Need to Piano finish a subwoofer

Barry Shaw

Member
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6
I have a long time project pending, building a subwoofer for my basement. The basic construction is complete, but I am lost at finishing it. I need it to be black piano finish but I dont know where to start.

Additionally my subwoofer surface has lot of nicks and dents. Can someone please guide me to the best option I can go for to fill these dents and how to paint this to a smooth finish.

Attaching pictures for reference.

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Thanks
 
If you're a subscriber there is a good article on achieving a great painted finish here. Beyond that I would fill all voids and defects, sand to a silky smooth surface, prime with Zinsser B.I.N. or other shellac content primer, sand again and paint. Depending on the paint used and the environment/use a top coat may be in order.
 
If you're a subscriber there is a good article on achieving a great painted finish here. Beyond that I would fill all voids and defects, sand to a silky smooth surface, prime with Zinsser B.I.N. or other shellac content primer, sand again and paint. Depending on the paint used and the environment/use a top coat may be in order.

But what kind of filler should I use to fill those dents, so that it does not crack and sands well and also holds well on current paint ?
 
I think I'd use Durham's Rock Hard Water Putty to fill the blemishes, sand it to where it's flawless, then use a good enamel or lacquer paint to get the black. (I'd probably use a sprayer or maybe even use spray can paint.) As Glenn mentioned, a good primer helps, and a clear topcoat might be desirable for some added protection. If your final finish has dust nibs or orange peel from the spray, my suggestion would be to wet sand it flat with 600 grit sandpaper then buff it to a high gloss with finer grits of polishing compounds. If you have a mechanical buffer, I'd suggest tripoli, white diamond compound, then wax to get the gloss. If you're doing it by hand, then I'd use automotive rubbing compound, then polishing compound, then wax.
 
+1 on the Durhams rock hard. The other alternative would be something like bondo but the durhams is easier to sand out IMHO. For the deeper holes you may want to fill in a couple of passes, do a stiffer initial fill and scree level then a thinner skim coat and let it set a bit proud. That will make sure it's filled but keep the sanding to a dull roar. Use a fairly long and hard sanding block to keep the shape crisp, it's easy to sand in hollows and they'll show with high gloss. I have a couple of long automotive sanding blocks (16" or so) that I picked up at yard sales, I think most auto parts stores have them but something like that would be better than the normal sized ones. They also have longer strips or rolls of sanding paper available for those.

I'm not sure about the existing paint, it may be a bit of a problem. At least I'd sand it back with some medium-coarse paper to make sure there is enough tooth for the filler and primer to grab hold.
 
I'd use auto dent filler. The rust tone is best. You can apply with a razor blade and it sands great. If you want to fill the grain , oil base grain filler, it takes 36 hrs to cure. All finishing supply shops carry it.
 
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