BB Ahoy!

[jkokura]

Brilliantly done there Cody!

I'd like to inform everyone, this isn't a BB Preamp. BB stands for Blues Breaker.

Jacob

[jubal81]

Love your style, dude. That reverse etch/paint style is brilliant.

[juansolo]

That etch is magnificent 

[micromegas]

That etch is magnificent 

+1. Your latest builds make me want to etch boxes again despite all the hardwork it involves...

[Ettore_M]

Great etch! Well done, mate!
You've done quite a lot of really nice ones lately, but this one is my favourite.

Hector

[selfdestroyer]

Brilliantly done there Cody!

I'd like to inform everyone, this isn't a BB Preamp. BB stands for Blues Breaker.

Jacob

HAHA Fail on my part.. I should have know since I have built 2 Blues Breakers the last week. I feel stupid now. lol

Thanks so much guys for the encouraging words. It was nice that even my wife was impressed with the art work and that means a lot to me also as she has a great eye for that stuff.

Also, thanks for the knob suggestions. I have ordered a few to try and on the list are the silver Marshall style.

+1. Your latest builds make me want to etch boxes again despite all the hardwork it involves...

Thanks, I found that once i have all the stuff out it makes it easier to bust a few etches out at a time. I did a total of 4 enclosures in 2 days. Feels like I have accomplished a lot this week.

[Jabulani Jonny]

That looks fantastic. I haven't stepped into the etching waters yet. I'm afraid...

Great looking build!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Jean-Rock]

Ohh ! Nice peace of art !

[trustybs]

It is beautiful !

[rullywowr]

That is one clean etch...you sir are an artist.  Almost too pretty to put your foot on!

[danwelsh]

That is just totally wicked man.....what's your process for etching?

[Clayford]

Looks great, I would go with Black/Silver knobs Kinda like a Marshall or even this:

I second those knobs

[blackedition]

i'm curious, how much longer does it take to do the reverse etch as opposed to the conventional etch?  seems like an awful lot more material that needs to react... 

definitely looks killer.  i especially like the font that you used for the labeling...  definitely has that nautical vibe

[selfdestroyer]

what's your process for etching?

I am actually working on a tutorial like the PCB etching one on my blog. I will have it done by Monday since I have a few more boxes I am working on this weekend.

Here is the basic method I use.

Photoshop template posted http://www.madbeanpedals.com/forum/index.php?topic=12582.0
Grab some art and font or create something from scratch. Reverse the template then print it out on my laser printer on presentation (glossy) paper.

All the hardware I use is the same as my PCB tutorial here
http://music.codydeschenes.com/?page_id=1388

Give the box a quick bath and a light wet sand (600 grit) if needed.
I then iron on the reversed template on to my box. Take your time with this and keep moving the iron around. You do not need to apply wicked amount of down pressure. I probably spend 5-10 minutes just ironing. You will start to get a feel for it.
Let the box cool for about 15 minutes.
I then run water over the enclosure for 2 or 3 minutes to soften up the paper some. I then pull off the paper and use the green scrubby side of a regular sink sponge to remove all paper. Really take your time here and try to get all bits of paper out of the etched/metal areas.
I then dry off the enclosure and use plain ol' blue painters tape to mask off the sides and any areas I want to protect from the etching solution.
I then head to the bench where I have 2 Rubbermaid sandwich containers one with Ferric chloride solution (I still use the white bottle from Radio shack and it works fine) and the other with clean water. If you can do it without getting caught by you significant other, put the Ferric chloride solution inside the Rubbermaid container and put it in the microwave for 10-13 seconds. Not to long but the etch process will speed up by doing this. You can also just microwave some water in a container bigger than the container that has the Ferric chloride solution and place it in side the larger container of hot water. (I feel like that sentence did not make any sense. This is why I take pictures for tutorials).
I then dip the enclosure in the Ferric chloride solution with an up and down motion for about 1 to 2 minutes then I remove it and dunk it in the water. Keep checking your etch and you can feel very carefully with your finger how deep the etch is. Then just keep dipping it in the Ferric chloride solution until you achieve the look you want.
This etch with the ship took me 3 times of back and forth with Ferric chloride solution and water as an example.
I then scrub the etched area in a sink under water with a sponge scrubby side (wish I knew what this was called off hand) and remove all the tape that was placed on the enclosure.

That's the overview of the process. Wow it seems like a lot to do but it really is easy when you get in a routine.

I find it easier to do a bunch of builds at once since everything is out already to etch with.

Note: I use new Ferric chloride solution for all my PCB etching and I usually can get 5-10 board done before the Ferric chloride is taking FOREVER to etch with.. but save it.. I use a large Cranberry Juice jug from Costco to hold all mine. Old Ferric chloride is great for enclosures since aluminum is much softer and etches much faster than copper.

Hope this help.
Cody

[lincolnic]

Really, really fantastic work on this one. Might be my favorite of yours yet!