Twenty minute beautification project

Thanks, az! Guts are a pair of Dave Slagle's autoformers, wired up with some generic switches. The volume switch is especially interesting... it has no stop, so if you turn the volume down and accidentally spin it one step past zero, you hit maximum - it'll wake you up, that's for sure! :rolleyes:

I'm kicking around the idea of rewiring it all with better switches and connectors, but that seems like a lot of work right now.

Ouch! I could see this destroying speakers given the right conditions. :)

I might try this faux-brushed finish sometimes, looks pretty cool.

az
 
I haven't quite perfected the technique, but it's easy enough that I'll probably use it a lot.
 
Steve, start with any old scrap piece of aluminum before you start on an actual chassis, unless the chassis is so far gone that you've got nothing to lose. My sense is that this will work better with harder aluminum than the really soft stuff, but I haven't tested that enough to know.
 
Steve, start with any old scrap piece of aluminum before you start on an actual chassis, unless the chassis is so far gone that you've got nothing to lose. My sense is that this will work better with harder aluminum than the really soft stuff, but I haven't tested that enough to know.

I have a contender. Just the front portion.
It has an SS number scratched in the corner.


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Steve
 
I have a contender. Just the front portion.
It has an SS number scratched in the corner.


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Steve
Steve, I wouldn't destroy that polished finish trying to brush out the SS number. Maybe a logo or something to cover it would be simpler.

Nate is right about the brushing and hardness of material, too. Pieces that are already anodized are the easiest to make look good. 6061 aluminum (about the hardest a consumer can get) is easier to brush finish than softer grades using our home-brew methods. The silicone carbide tends to grab in softer material so you can get some nasty lines if not careful.
I think Nate and I use about the same process, multiple grades of sandpaper and draw the work across the paper. I'll post up about the DIY process the next time I do a brushed finish.
 
Steve, I wouldn't destroy that polished finish trying to brush out the SS number. Maybe a logo or something to cover it would be simpler.

Nate is right about the brushing and hardness of material, too. Pieces that are already anodized are the easiest to make look good. 6061 aluminum (about the hardest a consumer can get) is easier to brush finish than softer grades using our home-brew methods. The silicone carbide tends to grab in softer material so you can get some nasty lines if not careful.
I think Nate and I use about the same process, multiple grades of sandpaper and draw the work across the paper. I'll post up about the DIY process the next time I do a brushed finish.

I'm actually thinking of just doing enough to cover the SS number then feather it to the good part of the finish.

I look forward to any future thread with tips and technics. :yes:


Steve
 
Hey Nate, I was just in Home Depot and saw a whole wall of knobs for kitchen drawers. Some of them were VERY COOL looking. I looked at a couple and there is enough meat to drill out the threads to the size of your volume pot shafts. Drill them out, drill a small hole in the side, tap that for a set screw and vawahla!!!....instant cool knobs for your pre.
 
Hey Nate, I was just in Home Depot and saw a whole wall of knobs for kitchen drawers. Some of them were VERY COOL looking. I looked at a couple and there is enough meat to drill out the threads to the size of your volume pot shafts. Drill them out, drill a small hole in the side, tap that for a set screw and vawahla!!!....instant cool knobs for your pre.
Thanks for the tip, Dennis! I'll have to check out the local HD for 'em.
 
Most of them were under 3 bucks and some were very cool.....but my taste might be a little OFF from the norm.:D

I am picking up the Dixilanders Tuesday night. They are supose to be in working order and are three way with the Frazier mid horn that looks to be almost as wide as the cab and a small horn tweeter on top of that.
 
Most of them were under 3 bucks and some were very cool.....but my taste might be a little OFF from the norm.:D

I am picking up the Dixilanders Tuesday night. They are supose to be in working order and are three way with the Frazier mid horn that looks to be almost as wide as the cab and a small horn tweeter on top of that.

Dixie's with a "mid"?! huh?
 
Can I use this to hook two amplifiers to one set of speakers?
I'm sure it's possible, if you truly believe in yourself. Be the change you want to see in the world.

Also, there is no I in team, but there are two of 'em in idiot.
 
night and day, the original post.. first one looks like something I made, second one looks pretty
 
I haven't quite perfected the technique, but it's easy enough that I'll probably use it a lot.

About 10 years back I made the below ~5' aluminum rail that is mounted to the top of our front bay window. My wife does big holiday displays and I can't stand 3M Command hooks as convenient as they are to use. I can't recall the alloy but I put a brushed or mill finish on it. That was one of the most maddening projects I've ever tackled because the slighted deviation from a straight line with the 320 grit paper was immediately translated onto the surface. It would look great and then there'd be a cardiac trace right in the middle.

I nearly gave up on that but found a way to do it and get a great result. I hot-glued the rail to the workbench with another rail the same thickness in parallel to it screwed down. I added a lip to the sanding block which hung over the edge of the second rail. I could then lay the block onto both rails and slowly drag it along keeping it straight. As long as I kept the lip on the block against the second rail the sanded mill finish stayed straight. It took a couple tries but this was repeatable, finally, and I got a great result. It's got bumps from hanging metal hooks from it now but this is the piece -

Dx7fJv3.jpg
 
Yeah, having a guide or straight edge for your sanding block is crucial for perfectly straight brush finish! I can see how your technique would work well for a long piece like that.

For smaller pieces like the faceplate seen here, I put a piece of sandpaper face up on the bench, a straight edged guide piece on it, and draw the workpiece face down on the sandpaper against the edge of the guide.

That's how I did these pieces, too:

IMG_2635.jpg~original


0521011.jpg~original
 
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