DIY Piano Gloss Black?

[Shian7]

As the title says.... Is it beyond the realms of DIY?

Can it be done at home... or is it one of those things that's best left to the professionals?

I'm looking for a 'spot on' finish to some reasonably large boxes. Dunno why, but I get the impression that the larger the surface area, the more skill is required. Yes?

If its definitely a 'pro' job, can anyone give a recommendation?

Cheers...

[Richard]

Hi Mike,

How big? If small such as TT plinth it would be feasible to do in the way of getting a good car paint repair - fill and sand til perfect then guidecoat sand, fill pinpricks and topcoat with cellulose or acrylic spray topped with clear laquer.

Old pianos were finished with alcohol laquer, later cellulose I think, whilst new ones are finished with polyester which is virtually bomb proof but mainly a factory finish due to application techniques.

If anything bigger than very small speakers then I'd search out a furniture sprayer or piano restorer. Been there with similar projects and for me anyway it's one of those jobs that starts out with enthusiasm but descends rapidly into impatience frustration and that general feeling of wishing I'd not started the devil

Rich

[Grog]

i've had some excellent results taking cabinets to an automotive spray shop (car repair type)
just seal any cut MDF edges with watered down PVA to stop the paint soaking in too much and have them sprayed in any colour you like, T-cut them back a week after the paint has fully hardened and the finish is perfect (as long as you use a decent spay shop)

[Shian7]

It's a pair of fairly large loudspeakers... NS-1000M's in fact!

Sounds like something to not tackle myself!

[pre65]

Originally Posted by Shian7

It's a pair of fairly large loudspeakers... NS-1000M's in fact!

Sounds like something to not tackle myself!

As these speakers are held in such high regard by some would painting them as you describe reduce their potential value in the future, should you ever decide to sell them ?

[Shian7]

I doub't it Philip... at the moment they are red!

[Richard]

Hmm, I'd do them for sure then Mike, if the drivers are good anyway. Strip the units out first though and don't trust their masking. They're quite exotic and were done in many finishes fromwhat I remember and piano black will be attractive to many folk if it's done well. Wouldn't go the diy route tho. These are glossy something or other lovely

[Shian7]

... Or there's veneering, of course!

[Scottmoose]

Yep, it's possible, or something similar anyway. Hope you like hard work...

There are a couple of threads on it over on DIYaudio. Sod's law naturally dictates that they're in the middle of a forum upgrade though, so can't post links. However, if you go to the search function, and type in 'A how to for high gloss finishing' you'll see a thread of that name with loads of info on it.

[Shian7]

Thanks for that... will do!

Cheers,
Mike.