Continued Muff-a-rama

[mrclean77]

I honestly don't remember what all Muff versions I've made or which one(s) I prefer. So I've been doing a little reading and decided with my Osh Park 3-pack I'd try the Green Russian (my last post and I do remember liking it), the Violet Ram's Head (this one) and next will be the Triangle. Still getting the hang of graphics, labels, E-tex, etc. I have a few more ACO-themed ideas for stuff that'll likely stay with me....I don't think I can have too much ACO stuff and am considering going nutso and making a whole ACO-themed board. PICS!!!

Oh - I dig the bus wire from Mammoth, but now that makes the off-board stuff up top look a little messier than it is.

[bsoncini]

Nice clean build. Continued muff a Rama sounds like it should be a 70s porn title

[diablochris6]

Very slick. That top is so shiny, I thought that there was a problem with it until I realized that was a reflection of a tree.

For me, Violet Ram's Head is where it's at, and we can't forget about the Ultrastoner! I haven't built any other variants to compare them with, so I guess I'll have to start building the them all!

[jimilee]

Very cool. I prefer the green Russian for bass, and the p-19 for guitar.


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[mrclean77]

Thanks, folks.

I finally got some time to (kinda) crank em up and compare. I didn't think my amateur ears would be able to tell much of a difference, but they are definitely different. I think I'm so used to the Green Russian, I kept going back to that one, but could see having both around, if not both on the board. Triangle is up next for building and comparing.

I usually prefer simplicity when it comes to pedal stuff, but I can see the appeal of a tricked out Muff that maybe walked the line in between a couple of versions. Hmmmm.....

[EBK]

How do you do the sides of your enclosure when using epoxy?

[mrclean77]

How do you do the sides of your enclosure when using epoxy?

I usually leave em alone, completely. This time, I was sanding the face and, for no real reason, sanded the sides. They feel nice to the touch, but on the board, they will just about never/hardly be seen. The E-tex is thick enough that it doesn't just go swimming around everywhere. When you pour it on the top and start spreading it around, you're really kinda "pushing" it around more than applying/using a brush stroke like with clear coat/lacquer/etc. I have been using cheapy 1" foam brushes, but that's mainly to have something wider than the stir stick to push the stuff toward the edge. If you look at the lower, left-hand corner, you can tell where I didn't quite get all of it. The way these boxes are cast, the edge is juuuuuussssst a little higher than the face (unless you really, REALLY sand it down even) so that kinda helps corral the e-tex to stay off the sides until it dries/cures. This one had no drips, but I sometimes get 1-2 drips per box. Instead of wiping while it's wet, I let it totally cure, use a razor to score a line parallel to and just under the edge, then start at the bottom of the box with the razor flat and kinda pry the e-tex off. As you work toward the face, it will flake off, sometimes in one piece. The scored line is to prevent me from getting crazy and prying it off the face.

TL;DR - nothing is done to the sides; if you get drips, cut em off later; be careful

[EBK]

Thanks for the tips!  I'll have to give this a try.

[mrclean77]

With clear coat, I can slap a coat on, bake...rinse, rinse repeat --- have the finished box done in ~an hour (depending on # of coats)

But when you have a clear coat box next to an E-tex box, you are reminded why you go thru the little bit of extra trouble and curing time

[culturejam]

Very nice!

I made my own 3PDT board very similar to yours (using 6-gang ribbon wire in the same way).

[mrclean77]

Very nice!

I made my own 3PDT board very similar to yours (using 6-gang ribbon wire in the same way).

I think it will push me to further streamline the top of the board sooner than maybe I would have. I had concerns that running the I/O via the scenic route close to the perimeter of the board may result in noise/etc, but I don't think it's any noisier than any other Muff, lol. It may impact future layouts more (as far as change how I go about it, I'm not wishing noise issues on myself), we shall see.