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Re: Things that go boom

Posted: Mon Apr 26, 2021 11:07 am
by himhimself
Okay, trying to post a video here...
I had described my rather non-orthodox method for applying duratex before, but thought I'd post a short video to show how it works. I bought a gallon of black roller grade duratex about 3 years ago. It has covered my first two tubas twice, four otops, plus the stacking brackets, a sub sled, several other little project items, and now my most recent pair of T30's. And I still have probably somewhere between a pint and a quart left. I always spray down the top surface heavily with water or windex before closing the container. It has a little crunchy area on one side, but not bad for how old it is. Some little hard bits flake off the sides too, so I will probably put it through a coarse strainer into a smaller container to keep it going.
Anyway, as for applying, I first coat the cabinet with a good quality flat latex. I bought my current paint on a super sale, a $30 gallon for about $10. I picked the darkest color chip they had. Not quite 100% black, more like a really dark grey. Works perfect. Painting with that out in the sun, it dries practically as quick as I put in on.
For the duratex, I just use a brush to paint it quickly (and messy) over the surface, then immediately go over it with my texture roller, once in each direction. That's it. Goes super fast. In fact, I learned to do it in the garage and when it is cooler, otherwise the stuff starts to dry too quickly. Doing it this way really helps minimize waste, and is probably why I have gotten this gallon to go so far.

https://youtu.be/O7yY8che0mE

Re: Things that go boom

Posted: Mon Apr 26, 2021 11:10 am
by himhimself
And you can be thinking in a Bob Ross voice as you watch, Happy little subs, happy little subs... :D

Re: Things that go boom

Posted: Mon Apr 26, 2021 12:12 pm
by Seth
himhimself wrote: Mon Apr 26, 2021 11:10 am And you can be thinking in a Bob Ross voice as you watch, Happy little subs, happy little subs... :D
A wet-on-wet Bob Ross was the first thing that popped in my mind. Just little criss cross strokes, it's your world/you can put it anywhere you want.

The only thing missing was cleaning the brush! LOL

Looks good :thumbsup:

Re: Things that go boom

Posted: Mon Apr 26, 2021 5:59 pm
by Bruce Weldy
himhimself wrote: Mon Apr 26, 2021 11:07 am And I still have probably somewhere between a pint and a quart left. I always spray down the top surface heavily with water or windex before closing the container.
I just tear off a piece of Saran wrap and push it down in the bucket until it reaches the duratex and keep pushing around the edges until it is snug around the inside of the bucket. No air, no drying out.
For the duratex, I just use a brush to paint it quickly (and messy) over the surface, then immediately go over it with my texture roller, once in each direction.
I'm assuming you are using the brush so that you don't have to pour it out in a rolling pan, is that correct?

If so, don't use a pan. I just put the roller right in the bucket and roll the top of the duratex to load it up. It's so thick that there are no drips. Really no need to use a brush first.....based on your video, you are probably doubling your application time.

Just roll it out even, then go over it with a light touch to get rid of any bubbles and get a uniform finish. That panel should only take a minute start to finish.

By the time I'm through with the first coat (if I'm doing two or more boxes), it's dry enough to start the next coat.

Regardless of how you do it, it's looking good.

Re: Things that go boom

Posted: Mon Apr 26, 2021 7:54 pm
by himhimself
Bruce Weldy wrote: Mon Apr 26, 2021 5:59 pm

I'm assuming you are using the brush so that you don't have to pour it out in a rolling pan, is that correct?

If so, don't use a pan. I just put the roller right in the bucket and roll the top of the duratex to load it up. It's so thick that there are no drips. Really no need to use a brush first.....based on your video, you are probably doubling your application time.
Thanks Bruce. Yeah, using a roller pan wastes a lot. I also like the brush because it lets me ensure all the of the flat black is coated. When I first tried it, I did it direct with the roller, but the texture roller doesn't hold paint like a napped roller does. I felt like I had to use a lot of duratex to get decent coverage. With the brush, I know the coverage is good, and the roller just gives it that nice leathery looking texture. Not much to wash out of the roller either.
I like the saran wrap trick - will try that.
Anyway, considering how long all my builds end up taking, doubling my time from 6 minutes to 12 a box isn't going to improve my overall speed much :wall:

Re: Things that go boom

Posted: Fri Apr 30, 2021 4:47 pm
by himhimself
stalled out for a bit. had surgery on my left arm tues, wont have use until at least next fri. getting close. have 6 of the 8 speakons wired up and installed. need to do the last two, install drivers and finish terminations in the boxes, then fit, drill, attach access doors. i think that is all i have left to do :hyper:

Re: Things that go boom

Posted: Fri Apr 30, 2021 8:50 pm
by Tom Smit
Take enough time to mend....more important. But, still, enjoy what you are still able to do.

Re: Things that go boom

Posted: Sat May 01, 2021 12:13 pm
by himhimself
Thanks Tom.
Oh yeah, gotta attach all the corners, too. Still, sooo close...

Re: Things that go boom

Posted: Sat May 08, 2021 2:46 pm
by himhimself
little bit of progress since getting out of my sling yesterday. Corners and wheels are on. Jacks installed and wiring inside done. Touched up the duratex in a few places. Drilled the access doors and flanges, then countersunk the holes in the doors. For the screws in the corners and for the doors, this time i just took #6x1" fine thread drywall screws, stuck them in a piece of foam and hit them with a rattle can of semi-gloss black. Cheap and they look good.
Waiting on gasket tape from Amazon, so can't really do much more at this point. Arm is useless in trying to pull my amp rack out of the trailer anyway, so no rush. Will post some pics momentarily...

Re: Things that go boom

Posted: Sat May 08, 2021 2:48 pm
by himhimself
Some evidence :-)

Re: Things that go boom

Posted: Sat May 08, 2021 9:50 pm
by Tom Smit
Yay, looks good!

Re: Things that go boom

Posted: Fri May 14, 2021 6:18 pm
by himhimself
Drivers in and torqued down snug, access doors on, and fired up for the first time.
All 8 speakons are functional. Yay.
But, some leaks!!! Damn, first time that's ever happened. First one was easy to fix, as it was around one of the speakons on the front panel. Wrapped a little strip of 1/16" foam around the barrel and screwed it back down. Gone.
The other one is a little more insidious. Seems to be leaking out from around corner panel 9 somewhere and coming out the handhold in front panel 7. I think I should be able to seal it up with PL. It's not much, doesn't seem to be a difference in output between the two cabs. Just down around 40-60hz you can hear something going on, first I thought it was a rattle of something loose. With a piece of tube to the ear, you can detect the air escaping.
Close...

Re: Things that go boom

Posted: Sat May 15, 2021 7:53 am
by himhimself
Okay, let the PL cure over night and checked this morning. Seems to be sealed up good. So, I think I'm officially done :hyper:
Not sure when I'll get the chance to pull everything out and test out all 4 tubas, but I will definitely post some info when I do.
Thanks for the advice and encouragement along the way!

Re: Things that go boom

Posted: Sat May 15, 2021 2:12 pm
by Seth
Well done :thumbsup:

Looking forward to a gig report!

Thanks for taking me/us along for the journey.