Grease Gun

[m-Kresol]

Hi folks,
I finally managed to finish a build, the Greasegun from the funcion-f(x) fundraiser. When I first plugged it in (I boxed before I rocked it  ), nothing happened at all. No bypass, nada. Turned out, I just didn't fully insert the jack at the amp. Works great after all.

This is one of the first pedals I used decal with (and envirotex for that matter). I have to give credit to a Sarah, a coworker of mine, who was bored the last weeks since she finished her PhD. She mastered the transfer right away and way better then me. Nevertheless, the toner came off at a few small spots, so i covered it up with a marker, but now one can see the differences in black. I also have to admit that the enviro is not bubble-free, but I hid the group of bubbles under the gain-chickenhead knob for the photos

One more thing I learned is that a prefinished enclosure is not always the way to go. I had another cover art first, which was mostly grey... you couldn't make out anything not even the bright green letters because of the black enclosure. After some inspiration search I came up with using this graphic of a tree for no reason, I just liked it. Fooled around with the colours and voilá: again, one could not make out any of the red parts. So in the end I decided to sand of the powder coating on the top (thanks again to various bored/frustrated/angry coworkers who helped me after I got a blister from sanding).
I like the sound of the effect. The name is really appropriate since it sounds rather greasy/blurry on lower tone settings and has less bite compared to the Klon clone I have.

Anyways, enough talk, here are the pics. Sorry for my lack of skill talking quality photos. The lighting in my flat in the evening always suck to take pics.

[Leevibe]

Great work Felix! I LOVE the font you used for the controls. That really goes well with your artwork.

[wgc]

tidy!  I am envious of the braids...

[muddyfox]

Nice work, Felix! Great recovery, too! 

I also have to admit that the enviro is not bubble-free, but I hid the group of bubbles under the gain-chickenhead knob for the photos

I'm also just finishing my first envirotex build (will post pics when it's done, at the rate I've been going lately I'm thinking xmas  ) and have also found ET to be less than bubble-free. Yes, I stirred a lot (maybe too much?). Yes, I gave it a warm bath (as per JS's tip). Roughly a dozen bubbles on a BB box. I might have poured on too fast as well, more experimentation will tell. Blowing on it did nothing for the bubbles but did introduce more dust into the finish so I'm not gonna be doing that anymore. What I did do to minimize bubbles was to gently push them with a toothpick into what 's gonna be a pot hole so that they get drilled out. Worked out great (if cumbersome to pull off), I only have a bubble or two left that appeared out of nowhere.

[m-Kresol]

Thanks guys!

Nice work, Felix! Great recovery, too! 

I also have to admit that the enviro is not bubble-free, but I hid the group of bubbles under the gain-chickenhead knob for the photos

I'm also just finishing my first envirotex build (will post pics when it's done, at the rate I've been going lately I'm thinking xmas  ) and have also found ET to be less than bubble-free. Yes, I stirred a lot (maybe too much?). Yes, I gave it a warm bath (as per JS's tip). Roughly a dozen bubbles on a BB box. I might have poured on too fast as well, more experimentation will tell. Blowing on it did nothing for the bubbles but did introduce more dust into the finish so I'm not gonna be doing that anymore. What I did do to minimize bubbles was to gently push them with a toothpick into what 's gonna be a pot hole so that they get drilled out. Worked out great (if cumbersome to pull off), I only have a bubble or two left that appeared out of nowhere.

Here's what I found about ET:
It's really important to warm it up prior to mixing. This will make stirring way easier and it spreads faster. (Warning: do not overdo it with the amine-hardener (the black capped bottle) Amines oxides in air, which gives them a yellow to brown colour! Mine has a light yellow touch already. Not visible yet in the final mix, but I guess I won't use the whole pack before it's getting visible.)
I stirr magnetically in the lab, so it takes me about 20 seconds to get an even mix I get bubbles in the initial mix nevertheless. So I tried stirring it under vacuum conditions to degas the liquid and to get the bubbles out. Does not change anything.
What I found to help is the following: After pouring and spreading it over the top of the enclosure, check every 15 min or so. Poping the bubbles in the beginning is easy (edge of a paper, toothpick,...) and the ET will flow into place. If you have a lot of bubbles use a flame of some kind (as it says in the manual). I used a brulée burner we had around. All the bubbles burst imediately. Unfortunately, that doesn't prevent it from forming new ones over time. When the ET cures, it's capability to store gas decreases and it degases. At some point, popping the bubbles won't do you any good, it leaves you with a hole, since the ET is to viscous/hard to flow around any more. Filling that hole gives you an uneven height in the coating, which looks as bad as bubbles.

Now to the (hopefully) solution of the problem:
with my last enclosure finish, I put the whole thing in an oven at 70°C for 3h (and left it in there to cool over the weekend) right after spreading the epoxy. I got a nice bubble free covering. I guess it's because a) warm liquids have a lower gas storage capacity and therefore the ET should degas earlier and b) the increased temperature should ensure a lower viscosity during the phase of bubble bursting. The only bubbles left were all in the edges of drill holes, where they don't matter.
Hope that helps!

@Leevibe: It's the Metal Gear Solid font. You should be able to find it if you wanted to use it as well

[muddyfox]

Oh, so you cover the entire box with ET? Mine kept creating runs for couple of hours after pouring, stuffing it into an oven (which I don't have for this purpose) would make wiping off drips virtually impossible. Also, I'm using an inkjet sticker and I'm not sure how happy it'd be at 70C.

Also, I warmed it up while stirring, not before. Something new to try... 

[m-Kresol]

I just cover the top, not the sides. For 1590B enclosures I found 10ml gives a layer which is a little bit too thick for my taste, but 8ml is pretty good in terms of covering everything easily with a good thickness.

I basically followed juansolo's tutorial and spiced it up a little using lab equipment rahter than houshold cups

[culturejam]

Looks great!

[rullywowr]

That pedal looks totally cool man!  There is a little learning curve with the Envirotex but it's so much easier than rattle can clear for me.  I like to either use a torch or just breathe (exhale) on the enclosure to pop the bubbles.

[thesameage]

So, how does it sound? 

[muddyfox]

Envirotex sounds great! It really adds sparkle and depth!