Wow! Hahahaha! That fool actually writes, “GREETINGS FROM GALACTIMUSPRIME!” Hah, what a fage.
But yeah, that looks like a sweet mod waiting to happen. I’ve only seen the smaller Blaze CPs, and they looked cheaply made and cramped. This one looks like it’s much more rugged and seems to have much more elbow room, too.
Sanwa Buttons / Stick top
Hi wasnt really sure where to post this so here goes ,
1: im ordering sanwa buttons and wondered wich ones im better off with snap ins ( more colours ) or screw ins ( tighter fit ? )
2: what thickness/type of wwod do you use for the top of the stick
Cheers :tup:
Phix, in general screw-ins are a little more forgiving for the thickness of the wood than snap-ins are. Snap ins are generally used in thinner plastic molded cases or metal tops. I think the thickest you can really go with a screw-in is about 1/4" before it doesn’t screw in too well. Some people take 3/4" thick material and thin it down where the buttens are… others use 1/4" wood on the top and brace it well.
Mother fucker! I am so disgusted with myself right now that I am tempted to just throw my latest box away and start over from fucking scratch.
I was laying on the third and final coat of paint (planned to do 2 primer, 3 paint, 1 clear-coat), and I’m halfway done when everything goes to shit on me. Fucking spiderwebbing cracks everywhere. Everywhere! Jesus Christ, I’m going to have to sand this fucking thing for an entire day tomorrow just to get back to the primer. Ugh. I may as well sand all the way down to bare MDF with course, and save myself long agonizing hours dry sanding with 220 in a vain attempt to salvage some of the work I put in on it this entire last week.
The only thing I can think of that could have caused this is that I didn’t wait long enough to paint after I wet-sanded. I only waited a couple hours, and it looked and felt completely dry. I’ve been doing the same thing for days. Wet-sand, wait a few, next coat, give it 24 hours, wet-sand, wait a few, next coat, give it 24… You get the idea.
Jesus, I feel like someone drove a nail through my cock. It was so beautiful, too. Fucking mirror finish. I could see myself in the fucker. I need a drink.
That sucks man. You using oil based or acrylic based? Just curious. I feel your pain though.
To be completely honest, I don’t know. I do know that I want oil-based and not acrylic or latex though. I was using Rustolem Auto Primer (large silver can) for primer and Rustoleum Painter’s-Choice red glossy enamel for the color coats.
I wish I could say for certain that I know what the problem is, too. But I’ll be damned.
I don’t know if I’m not waiting long enough after wet-sanding (couple hours, and let me tell you that I checked to make sure and the previous coat was dry, smooth as glass, and rock-hard)? Or maybe I just applied too many layers (was the fifth coat when this happpened)?
I don’t have a clue.
Alright, first post. i have acquired 8 happ buttons, and a competition joystick, and have determined my layout, searched and found hackable controllers for my project, and have my boxes plans layed out. all that’s left is to get my MDF and build the stick. i have searched the forums/internet trying to find my answer but have come up with nothing. question: what thickness of MDF should i use for mounting happs, and what size/length/type of screws should be used in mounting the joystick? thanks
Gaijin, this is just a guess. But when I was in art school it was pointed out to me that when making a painting it is generally not good to mix oil based paints and acrylic/latex paints. Now you can do it, but not unless you wait a real long time to make sure that the oil is dry. Basically the 2 paints dry at different speeds and if the oil base is on the bottom and is still shifting around and the acrylic or latex is on top of it and is already dry or drying… it will crack. Even if the oil paint says that it is ok to paint on top of it after 1 hour or 2 hours… that generally means for another oil coat. Anyway, that is just about painting in general. Maybe it applies to your stick as well?
For the joystick, a 1/4" is perfect but 3/4" is aight for the buttons, thinner is ok too
Gaijin, I too am in the mist of a 2-week long wet sanding paint job and I feel your pain. Next time use matching primer, paint and clear.
I now swear by Plastikote. I also toss my items in the oven to speed things along.
Good luck and lets compare when we finish.
:karate:
nasci, thanks for the tip. That could very well be the case. i don’t know because I can’t find anything on the paint cans that would inform me as to the contents, be they oil-based or acrylic. I assumed that using the same brand would guarantee uniformity, but I may have been mistaken…
ShinHed, I’d be glad to post up pics when I’m (finally) done. But do you mind if I ask you a couple questions? Like how long do you wait to apply the next coat after wet-sanding? And what temperature do you set the oven to for speed-drying? How long do you keep the box in the oven at that temperature?
I have never seen the Plasticote brand in local stores around here… I was thinking of switching to Krylon though, since it seems popular. But I personally don’t like Krylon as much because – and I am sure that I’m completely bat-shit insane here – I don’t liike the smell. Krylon doesn’t smell like a high-quality paint to me. Hahaha, Rustoleum, on the other hand, I could inhale all day without even getting a headache or light-headed. Heh, not that I do, of course. Anyway, I still have a few cans of Rustoleum Painter’s Choice left. And it really is high-quality paint with a beautiful finish. I’m going to give it another go, I think, and hope for the best.
I get my Plastikote from my local Pep Boys and it takes me 15 minutes between color coats, including when I put my items in the oven on warm and then I wet-sand.
I’m also using the clear-coat recommended on the back of the colored paint. I also apply heavy wet coats of clear in 30 minute increments and wet-sand an hour later.
Can you find the Painter’s Choice primer and clear?
No, actually I haven’t seen Rustoleum Painter’s Choice brand primer and clear coats. For those, I have Rustoleum Stops Rust brand. Perhaps this is my problem. Like nasci mentioned, perhaps they aren’t mixing like they should?
I spent this morning removing the last five coats and taking my box back down to bare MDF. I found that sanding, even with 60 grit was pretty worhtless. It seems that the primer never cured properly. I ended up using a fillet knife to skin and scrape most of it, and then hitting it with rough-grit afterwards tio finish it off. I don’t know why or how the two base coats got to be so gummy. They were each given 24 hours to dry before wet-sanding. I can only assume that I didn’t give enough time after wet-sanding for the primer to set back up? The Stops Rust brand is supposed to resist moisture, but perhaps wet-sanding and painting so soon after seals moisture in so that it screws shit up anyway?
I didn’t think that paint was permeable either. Am I wrong? Could the constant wet-sanding perhaps have caused the underlying layers to absorb moisture? I assume that if so, then heating the box in the oven must help. Hopefully I won’t have this issue again.
Thanks for the suggestions regarding the oven heating, too. It’s definitely worth my while to search for matching primer/paint/clear coats, too. Anything to avoid this nightmare again. What a waste of time and materials. 
Shit!
I’m just realizing. You never, ever wetsand mdf. Ever left mdf in the rain before? MDF and water = :tdown:
I’ve primed and sanded mdf with a sander using 80, 220 and last 400 grit paper. After you’ve finished the 220 decide if you need another coat of primer. If you still see any MDF then you need another coat.
Research high-build primer for your application.
Well, yeah, but I thought that by being extra careful I could minimize the damages to the point that wet MDF never became an issue. I taped everything off with fresh tape before painting and wet-sanding, and like I said, everything seemed completely dry.
Maybe if I coat both inside and out completely with sealing primer? I guess anything is worth a shot.
Really, you should have seen the shine I got on that fourth coat. If I had known everything would turn to shit on me, I would have stopped there and been very happy with the finish. There is no way that I’m going to settle for anything less after seeing that.
edit: By the way, I had wet-sanded this box four times before I had any problems with applying paint. I had used 600, 800, 1000, and 1500. I was going to use 2000 after the final coat had it not gone to hell on me. Then it was going to be clear coat and wax for the perfect mirror finish. I was so damned close. Fuck. Now I’m back at square one sanding the bare MDF through the grits to 400 again. God damn it all.
Perfection is an addiction.
I was up until 3am wetsanding with 2000 grit:confused:
Check this thread for pics of a guy doing simular as you.
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,37311.0.html
Okay, i bought some 3/4 inch thick MDF, now, quick question, i know how to mount the buttons, but whats the best way to mount the competition stick? will routing be required? >_>
No, routing will not be required, but if you want you joystick to stick out more you’re going to have to. You can use a router or chisel. Actually, this was explained XX pages back, lol.
Fruits of my wetsanding labor.
(too freshly painted to be polished and waxed)
:karate:
Very nice! I’m impressed by how good the mirror finish looks without a very bright light source, too.