gary

Title: Re: How to paint my subs.
Post by: Geri O'Neil on December 17, 2005, 06:39:27 PM

garyphillips wrote on Sat, 17 December 2005 14:29

Hey Geri - Roughly what did the Line-X cost per sub cabinet? Thank, Gary

A little over three years ago, we paid US$175.00 each for 8 double-18" front-loaded boxes. That was the last time we had anything Line-Xed, I don't know what it would run now. I'm fairly certain it hasn't gotten any cheaper...

Geri O

Title: Re: How to paint my subs.
Post by: Antone Atmarama Bajor on December 18, 2005, 03:31:14 AM

     So far the Duratex has similarity's to Line X as far as consistency.  I'm sure if I did 3 or 4 Textured Layers it would be as thick and plasticy.

    The main problem with Line-X is you have to find someone that is equipped to do cabinets.  The bigger the Cab the more problematic since each layer has to be sprayed in one shot.  And its Expensive.

    Duratex is a much more cost effective method for a DIY'er and maybe almost or as good as Line-X (I don't know how difficult it would be to touch up it is self primering and waterproof).  We have a couple of Line-X cabs in the shop  It is nice thick plasticy stuff.  But for my prototype cab the Duratex seems to be a real bargain.  I spent less than 50$ and covered 2 large cabs with 2 layers and it took less than an hour between coats in a cold 45-50degree humid warehouse, and I have 1/3 of the Gallon Left.

    Oh yah the Carvin TRX cabs use Duratex anyone know how well their finish holds up.

    It Beats Enamel, or Latex House paint.

Antone-

Title: Re: How to paint my subs.
Post by: Tom Manchester on December 19, 2005, 12:38:30 AM

Antone Atmarama Bajor wrote on Sun, 18 December 2005 03:31

Oh yah the Carvin TRX cabs use Duratex anyone know how well their finish holds up. Antone-

yup, just got a trx-153. you can read more detailed reviews in the product review forum. The finish is very tough on the TRX cabs. if you knock on it, it kind of hurts like knocking on hard epoxy, but if you press on it you can feel it give a little. seems to resist dings pretty well so far.

Title: Re: How to paint my subs.
Post by: Les Webb on December 19, 2005, 11:10:28 PM

I've experimented with Duratex some.  It is great for DIY and easy cleanup (water-based).  I tried it in a hopper and the results were great.  Tried to cover OSB with it but that didn't happen (didn't expect it to but it was worth a try).  Will be using it tomorrow on some MTL-1X's that we're tearing the rat-fur off of.  If I have a chance I'll post the results.

Title: Re: Duratex Scratches
Post by: Antone Atmarama Bajor on January 01, 2006, 08:58:41 PM

     Well My father Successfully scratched through my 2 layers of Duratex on my cabs by dragging some trunks with jagged metal corners across them  (Little gouges down to the wood no pealing though).  I think I should have done three coats it doesn't seem like the two layers are very thick.

    I will have to inquire at duratex about touch up work.

Antone-