wintercept
Well-known member
I wasn't sure which sub forum to post this to, so here it goes. Please let me know if there is a better place to post things like this in the future.
The Story:
I am trying to find my style when it comes to finishing pedals. Many of you are amazing artists and I love seeing what you share here. It is all very inspiring and drives me to find something that is unique and fits me.
I have a lot of single sided FR4 copper board, mainly from a custom wah project years ago (would love to share that here too) and the odd PCB etching job. It was very cheap and good to have on hand, but I rarely use it. So, for the longest time I've been thinking about using it for pedal art, especially after seeing how people make modular synth panels out of PCB's, and how PedalPCB and a few other pedal makers make the faceplates. Today, I finally gave it a go:
Overall I am happy with this result. I love the shine and can't wait to see how it changes over time. I don't know if I'll be pursuing this idea much further, as it looks awfully similar to the Fjord Fuzz pedals. However, I still want to try etched art like that and some more stamping with a board that covers the full length of the enclosure.
The Process:
The board is easy enough to cut by scoring it with a SHARP razor and a straight edge on both side and snapping it. Keyword SHARP: if the razor tip is dull, it will take much longer. It should snap with a little force. If the whole board is bending and not breaking, stop and score it some more. If you've made your own PCB before, you already know. I used files and sandpaper to shape the edges. This is a messy job and I highly suggest wearing a mask, gloves, and eye protection because the dust is nasty.
I sanded the copper surface a bit to clean it up, then stamped it with metal letter stamps. The copper takes the stamping well enough, but the fiber board itself is tough and resists it. I also tried to get some black pigment into the letters using sharpie, paint, and finally crayon, but I couldn't get anything to stay. I'm sure a bit more patience would've made something work. I finished it up with some more quick sanding up to higher grits, and finished it off with some car polish.
The End:
I found some pros to be: it looks pretty cool, somewhere between the Fjord stuff and what Fairfield Circuitry does. It is a relatively quick process, took maybe an 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Copper clad board is inexpensive and some of you might have it lying around. Plus, it requires very little enclosure prep.
And for cons: It is messy and the dust is not good. That's about it I guess... unless you hate how it looks. Oh, and also the letters are impossibly impractical to see without any ink in them.
So where do I go from here? Well, I want to try some more stuff with the copper board, like etching and different sizes. I also want to try different faceplate methods, like designing one as a PCB and having it made. Beyond that, I really want to get into the UV printing stuff. I know it's far from unique at this point, but from what I've seen here, it looks really professional.
Let me know what you all think and please feel free to share if you've done something similar. I was going to share this with a build report of the Breakstreet, but I am still waiting for a few parts and figured this was enough of its own thing. Thanks for reading!
The Story:
I am trying to find my style when it comes to finishing pedals. Many of you are amazing artists and I love seeing what you share here. It is all very inspiring and drives me to find something that is unique and fits me.
I have a lot of single sided FR4 copper board, mainly from a custom wah project years ago (would love to share that here too) and the odd PCB etching job. It was very cheap and good to have on hand, but I rarely use it. So, for the longest time I've been thinking about using it for pedal art, especially after seeing how people make modular synth panels out of PCB's, and how PedalPCB and a few other pedal makers make the faceplates. Today, I finally gave it a go:
Overall I am happy with this result. I love the shine and can't wait to see how it changes over time. I don't know if I'll be pursuing this idea much further, as it looks awfully similar to the Fjord Fuzz pedals. However, I still want to try etched art like that and some more stamping with a board that covers the full length of the enclosure.
The Process:
The board is easy enough to cut by scoring it with a SHARP razor and a straight edge on both side and snapping it. Keyword SHARP: if the razor tip is dull, it will take much longer. It should snap with a little force. If the whole board is bending and not breaking, stop and score it some more. If you've made your own PCB before, you already know. I used files and sandpaper to shape the edges. This is a messy job and I highly suggest wearing a mask, gloves, and eye protection because the dust is nasty.
I sanded the copper surface a bit to clean it up, then stamped it with metal letter stamps. The copper takes the stamping well enough, but the fiber board itself is tough and resists it. I also tried to get some black pigment into the letters using sharpie, paint, and finally crayon, but I couldn't get anything to stay. I'm sure a bit more patience would've made something work. I finished it up with some more quick sanding up to higher grits, and finished it off with some car polish.
The End:
I found some pros to be: it looks pretty cool, somewhere between the Fjord stuff and what Fairfield Circuitry does. It is a relatively quick process, took maybe an 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Copper clad board is inexpensive and some of you might have it lying around. Plus, it requires very little enclosure prep.
And for cons: It is messy and the dust is not good. That's about it I guess... unless you hate how it looks. Oh, and also the letters are impossibly impractical to see without any ink in them.
So where do I go from here? Well, I want to try some more stuff with the copper board, like etching and different sizes. I also want to try different faceplate methods, like designing one as a PCB and having it made. Beyond that, I really want to get into the UV printing stuff. I know it's far from unique at this point, but from what I've seen here, it looks really professional.
Let me know what you all think and please feel free to share if you've done something similar. I was going to share this with a build report of the Breakstreet, but I am still waiting for a few parts and figured this was enough of its own thing. Thanks for reading!
