Part 1: Preparing the chassis. Since I have access to a drill press and didn't feel like spending an extra $65 to get a pre drilled chassis, I have a lot of drilling to do. Luckily, the folks at http://www.ax84.com/ we nice enough to offer a drill plan for download.
Words of wisdom for you... It's good to have some double sided tape on the paper so you don't rip up the guide, however, be sure to use some double sided tape that will release... I used some 3M VHB, but it's not meant to be released... ever. I spent a good hour spraying the thing with adhesive remover and scraping. It took longer to remove the tape than it did to drill the holes. On top of that, the holes I needed for the input/output jacks were not labeled correctly, and I drilled the holes too small. The hole size I need is 7/16'' and none of my bit sets include one. I guess it's off to the hardware store again..
Okay, zip to the future, and I've gotten the new drill bit, along with some spray paint: grey automotive primer, some goldish colored enamel, and clear enamel.
After drilling the new larger holes for the input jack, I went over the whole piece with an orbital sander and a deburring tool to smooth everything out. It was raining outside, so I set up shop in the garage. First, a wipe down with rubbing alcohol to clean the metal, followed by a few coats of primer.
And of course, a few more coats of the gold enamel spray. I let the gold enamel cure for a few hours and applied some decals. I printed a whole sheet of random words and tube decals for my Ibanez Tube screamer replica, and I was able use decals from that sheet... I included a few of the tube decals as well, just for fun. These are water release decals, so you just print the sheet, cut the decals out ,soak them for a minute in water and slide them off onto the chassis.
 |
| Just in case the actual tubes don't give it away that this is a tube amp. |
And that's that! I let the decals dry and then it's back to the garage for clear coat! Let it cure overnight, and tomorrow, it's time to assemble everything!
Maybe next time try rubber cement instead of double-sided tape?, it sticks well and after when you remove the drill map you can just rub off the excess with your finger.
ReplyDeleteI always use rubber cement in a 3D class I teach when we hand-saw nickel and copper, we stick on a similar cut plan. I also use tracing paper too, because of its resistance to oil/grease and the cement stays mostly on the surface.
Rubber Cement... good tip, thanks Joe!
ReplyDelete