[sdiy] changing colours on banana inputs

[Tim Parkhurst]

Hey r,

I don't think you're going to have much luck dying the plastic on banana
jacks. The material is relatively hard and non-porous. The dying process
works well only on porous nylon and similar materials. You're best bet is
probably paint. Here's what I'd suggest:

1) Lightly sand the plastic surface with some fine grit sandpaper. You want
to break the smooth, glossy surface and give the paint something to hold on
to.

2) Clean and dry the jacks. No dirt, dust or fingerprints. 

3) Shoot 2 or 3 light coats of spray epoxy in the color of your choice. You
might want to experiment with a light coat of primer first, but I think if
you sand the surface a bit, the primer will not be necessary (especially on
such a small surface area. Let the paint dry in between coats and try not to
get in on too thick.

4) Let the paint dry for a week before messing with it. Epoxy takes a VERY
long time to really, really, truly dry, but it's hard as nails when it is
really set.

5) Shoot a coat or two of clear finish over the color. You can get clear
coat in gloss or matte finishes, and this will help protect the paint even
more. Again, let it dry for a week before your install them.

You might also want to think about only painting the flat, outward facing
surface of the jack. The reason for this being that the paint will be
slightly less resistant to cracking and peeling if it is not applied over a
curved surface. However, if you prepare the surface properly and let the
paint cure, I don't think this will be an issue.

Another possible alternative: Use dry-erase markers to color the flat,
outward face of the jack. Seriously. You can get them in a variety of
colors, the colors look good if you put them on a little thick and let it
dry, you can touch it up in two seconds if you scratch it, and you can
change your color scheme whenever it suits your fancy! Oh, and it's dirt
cheap and kinda fun. ;)

Tim Servo

****************************************************************************
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Rude 66 [mailto:r.lekx at chello.nl]
> Sent: Friday, January 24, 2003 10:05 AM
> To: synth-diy at dropmix.xs4all.nl
> Subject: [sdiy] changing colours on banana inputs
> 
> this may be a weird question, but is there a way to change the colour of a
> banana plug input chassis? i've got a whole bunch of white ones, and would
> like some to be different colours. paint will probably peel off the
> plastic
> after a while.
> would there be any way of changing their colour permanently? chemical
> bath?
> exposure to light, sound, radiation, screaming kids, or toxics? etc.. ;-)
> 
> r./



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