A lot of you guys have asked about the air compressor I used. Here it is! www.lowes.com/pd/Kobalt-QUIET-TECH-26-Gallon-Single-Stage-Portable-Electric-Vertical-Air-Compressor/1001014062?cm_mmc=shp-_-c-_-prd-_-tol-_-ggl-_-LIA_TOL_153_Pneumatics-And-Compressors-_-1001014062-_-local-_-0-_-0&ds_rl=1286981&gclid=Cj0KCQiAt8WOBhDbARIsANQLp97Rn3hGlj5of632gOAH7Yn5-hc39jJAkZv8hv_EBslR27EjaZTBdmcaAtu0EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
@@shaunbouchersr9544 they usually have a visual graph next to the price that shows what they'll run. Anything that will run an air tool will have no issues with a spray gun as it's run at a much lower Psi.
@@hometheatergurus cool ive ordered everything just need to figure that out. ive watched the video back to front least 20 times im gonna follow it exactly.
@@hometheatergurus not really even with low psi need of a hvlp gun its volume of compressor that it needs. Look up what your gun needs as far as volume and psi also the smaller the tank less volume gpm or gph. The right clean and dry air will properly atomize the paint. I used to paint motorcycles for a living. Also with a smaller air tank i would use a lvlp gun designed for said smaller air compressor. Also for small jobs like this smaller guns, like touch up guns
Just a tip from a painter. Use a larger sanding block that covers the whole surface during all sanding phases including the primer and you will have a flatter surface for your piano gloss. And sand in between all coats of clear. That's how pro automotive painters get their smooth surfaces. Love the color...
@@mixsterdude Dry sanding clogs up the sandpaper too quickly and using water helps the sandpaper to stick to the surface helping to create a smoother finish
Honestly, I think you did a marvelous job. Long ago I get my degree as a painter, and I love how people like you take the cow by the horn and go for it. If you have much orange peel I advise lower pressures and watch you viscosity of your paint. But anyhow, I love your video. You explained step by step, nicely, how you get the things done. I hope people are inspired by this video and go building themselves. Great job. If there are any misspelled words, I am sorry. I am Dutch and try to do the best I can. Sincerely, Bert de Vries. Hillegom, The Netherlands.
Viscosity is key. Learn to use a viscosity cup and as pressure and humidity change, you will always be spot on. I used to have a notebook with all the different paints I used and what viscosity they sprayed best at. Keep your first few coats thin, too thick and the atomized paint dents the previous coats (orange peel). Too thin, you get blush from where the solvents evaporate out and you get a dry matte look. I agree, great job and pretty good explanation. Put enough clear on and you can sand anything back. Lacquer is the easiest to paint with, because it cuts into the previous paint, and just color sand and polish. Autos originally were brushed on lacquer and then sanded back and polished (I have done that ). Spray edges first, then spray the panels, it leaves a higher build on the edges so you are less prone to sand or polish through. Autos originally were brushed on lacquer and then sanded back and polished (I have done that ). Most places frown on Lacquer now
@@garry7263 you are absolutely right. I love it when people now how to do the job. I love the people more when they want to learn the steps. I have noticed that people in corona time, trying to do more D.IY. stuff. They are not afraid to make a mistake. You learn from your mistakes, but never give up. @garry7263... you nailed it with your answer. For everybody, build your stuff and new proud of the results..... eventough it's not perfect. Greetings from the Netherlands. Bert de Vries
When working with MDF I found the best primer in the whole wide world.... to be wood glue. Even the really rough edges it completely seals them, no pain will absorb at all. I just got a HVLP and LVLP sprayer, I have no idea how well that would work to apply it, but its cheap, tough, and sand-able and paint-able.
Awesome. Im going to try a pair of BMR speakers in Piano Black. Gives me great confidence seeing how you did this. Nothing crazy in the way of tools, and I have all the polish I think I'll need from the car. Thankyou very much.
So awesome. I have two sets of towers that I built years ago. I love building homage speakers. I’ve never been able to put any kind of decent finish on them. I’m inspired to try this process on mine now.
@@murrayshekelberg9754 I did. You have to beware for rounded surfaces. I kinda had those rounded edges and the paint didn't wanted stick it it for some reason. I should have sanded more. The rest was perfect after third layer of paint
This is pretty close to how I paint my guitars, and I was wondering if I could do the same for a custom amp head and speaker cabinet I'm thinking of building with MDF. Yours turned out great!
Thanks for the tips. I'm in the process of painting my boxes and the clear and wet sanding you went over was very helpful, as I am getting ready to wet sand myself.
Great video ! Really better than most of the cars shows I’ve seen on painting, depth wise. I’ve always wanted to do this. You’ve shown me I can do it. Thanks
Great job..I have to re finish a black gloss piano.I see you used epoxy black primer.What top coat system did you use..is the base coat a 2 pack (with hardener) and also is the clear coat 2 pack (with hardener.
This is the first of your videos I've seen but it definitely won't be the last. Fantastic work on the sub and video production complete with product shots as you go.
Your doing great ! There are many ways to create a mirror finish on wood. I like you used a harbour freight touch up low flow spray gun. I bought the more expensive version because it has a stainless needle for water based paint. It looks beautiful but i just like a wood finish semi gloss because a shiny finish looks a little plastic to me but it is great for a piano. Enjoyed your hard work!
When sanding I suggest you use 10% sugar soap solution to prevent excessive paper clogging and edge burn. Also use a microfibre cloth to more effectively remove slurry.
When you wet sand don’t use just water. Add a few drops of dawn or just a standard dish soap to the water. The dish soap breaks the surface tension between the water and paint so when you sand your sandpaper will have a layer of water between itself and the paint. That is what you want when wet sanding. There’s a big difference between using dish soap and no dish soap.
Dude, can't believe you did all that final sanding by hand! That takes a while with that fine of paper... End result looks great man. You did a great job going over everything. I used to paint cars in my dads shop back in high school and shortly after. Lots of work to get a good finish. You are correct though, no painter can completely get rid of orange peel. You get lucky sometimes, but not normally lol. If you do this again, besides getting a DA sander for the clear coat sanding, grab yourself a "california squeegee." That will complete remove all the water off the surface quickly to where you can see the cloudy/shiny areas in the clear coat. No more rags at that step. Once we started using those, it was a game changer! Again, looks awesome. Better than my swopes I painted several years ago! I didn't do the sanding/polishing step on mine, sort of a rush job. May redo them one day... 🤔
I only did the initial wet sanding by hand but yeah as I said in the video next time I'll get some paper for my sander for that step. Even still it only took maybe an hour to do that step but i did arms that day and the felt like noodles after sanding.. :) As for the squeegee, that's a great idea. I'll definitely do that!
Ohh and yeah that orange peel was bad..LOL. If I didn't know about the wet sanding I would have given up. It was great for the video though. The first time I did this last year had just a little. Thank goodness for sanding, compound and buffing. Bring on the orange peel!!
If you mix up some white glue and water and paint that on the MDF before you start, it seals the surface enough so that the paint sits on top. Just a thought for the future.
I actually did this to the edges in the previous video. It seals great. With the epoxy primer I wouldn't be surprised if the primer sealed them on the 2nd coat without pre sealing. It's fantastic stuff. But I always seal mdf edges with the glue /water mix. If you don't they're sponges for regular paint as I'm sure you know.
You did very well .My dad even said you did very well 4 not being a painter. And he's been painting hotrods and custom cars for over 40 years. Keep up the good work.If you need any unique custom colors let me know.
I mean it looks amazing man great job. Harbor freight gets a bad rap but the customer reviews and everything I’ve bought from there has really done a great job.
Nice job. I was taught in my apprenticeship to rub a bar of soap on the wet and dry sandpaper while using it with water. It helps the sandpaper from clogging with the paint. Also helps with the finish.
I am going to be building 2 of these, with a slight modification. I will be using Kicker CompQ subs. They put out as much power as i can find. Now i just need to find amps with enough power to push them.
Be careful and make sure you model them in this enclosure first. It's very possible they won't perform well in this enclosure and could be heavily outperformed by the driver is was designed for.
You have 48 hours to spray your base and you dont need to sand. The epoxy chemically bonds to the base coat,meaning it dosent need a mechanical bond(sanding).... that epoxy sprays nice and thin if you reduce it 1:1:1 and use it as a sealer wait an hour or two to let it dry then hit it with base/clear. and you won't be able to tell the difference. i grew up about 200 yards from summit. good job , just a time saver .
Hey what a really great video I also love the color and thanks for sharing your expertise with the world as I think I might have the confidence now to tackle something here and I love the painter who shared his professional views of standing between each coat thank you for sharing
Love that paint work on the box. I have that Dayton Ultimax 12". I built similar to that size but used 3"1/2" OD ports. Made two ports and they are 32" long box it tune to 22 hrz. Awesome with movies.
This is amazing. I eventually want to give this kind of finish a go. Fingerprint magnet but so so pretty. I myself just finished a box for an Ultimax 10. Baltic birch plywood stained with dark walnut oil stain. Finished with 3 coats of water based gloss. It's about 3.5 cubic feet tuned to 19Hz with 3 10" Dayton Passive radiators. I've yet to order the passive radiators but hope to get around to that in a week or so.
This gloss is awesome but knocking SVS makes little to no sense at all. You can always make a custom finish for yourself if you have the time and know how. SVS offers the gloss finish for a wide range of customers while maintaining a sustainable cash flow. For fantastic al a carte finish from a company please see JWM Audio. You’ll get my meaning. The price is also eye opening.
@@beyondonethousand I think he was making a little DIY joke. Ultimately the frequencies will not care if cabinet is unfinished, shag carpet, or piano gloss.
Astonishing! Like you said…it looks like you could dive right into the surface. Not sure I could cope with all that spray gun business….but the technique for getting that flat surface with wet & dry paper could probably make good even with a (carefully applied) rattle can finish. Thank you.👍
Thank you for this my friend. I've been thinking about doing a little project to make side panels for my hi-fi components, and this has given me the confidence to go ahead!
The using a spray bottle, that’s what I use and it makes it so much easier and faster. Nice work. I paint 4 base coats and 7 clear coats. I know very over kill but if you ever put you hear on top, it gives you more meat for buffing later on
I actually used a spray bottle the first time I did this which last year. This time I just grabbed whatever was close. It's definitely more convenient. And wow.. 7 coats. Yeah that is definitely some insurance. Nothing wrong with overkill especially when it helps ensure you've got plenty of protection when sanding it down.
Thanks. If you look into auto paint practices you'll get a better explanation but the water acts as a lubricant and is far less messy. It also keeps the pad and paint cool.
This is the best and i think only vid on RUclips that really explains how to get that piano gloss. Thank you so much for sharing. Can i just ask. If i stained and clear coated a project with polyurethane. Do i just skip the epoxy step and acrylic urethane and just prep to to polish? Or would i need to prep the poly coat and spray its with the urethane ?
great job but just a tip to help out. Soak your sand paper for 20-30 mins prior in and bucket of water with a few drops of dish liquid in it. Personally I use a spray bottle to wet down the surface.
Hey, great video, thanks for the upload. I'm building some speakers and would like to finish them in a similar fashion. A couple of things I missed: Do you sand the base coat between your 2 coats, or after your 2 coats, or not at all and go right to the clear? The other thing was, do you use the same cutting discs for the final polish (Super Finish 3500)? or is it something else? Thank again.
You can use rattle can primer for mdf but you have to use a primer that is a sealer/filler type primer. Two even coats or one coat overlapping 50% like you did will work.
I paint corrected 3 of my cars they looked awesome, back in the day 90's I had to take my new car back to the dealer , the paint was messing up, so they repainted the whole car and color sanded to. is the car in the pick. that thing looked like glass got a lot of complements, 25 years later I color sanded that same car myself it looked glass, lot of work took 2 days . All you people to be scared to buff your car out.
Yeah it makes vehicles look amazing. I got a new truck a few months ago and bought all the stuff to do paint correction and chickened out. That compound and buffing cream was actually bought for the truck. Maybe one day if it get scratched up i'll correct it. It's definitely a lot of work on a vehicle. I started off hand washing it and after 2x decided it wasn't happening anymore and now i use the auto wash close to work.
@@hometheatergurus Pros And Cons Pro Looks good when your done Con won't stay that way forever no matter how careful you baby that car. If you ever want to do it check out Junkman2000 . I still hand wash all my cars. the older i get the less i care how my car looks (57) my car gets me form point a to point b and back .
@@uwsome1 yep. And seriously it looks great using the auto wash. I've never been a hand washing kind of guy. It was my first new truck in 15 years, the honeymoon stage lasted 2 hand washes. 😂
Beautiful work I'm getting ready to paint a 16 cuft MDF box for 4 15" subs and I've been looking for good tips because I've never done a paint job that didn't involve nothing but rattle cans and sand paper and I want it to look really nice. Thanks for an extremely detailed video on how to get a very nice finish.
Hi guys what a great build. So i live in a good size apartmrnt and would love to know what speakers would compliment this sub ? Are theyre sny diy home speaker systems for a condo home entertainment area ? Thanks guys
They may, they'd need to be modeled but I'm sure some would work reasonably well. By nature Auto subs have a high fs but some can still work well tuned under the fs.
This came out looking amazing. Me talking to an SVS sales rep after seeing this video..."BYE FELICIA!" 😂😂 One question...Is there an 18" version of this cabinet? Would love have 2 of these for 18's!
Haha.. SVS subs have chuffing issues anyways when you push them as the port velocity it high. You can get a lot more performance for the money. Check out GSG audio. I have links to them in some of my videos. I currently run their Devestator kits and soon to be running their bts subs.
Excellent video. I am borderline ready to buy some new floor standers, but my 1997 Celestion Impact 40s are great, just shabby looking. Thinking about wrapping them or painting them to make them look gloss black. PS, you remind m of Bob Ross with the way you talk and describe your work, very cool.
Love the routing to hide most of the joints. I have had to do plenty of battle when trying to get the seems hidden long term when using butt-joints. Will the epoxy actually keep the joint hidden? Using epoxy will be my next attempt, possibly using it to glue the cabinets as well.
Great job! Just to get my 2 cent's worth in, I soak the sandpaper I will be using for 15 to 20 minutes in water. Then everytime I see that my block is about to go dry, I dip it in water. That way all the slush on the paper gets washed away and it leaves a film of water on it to continue sanding.
This is so inspiring, thanks. What size air compressor did you use for this? I am going to paint acoustic diffusers and want to try this method, but I need to pick up an air compressor.
Thanks, i'm going to add this to the description as i get asked this a lot. :) www.lowes.com/pd/Kobalt-QUIET-TECH-26-Gallon-Single-Stage-Portable-Electric-Vertical-Air-Compressor/1001014062?cm_mmc=shp-_-c-_-prd-_-tol-_-ggl-_-LIA_TOL_153_Pneumatics-And-Compressors-_-1001014062-_-local-_-0-_-0&ds_rl=1286981&gclid=Cj0KCQiAt8WOBhDbARIsANQLp97Rn3hGlj5of632gOAH7Yn5-hc39jJAkZv8hv_EBslR27EjaZTBdmcaAtu0EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
@@aaronm5535 I love it. It's very quiet too for what it is. Grab a hose and assortment of connections. If I remember correctly it didn't come with that stuff.
This has got to be as good as it gets!! Just watched it again while listening to Dylan and then Sting... Here in India one doesn't have access to those chemicals but my Hyundai dealer may do it for me if I sand it, so that's what I'm doing. Even so, I'll get only a metallic kind of feel... It'll do, will certainly be lower maintenance!
Absolutely blown, turned out awesome... I've been watching your videos over the past 4months cause I want to build my own Cinema and honestly you really bring some useful information on the table I'm watching every video you post up, not because I'm planning to build my own sub but due to the fact that it's just really interesting... Good job man, please keep doing what you're doing 😏
Well done, it's coming together, how many are you building for your new set up? My first trade was painting and wallpapering, one thing I'll say with painting epoxy or epoxy enamel, your very first coat should be what's called a tacky coat, this is a very very light coat and given a short time to go tacky, this then let's the next coats build up better, giving them something to stick to, it can make a difference.
Thanks. I'll eventually do 3 more and use them in a tower module setup with 2 of these per stack in the living room. House has to be built first. I'll be using the flat packs for the other 3.
@@hometheatergurus ok, cool, I'm using 4 subs now too, my two accusound 12" class a/b 200w rms subs I've had for a few years now and two I've just bought emotiva basx s12 class d 300w rms, my house has a open plan design, kitchen is open to a large lounge room, the 4 now sound great, one of each up front on the floor, either side of TV, yamaha rx-a 3070 into emotiva's then daisy chained the accusounds to them, the other two rear, my other trade is boilermaker and I made a steel stand I sand filled for rear emotiva at chest hight, I'm getting a near perfect base response, the two amp types work well together, watching your tutorials helped me heaps, thanks mate.
It actually was perfectly even however MDF and Humidity cause issues and the long panels of MDF will expand past an end panel. In reality , now that it's in a climate controlled house, it's so faint I'd have to point it out and you still may not see it.
@@hometheatergurus ok thanks for the reply. I saw, i think in New Yorkshire woodshop, that he let the MDF rest for a week in a hot chamber before working with it. His results are always perfects. Its worth the view.
hey loved your video, very informative. I have a questions for you. would this technique work on laminate piece of furniture? i wet sanded and got the same surface visually as yours and trying to have a high gloss finish. thank you!
My one critique from the beginning is you're "fanning" while painting. This is going to cause more buildup of paint in the center of panels and thin edges. And before anyone jumps on that, YES... skilled painters will often fan while spraying large panels but they do it AFTER painting all the edges and corners since. Always start with the edges and corners, then fill in the large areas. This is very important when spraying clear since the edges will have had just enough time to flash off enough that you wont get a run when hitting the main panel. ALso, when cleaning your gun, remove the needle FIRST. If you don't you'll bugger the end of it when removing the nozzle.
are isolation pads and risers good. I have a large all in one speaker with a down firing sub and i have no idea if theyll help. Im also in a wheelchair so my tweeters are quite low thanks
Hey Cameron, They do help with the mechanical transfer of energy. However when cranked a sub pressurizes the room and this is what makes walls and doors shake. That's a result of acoustic energy and isolation doesn't help that. So yes they do help but won't fix all the room shaking caused by a sub.
Um12 and it's comparable in size to svs etc. Tuning good drivers low takes some space. In return you get broken dishes and strangers knocking at the door. We covered all of this in previous episodes where we modeled and designed the sub.
you did a good job, looks like it turned out awesome. if you plan on doing any more projects like this i would advise to invest in a better gun. that harbor freight gun is good for primer but for base and clear you really want something that is better quality. Half of being a "pro" is just having the right tools. Having a better gun will cut down on the amount of sanding and make the job faster and easier. The DeVilbiss 802342 would be a decent starter set. I have heard that the Husky guns from homedepot are ok as well. The gun i use at work is the Tekna 703567, you might even be able to find a tekna gun used for a good price.
What a difference from 2000 grit to the polishing stage. I wonder since there is obviously imperfections in each coat if the final result would have been even better had you sanded or polished the top coat before the clear, since what ever imperfections were in the top coat are still there under the clear. Also nice to see an experienced person using the same kind of rubber feet I do rather than insisting you need something like the SVS isolators. For situations I do not want permanent feet, great luck with the anti vibration pads made for industrial equipment, compressors, washing machines, etc.
There's no visible imperfection noticeable once the clear was applied and finished. An auto body guy may be able to answer better but to my eyes I'd see no reason to.
That is a method used in high end cars but there's no way I'm putting myself through that.. 😜. It's quite easy to get rid of the orange peel without having to do that.
A lot of you guys have asked about the air compressor I used. Here it is! www.lowes.com/pd/Kobalt-QUIET-TECH-26-Gallon-Single-Stage-Portable-Electric-Vertical-Air-Compressor/1001014062?cm_mmc=shp-_-c-_-prd-_-tol-_-ggl-_-LIA_TOL_153_Pneumatics-And-Compressors-_-1001014062-_-local-_-0-_-0&ds_rl=1286981&gclid=Cj0KCQiAt8WOBhDbARIsANQLp97Rn3hGlj5of632gOAH7Yn5-hc39jJAkZv8hv_EBslR27EjaZTBdmcaAtu0EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
How small 0f a compressor can you use. I was in the store looking at the little 2 or 3 gallon ones but wasn't sure if they could work
@@shaunbouchersr9544 they usually have a visual graph next to the price that shows what they'll run. Anything that will run an air tool will have no issues with a spray gun as it's run at a much lower Psi.
@@hometheatergurus cool ive ordered everything just need to figure that out. ive watched the video back to front least 20 times im gonna follow it exactly.
@@shaunbouchersr9544 good luck!
@@hometheatergurus not really even with low psi need of a hvlp gun its volume of compressor that it needs. Look up what your gun needs as far as volume and psi also the smaller the tank less volume gpm or gph. The right clean and dry air will properly atomize the paint. I used to paint motorcycles for a living. Also with a smaller air tank i would use a lvlp gun designed for said smaller air compressor. Also for small jobs like this smaller guns, like touch up guns
Just a tip from a painter. Use a larger sanding block that covers the whole surface during all sanding phases including the primer and you will have a flatter surface for your piano gloss. And sand in between all coats of clear. That's how pro automotive painters get their smooth surfaces. Love the color...
@@PedroKing99 Yes, wet sand
Would you build homemade sanding block to do it or can you purchase one?
@@aaronm5535 You can buy them but it would be cheaper to make your own and work just as well
@@kotogray8335 why wet sand instead of dry sand?
@@mixsterdude Dry sanding clogs up the sandpaper too quickly and using water helps the sandpaper to stick to the surface helping to create a smoother finish
Honestly, I think you did a marvelous job. Long ago I get my degree as a painter, and I love how people like you take the cow by the horn and go for it. If you have much orange peel I advise lower pressures and watch you viscosity of your paint. But anyhow, I love your video. You explained step by step, nicely, how you get the things done. I hope people are inspired by this video and go building themselves. Great job. If there are any misspelled words, I am sorry. I am Dutch and try to do the best I can. Sincerely, Bert de Vries. Hillegom, The Netherlands.
Viscosity is key. Learn to use a viscosity cup and as pressure and humidity change, you will always be spot on. I used to have a notebook with all the different paints I used and what viscosity they sprayed best at. Keep your first few coats thin, too thick and the atomized paint dents the previous coats (orange peel). Too thin, you get blush from where the solvents evaporate out and you get a dry matte look.
I agree, great job and pretty good explanation. Put enough clear on and you can sand anything back. Lacquer is the easiest to paint with, because it cuts into the previous paint, and just color sand and polish. Autos originally were brushed on lacquer and then sanded back and polished (I have done that ).
Spray edges first, then spray the panels, it leaves a higher build on the edges so you are less prone to sand or polish through. Autos originally were brushed on lacquer and then sanded back and polished (I have done that ). Most places frown on Lacquer now
@@garry7263 you are absolutely right. I love it when people now how to do the job. I love the people more when they want to learn the steps. I have noticed that people in corona time, trying to do more D.IY. stuff. They are not afraid to make a mistake. You learn from your mistakes, but never give up.
@garry7263... you nailed it with your answer. For everybody, build your stuff and new proud of the results..... eventough it's not perfect. Greetings from the Netherlands. Bert de Vries
I have done automotive paint for over 12 years and I think you did a wonderful job thank you for the video my friend
Wow. Thanks. I'm definitely no pro so I know you guys are definitely better at it so it means a lot coming from guys that do it professionally.
If your wet sanding use a little washing up soap in the water, really helps, breaks the water tension down 👍
I'll try it. Thanks!
Spray bottle for the water really helps. Mix in just a touch of soap makes it a lot easier to wet sand as well 👀
Thanks. Next time I'll Give it a try.
When working with MDF I found the best primer in the whole wide world.... to be wood glue. Even the really rough edges it completely seals them, no pain will absorb at all.
I just got a HVLP and LVLP sprayer, I have no idea how well that would work to apply it, but its cheap, tough, and sand-able and paint-able.
How do you use wood glue as a primer?
Awesome. Im going to try a pair of BMR speakers in Piano Black. Gives me great confidence seeing how you did this. Nothing crazy in the way of tools, and I have all the polish I think I'll need from the car. Thankyou very much.
A tip: When the compound looks dry, just add some water. The cutting material is still there. Saves you compound.
So awesome. I have two sets of towers that I built years ago. I love building homage speakers. I’ve never been able to put any kind of decent finish on them. I’m inspired to try this process on mine now.
Did you do it?
@@murrayshekelberg9754 I did. You have to beware for rounded surfaces. I kinda had those rounded edges and the paint didn't wanted stick it it for some reason. I should have sanded more. The rest was perfect after third layer of paint
Im a 20 year painter and honestly, good job!
This is pretty close to how I paint my guitars, and I was wondering if I could do the same for a custom amp head and speaker cabinet I'm thinking of building with MDF. Yours turned out great!
Man, your visual explanation of what orange peel was, and why it's removed, was great.
Thanks!
I'm trying to get an amazing speaker-gloss finish on my piano.
I like to duratex my Pianos.
🤣🤣🤣
Try turning the air pressure on the gun up more on the last coat of clear. It will help with the orange peel. Great job look really awesome.
somebody did their homework. practice makes perfect. nice work.
Thanks for the tips. I'm in the process of painting my boxes and the clear and wet sanding you went over was very helpful, as I am getting ready to wet sand myself.
Curious, how did it turn out?
Great video ! Really better than most of the cars shows I’ve seen on painting, depth wise.
I’ve always wanted to do this. You’ve shown me I can do it.
Thanks
Thanks Steve! And yep I have no doubt you can do it. The worst that happens is you screw up and get to try again.
Great job..I have to re finish a black gloss piano.I see you used epoxy black primer.What top coat system did you use..is the base coat a 2 pack (with hardener) and also is the clear coat 2 pack (with hardener.
Thanks.. It's been a few years but all links are in the description and the video shows the products used and shows me mixing them and the ratios.
This is the first of your videos I've seen but it definitely won't be the last.
Fantastic work on the sub and video production complete with product shots as you go.
Thank you so much. I still feel like they aren't good enough but I'm glad some like them and find value in the content.
Your doing great ! There are many ways to create a mirror finish on wood. I like you used a harbour freight touch up low flow spray gun. I bought the more expensive version because it has a stainless needle for water based paint. It looks beautiful but i just like a wood finish semi gloss because a shiny finish looks a little plastic to me but it is great for a piano. Enjoyed your hard work!
When sanding I suggest you use 10% sugar soap solution to prevent excessive paper clogging and edge burn. Also use a microfibre cloth to more effectively remove slurry.
I think he mentioned people like you chiming in
@@Amor1990 he replied 2 years ago bro.... let it go,,,,
When you wet sand don’t use just water. Add a few drops of dawn or just a standard dish soap to the water. The dish soap breaks the surface tension between the water and paint so when you sand your sandpaper will have a layer of water between itself and the paint. That is what you want when wet sanding. There’s a big difference between using dish soap and no dish soap.
Thanks, I'll try it out next time.
I appreciate your quality work. Thanks from Antonio Goa, the state of India
Thanks Befrank!
Dude, can't believe you did all that final sanding by hand! That takes a while with that fine of paper... End result looks great man. You did a great job going over everything. I used to paint cars in my dads shop back in high school and shortly after. Lots of work to get a good finish. You are correct though, no painter can completely get rid of orange peel. You get lucky sometimes, but not normally lol. If you do this again, besides getting a DA sander for the clear coat sanding, grab yourself a "california squeegee." That will complete remove all the water off the surface quickly to where you can see the cloudy/shiny areas in the clear coat. No more rags at that step. Once we started using those, it was a game changer! Again, looks awesome. Better than my swopes I painted several years ago! I didn't do the sanding/polishing step on mine, sort of a rush job. May redo them one day... 🤔
I only did the initial wet sanding by hand but yeah as I said in the video next time I'll get some paper for my sander for that step. Even still it only took maybe an hour to do that step but i did arms that day and the felt like noodles after sanding.. :) As for the squeegee, that's a great idea. I'll definitely do that!
Ohh and yeah that orange peel was bad..LOL. If I didn't know about the wet sanding I would have given up. It was great for the video though. The first time I did this last year had just a little. Thank goodness for sanding, compound and buffing. Bring on the orange peel!!
If you mix up some white glue and water and paint that on the MDF before you start, it seals the surface enough so that the paint sits on top. Just a thought for the future.
I actually did this to the edges in the previous video. It seals great. With the epoxy primer I wouldn't be surprised if the primer sealed them on the 2nd coat without pre sealing. It's fantastic stuff. But I always seal mdf edges with the glue /water mix. If you don't they're sponges for regular paint as I'm sure you know.
You did very well .My dad even said you did very well 4 not being a painter. And he's been painting hotrods and custom cars for over 40 years. Keep up the good work.If you need any unique custom colors let me know.
Awesome and thanks. Definitely a huge compliment as I'm definitely not a professional painter in any way.
@@hometheatergurus When you finish, make sure to give your car a quick buff too!
I have painted houses for decades and he's teaching me.
I need custom color!....
I mean it looks amazing man great job. Harbor freight gets a bad rap but the customer reviews and everything I’ve bought from there has really done a great job.
Nice job. I was taught in my apprenticeship to rub a bar of soap on the wet and dry sandpaper while using it with water. It helps the sandpaper from clogging with the paint. Also helps with the finish.
Thanks for the tip. I'll definitely try it next time.
Adding a few drops of liquid soap in the water has the same effect.
I am going to be building 2 of these, with a slight modification. I will be using Kicker CompQ subs. They put out as much power as i can find. Now i just need to find amps with enough power to push them.
Be careful and make sure you model them in this enclosure first. It's very possible they won't perform well in this enclosure and could be heavily outperformed by the driver is was designed for.
You have 48 hours to spray your base and you dont need to sand. The epoxy chemically bonds to the base coat,meaning it dosent need a mechanical bond(sanding).... that epoxy sprays nice and thin if you reduce it 1:1:1 and use it as a sealer wait an hour or two to let it dry then hit it with base/clear. and you won't be able to tell the difference. i grew up about 200 yards from summit. good job , just a time saver .
Thanks Brandon, I'm definitely no pro so I take any advice I can get. I'll do that on the next one. Thanks!
Hey what a really great video I also love the color and thanks for sharing your expertise with the world as I think I might have the confidence now to tackle something here and I love the painter who shared his professional views of standing between each coat thank you for sharing
This is the best home theater channel I've found on RUclips. I'm surprised it doesn't have way more views/subscribers.
Wow, thank you! It's growing pretty fast for a small channel. In December I barely 1k subs.
Love that paint work on the box. I have that Dayton Ultimax 12". I built similar to that size but used 3"1/2" OD ports. Made two ports and they are 32" long box it tune to 22 hrz. Awesome with movies.
This is amazing. I eventually want to give this kind of finish a go. Fingerprint magnet but so so pretty.
I myself just finished a box for an Ultimax 10. Baltic birch plywood stained with dark walnut oil stain. Finished with 3 coats of water based gloss.
It's about 3.5 cubic feet tuned to 19Hz with 3 10" Dayton Passive radiators.
I've yet to order the passive radiators but hope to get around to that in a week or so.
Thanks. The um10 is a really good performer and even works well in a box as small as a cube (net) tuned down to 20hz. Good choice!
Great instruction video. Thank you for taking the time to do it. 😀
Glad you enjoyed it!
Great job. Thanks.
Any chance if you know how to fix SCRATCHES on high glosss surfaces?
Finally, someone else that knows the difference between gloss and piano gloss, unlike SVS lol
Ohh there's definitely a huge difference between buffed single stage paint and a base /clear. HUGE!
High end painters don't distinguish between gloss and piano gloss. We call it normal.
This gloss is awesome but knocking SVS makes little to no sense at all. You can always make a custom finish for yourself if you have the time and know how. SVS offers the gloss finish for a wide range of customers while maintaining a sustainable cash flow. For fantastic al a carte finish from a company please see JWM Audio. You’ll get my meaning. The price is also eye opening.
@@beyondonethousand I think he was making a little DIY joke. Ultimately the frequencies will not care if cabinet is unfinished, shag carpet, or piano gloss.
Astonishing! Like you said…it looks like you could dive right into the surface. Not sure I could cope with all that spray gun business….but the technique for getting that flat surface with wet & dry paper could probably make good even with a (carefully applied) rattle can finish.
Thank you.👍
Thanks. I've been thinking I need to do a small project with rattle cans. You can buy auto clear coat in a rattle can.
Excellent finish. A lot of work paid off.
awesome video on how to make MDF speakers look great.
Thanks!
how and when do you primer/paint the bottom panel?
i enjoyed watching this... learned a lot! well explained and not boring it's good upto the last drop!!!
Thank you for this my friend. I've been thinking about doing a little project to make side panels for my hi-fi components, and this has given me the confidence to go ahead!
Awesome. The worst that happens is you screw it up and have to sand it and do it again. So far I haven't had that happen. Good luck!
The using a spray bottle, that’s what I use and it makes it so much easier and faster. Nice work. I paint 4 base coats and 7 clear coats. I know very over kill but if you ever put you hear on top, it gives you more meat for buffing later on
I actually used a spray bottle the first time I did this which last year. This time I just grabbed whatever was close. It's definitely more convenient.
And wow.. 7 coats. Yeah that is definitely some insurance. Nothing wrong with overkill especially when it helps ensure you've got plenty of protection when sanding it down.
Really impressive! That color is beautiful! I have one question…..why wet sand instead of dry sand?
Thanks. If you look into auto paint practices you'll get a better explanation but the water acts as a lubricant and is far less messy. It also keeps the pad and paint cool.
This is the best and i think only vid on RUclips that really explains how to get that piano gloss. Thank you so much for sharing. Can i just ask. If i stained and clear coated a project with polyurethane. Do i just skip the epoxy step and acrylic urethane and just prep to to polish? Or would i need to prep the poly coat and spray its with the urethane ?
Nice job 👍
Thanks 👍
great job but just a tip to help out. Soak your sand paper for 20-30 mins prior in and bucket of water with a few drops of dish liquid in it. Personally I use a spray bottle to wet down the surface.
Jeesh bud, well done. Exactly what I was after. Thanks for taking the time to post this, truly appreciated..
Hey, great video, thanks for the upload. I'm building some speakers and would like to finish them in a similar fashion. A couple of things I missed: Do you sand the base coat between your 2 coats, or after your 2 coats, or not at all and go right to the clear? The other thing was, do you use the same cutting discs for the final polish (Super Finish 3500)? or is it something else? Thank again.
You can use rattle can primer for mdf but you have to use a primer that is a sealer/filler type primer. Two even coats or one coat overlapping 50% like you did will work.
I may try it but I absolutely love the epoxy primer. It's cheap and you can cover a large area very quickly with the hvlp.
My technique is to convince myself that orange peel looks nice 😂
😁I tried that for a while on my old towers then a after a few months decided to see just how good I could make them look.
I paint corrected 3 of my cars they looked awesome, back in the day 90's I had to take my new car back to the dealer , the paint was messing up, so they repainted the whole car and color sanded to. is the car in the pick. that thing looked like glass got a lot of complements, 25 years later I color sanded that same car myself it looked glass, lot of work took 2 days . All you people to be scared to buff your car out.
Yeah it makes vehicles look amazing. I got a new truck a few months ago and bought all the stuff to do paint correction and chickened out. That compound and buffing cream was actually bought for the truck. Maybe one day if it get scratched up i'll correct it. It's definitely a lot of work on a vehicle. I started off hand washing it and after 2x decided it wasn't happening anymore and now i use the auto wash close to work.
@@hometheatergurus Pros And Cons Pro Looks good when your done Con won't stay that way forever no matter how careful you baby that car. If you ever want to do it check out Junkman2000 . I still hand wash all my cars. the older i get the less i care how my car looks (57) my car gets me form point a to point b and back .
@@uwsome1 yep. And seriously it looks great using the auto wash. I've never been a hand washing kind of guy. It was my first new truck in 15 years, the honeymoon stage lasted 2 hand washes. 😂
what do you pore before sanding is it pure water or some sort of substance ?
Beautiful work I'm getting ready to paint a 16 cuft MDF box for 4 15" subs and I've been looking for good tips because I've never done a paint job that didn't involve nothing but rattle cans and sand paper and I want it to look really nice. Thanks for an extremely detailed video on how to get a very nice finish.
Well done man. Looks like my polished car after 3-4 hours work. Subwoofer looks perfect and i am sure it sounds fantastic.
Did you do anything special do the edges of the MDF before painting?
On the Video prior to this we treated them with a water /glue mix.
DId you use a sealer to seal the MDF before using Expoxy Primer? was your Base Coat Urethane?
Hi I missed what is the liquid to sand/polish the surfaces? Regards for ARg
DA with an interface pad works great. I use the hook it all the way up to 5000 sometimes. Saves a lot of time in my opinion. Looking good though!
im not making a subwoofer but this was a really good painting guide for another project i'm doing, thanks
Hi guys what a great build. So i live in a good size apartmrnt and would love to know what speakers would compliment this sub ? Are theyre sny diy home speaker systems for a condo home entertainment area ? Thanks guys
Instead of Dayton sub have you tried some cheap car subs for home theater? Will it do the job?
They may, they'd need to be modeled but I'm sure some would work reasonably well. By nature Auto subs have a high fs but some can still work well tuned under the fs.
@@hometheatergurus so I should just look for driver with low fs?
@@Live_Loud see the episode before this one where we use winisd to design this box. It walks you though it.
Great video btw. But i agree at 19:00, if sanded by hand, clear coat should be sanded with 600 grit sandpaper, it would be a lot faster.
I was thinking to do a paint job on my main speakers and this is just an amazing work ...
Thanks Chris!
@@hometheatergurus oh and I liked and subscribed =)
Awesome. 😁
I Love this . I want to build for my home. I build power full but did normal paint. Now I will do like this. Please help me
This came out looking amazing. Me talking to an SVS sales rep after seeing this video..."BYE FELICIA!" 😂😂
One question...Is there an 18" version of this cabinet? Would love have 2 of these for 18's!
Haha.. SVS subs have chuffing issues anyways when you push them as the port velocity it high. You can get a lot more performance for the money. Check out GSG audio. I have links to them in some of my videos. I currently run their Devestator kits and soon to be running their bts subs.
This is an example of extremely good detailed steps. I can absolutely follow this with no mystery other than my lack of talent :)
Man you sure know how to make that box look amazing. Great job on the enclosure and great job on the video...cheers!
Thanks , I do what I can! :)
How much are the flat packs
That came out beautiful
Thanks Vince!
Love it. Amazon and Harbor freight , that's my recipe!
Thanks for watching.
Excellent video. I am borderline ready to buy some new floor standers, but my 1997 Celestion Impact 40s are great, just shabby looking. Thinking about wrapping them or painting them to make them look gloss black. PS, you remind m of Bob Ross with the way you talk and describe your work, very cool.
Nice job brother
Super fine work and hard work like from India brother👍
Thanks Santosh!
Gosh I love what you did to that box. I hope to someday try myself.
Thanks Don, Go for it. The worst that happens is you screw it up and sand it down and try again.
Great narration, a pleasure to watch.
Thanks. I thought I did just OK so great to hear!
Awesome job! What was the paint you used? that color was great, good for a hot rod for sure !
It was some a buddy gave me. It's a Honda red basque pearl.
Love the routing to hide most of the joints. I have had to do plenty of battle when trying to get the seems hidden long term when using butt-joints. Will the epoxy actually keep the joint hidden? Using epoxy will be my next attempt, possibly using it to glue the cabinets as well.
It does very well but some seams my have a slight line but it's faint and you have to look close to see it and the light has to be just right.
Great job! Just to get my 2 cent's worth in, I soak the sandpaper I will be using for 15 to 20 minutes in water. Then everytime I see that my block is about to go dry, I dip it in water. That way all the slush on the paper gets washed away and it leaves a film of water on it to continue sanding.
This is so inspiring, thanks. What size air compressor did you use for this? I am going to paint acoustic diffusers and want to try this method, but I need to pick up an air compressor.
Thanks, i'm going to add this to the description as i get asked this a lot. :) www.lowes.com/pd/Kobalt-QUIET-TECH-26-Gallon-Single-Stage-Portable-Electric-Vertical-Air-Compressor/1001014062?cm_mmc=shp-_-c-_-prd-_-tol-_-ggl-_-LIA_TOL_153_Pneumatics-And-Compressors-_-1001014062-_-local-_-0-_-0&ds_rl=1286981&gclid=Cj0KCQiAt8WOBhDbARIsANQLp97Rn3hGlj5of632gOAH7Yn5-hc39jJAkZv8hv_EBslR27EjaZTBdmcaAtu0EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
@@hometheatergurus Thanks so much ! I'm heading to Lowes to grab the last one :)
@@aaronm5535 I love it. It's very quiet too for what it is. Grab a hose and assortment of connections. If I remember correctly it didn't come with that stuff.
This has got to be as good as it gets!! Just watched it again while listening to Dylan and then Sting... Here in India one doesn't have access to those chemicals but my Hyundai dealer may do it for me if I sand it, so that's what I'm doing. Even so, I'll get only a metallic kind of feel... It'll do, will certainly be lower maintenance!
I would really recommend 3M compounds, they work really well
I actually used 3m the first time I did a base coat /clear on speakers.
Absolutely blown, turned out awesome... I've been watching your videos over the past 4months cause I want to build my own Cinema and honestly you really bring some useful information on the table I'm watching every video you post up, not because I'm planning to build my own sub but due to the fact that it's just really interesting... Good job man, please keep doing what you're doing 😏
Thank you very much. I'm glad you're enjoying the channel! Here very soon I'll be building my theater, should be some good videos.
Well done, it's coming together, how many are you building for your new set up? My first trade was painting and wallpapering, one thing I'll say with painting epoxy or epoxy enamel, your very first coat should be what's called a tacky coat, this is a very very light coat and given a short time to go tacky, this then let's the next coats build up better, giving them something to stick to, it can make a difference.
Thanks.
I'll eventually do 3 more and use them in a tower module setup with 2 of these per stack in the living room. House has to be built first.
I'll be using the flat packs for the other 3.
@@hometheatergurus ok, cool, I'm using 4 subs now too, my two accusound 12" class a/b 200w rms subs I've had for a few years now and two I've just bought emotiva basx s12 class d 300w rms, my house has a open plan design, kitchen is open to a large lounge room, the 4 now sound great, one of each up front on the floor, either side of TV, yamaha rx-a 3070 into emotiva's then daisy chained the accusounds to them, the other two rear, my other trade is boilermaker and I made a steel stand I sand filled for rear emotiva at chest hight, I'm getting a near perfect base response, the two amp types work well together, watching your tutorials helped me heaps, thanks mate.
Godd job. At 25:40 you can see the MDF joint. The surface should be pre even before the primer.
It actually was perfectly even however MDF and Humidity cause issues and the long panels of MDF will expand past an end panel. In reality , now that it's in a climate controlled house, it's so faint I'd have to point it out and you still may not see it.
@@hometheatergurus ok thanks for the reply. I saw, i think in New Yorkshire woodshop, that he let the MDF rest for a week in a hot chamber before working with it. His results are always perfects. Its worth the view.
@@renatogomes2396 interesting. It's definitely my favorite finish. I've done veneers on speakers before but base coat clear coat just looks so good.
hey loved your video, very informative. I have a questions for you. would this technique work on laminate piece of furniture? i wet sanded and got the same surface visually as yours and trying to have a high gloss finish.
thank you!
Excellent video
Thank you for the great content. Your Rew video cured my 70hz null that i just couldn’t get rid of. 👍🏻
Awesome Mark! And thanks.
Home Theater Gurus
Your welcome
Could you use the hammer sub vertically? Any issues?
Thanks
This is awesome , thinking if doing this to a set of Vintage La Scala's what color base coat did you use.
My one critique from the beginning is you're "fanning" while painting. This is going to cause more buildup of paint in the center of panels and thin edges. And before anyone jumps on that, YES... skilled painters will often fan while spraying large panels but they do it AFTER painting all the edges and corners since. Always start with the edges and corners, then fill in the large areas. This is very important when spraying clear since the edges will have had just enough time to flash off enough that you wont get a run when hitting the main panel.
ALso, when cleaning your gun, remove the needle FIRST. If you don't you'll bugger the end of it when removing the nozzle.
Thanks for the advice!
Nice video . Is it water wile doing samd paper ?
Is it possible to get that with just hand tools?
are isolation pads and risers good. I have a large all in one speaker with a down firing sub and i have no idea if theyll help. Im also in a wheelchair so my tweeters are quite low thanks
Hey Cameron, They do help with the mechanical transfer of energy. However when cranked a sub pressurizes the room and this is what makes walls and doors shake. That's a result of acoustic energy and isolation doesn't help that. So yes they do help but won't fix all the room shaking caused by a sub.
The cab seems very large. what was the speaker you installed?
Um12 and it's comparable in size to svs etc. Tuning good drivers low takes some space. In return you get broken dishes and strangers knocking at the door. We covered all of this in previous episodes where we modeled and designed the sub.
When applying clear coats did you wait any time between layers??
AWESOME WORK! How many hours all together went into it?
Thanks. In the prep and finish.. Probably 15 hours of actual work.
Excellent video and thanks for the links in the description
Thanks and you're welcome!
you did a good job, looks like it turned out awesome. if you plan on doing any more projects like this i would advise to invest in a better gun. that harbor freight gun is good for primer but for base and clear you really want something that is better quality. Half of being a "pro" is just having the right tools. Having a better gun will cut down on the amount of sanding and make the job faster and easier. The DeVilbiss 802342 would be a decent starter set. I have heard that the Husky guns from homedepot are ok as well. The gun i use at work is the Tekna 703567, you might even be able to find a tekna gun used for a good price.
I'm a weekend warrior and don't mind some elbow work at all. But if I was doing more I definitely may upgrade.
What a difference from 2000 grit to the polishing stage. I wonder since there is obviously imperfections in each coat if the final result would have been even better had you sanded or polished the top coat before the clear, since what ever imperfections were in the top coat are still there under the clear.
Also nice to see an experienced person using the same kind of rubber feet I do rather than insisting you need something like the SVS isolators.
For situations I do not want permanent feet, great luck with the anti vibration pads made for industrial equipment, compressors, washing machines, etc.
There's no visible imperfection noticeable once the clear was applied and finished. An auto body guy may be able to answer better but to my eyes I'd see no reason to.
Would it orange-peel less if you sanded between top coats?
That is a method used in high end cars but there's no way I'm putting myself through that.. 😜. It's quite easy to get rid of the orange peel without having to do that.
Beautiful job!! Wish I had the patience.