A word about finishes

One of the ways we keep our prices so reasonable is by giving the purchaser the opportunity to apply their own finish to the kits. Not only does this keep the cost of the kit low, it lets you apply a finish that will complement your other equipment. Besides, it's a gas. Doc B. ran a business refinishing antique radio cabinets a few years back ( and squirreling away those cool old triodes out of 'em!). During that time he learned a lot about some simple and some not so simple finishing methods. For a look at some of that radio work, check out this link. Doc's Radio Restorations

The kits shown in our web page photos have all been finished with slightly different methods to give you an idea of what you can do with your own kits.

The Paramour amp chassis plate has been left natural. The filter choke and plate loading choke were sprayed with inexpensive flat black spray paint. The alder wood base was finished with Varathane Diamond, and very easy to use water base polymer finish.

The Foreplay has been finished in a similar fashion except that the chassis plate has been sprayed with an almond Krylon spray paint.

The Afterglow was finished by builder extraordinaire John Tucker. The chassis plate and filter choke were sprayed with Krylon flat black. The wood base was sanded carefully, with the sharp edges slightly rounded in the process, and then given a medium walnut stain and finished with several coats of semi gloss clear Krylon.

The Paraglow chassis plates were sprayed with lacquer and the filter choke and the bell end of the power transformer were sprayed with flat black paint. These amps were built for Mike LaFevre so the MagneQuest plate loading choke was left unfinished to show off the cool solid brass channel frame. The bases for these monoblocks were made from solid walnut which was stained with medium walnut aniline dye and finished with gloss Varathane Professional. Bases from woods other than poplar are available for finished amplifiers only. Call us to discuss availability and pricing.

The B-Glow shows a new favorite look. A customer was kind enough to send us a pair of chassis plates that he had powder coated in gloss black (thanks Sam!). The filter choke and the transformer bell ends were first sprayed with flat black, then over sprayed with Krylon Metallic Granite faux granite finish, followed by a top coat of semi gloss Varathane Professional. The bases were left natural and finished with several coats of semi gloss Varathane Diamond. Brass mounting hardware was substituted to blend with the colors used.

Other ideas?

Some folks like to substitute their own black Allen head cap screws for the mounting hardware included in the kit. One word of caution here, the Allen head screws will rust. We suggest coating the heads with clear coat or black paint, or using stainless steel cap screws. 

Chassis plates can be wiped with vinegar to remove any excess oxidation, then cleaned with 409 or Fantastik to degrease them before painting. Use a lint free cloth, as the "tooth" of the brushed aluminum will hold the lint of a more fuzzy cloth.

If you decide to remove the bell ends of the TFA-204 output transformers to paint them, keep these things in mind:
DON'T drop the transformer when the bell ends are off! This will ruin the airgap, and is not covered under warrantee.
Clean the bell ends with acetone to remove the oils that are applied to preserve the existing black oxide finish.
When replacing the finished bell ends, DO NOT overtighten the screws! Notice when you remove them that they are snug, but not "cranked". Put them back the same way, so as not to disturb the airgap.

The brass hardware on the PGP 8.1 power transformers can be difficult to remove, because it has a coating of varnish on it. Put a drop of nail polish remover or acetone on each bolt's threaded end and let it soak in for a few seconds. This will make removal of the nut easy. Clean the preservative oil from the black oxide finished bell end before painting. Here's a pictorial on the process

Hammerite has been used with great success to paint chassis plates and transformer end bells. While applying Hammerite in such a way as to get a nice even "hammer" is a little tricky, the results are usually worth the effort. Doc likes to use the charcoal gray Hammerite, and instead of trying to put on an even, heavy "hammer coat", he sprays on several mist coats, allowing the paint to dry between coats. The result is a beautiful pebbled metallic finish that takes little skill to achieve. The stuff is really durable too.

Krylon Suede finish paint is another great finish for chassis plates.

We've also had great results flocking the exposed coils of the channel frame iron. Here's an example, trannies with greened flocked coils and a radical iron oxide finish on the metalwork.

Mounting  the bases

Wood bases will look more finished if you "break" or round off the sharp edges a bit with fine sandpaper. 220 grit is about right, and don't forget to sand lightly between both stain and finish coats.

Attaching the bases to the chassis plates can be accomplished several ways. If you're like Doc, you just leave the plates and bases unattached to make it easier to install the latest tweak. For a positive connection use polyurethane glue.