These days everybody and their granny are hacking technology or building some new gizmo. The humble enclosure in which that shiny new piece of brilliance is to live is often overlooked, but as any good marketer knows, the money is in the design. Today, Desktop Vibes looks at some of the tools needed for successfully spray-painting your new gadget enclosure.
Enclosures come in all shapes, sizes and materials so the tools you need to color your build can largely depend on a number of factors which can vary quite extensively. No one wants to purchase a tool for every kind of paint job that they might encounter so what’s the best equipment to get to make sure that one is covered for most situations? A medium-sized air sprayer like the 1.5mm Neiko HVLP Air Spray Gun or similar air sprayer is the preferred ‘universal’ tool for spray painting. It has a fine nozzle that can be used for both large and small jobs with minimal wastage and mess, and the paint cup size and its air-adjustment valve are ideal for a range of enclosure sizes. Of course you are going to need an air compressor to power the air spray gun which can make the cost of purchase prohibitively expensive for some. However, air compressors can be useful in a variety of DIY and everyday household tasks so you have to balance whether it is worth the mula that you will need to fork out to get one. Air compressors (that can be used for spray painting) come in all shapes and sizes and it is important to make sure that the air compressor can handle the relatively high volume of air that it needs to generate to operate a spray gun effectively. We use a California Air Tools 10020 in the shop and it has been invaluable in producing some very stylish results.
Final Words
Take you time when setting up for spray-painting for the first time. Although it can be a hassle to organise and gather together everything you need for your spray-painting setup, you only have to do it once, and then painting enclosures will be easy as pie. And don’t be tempted to cheap out on the tools needed to create a stylish enclosure. Ultimately, the design of your final package will sell your amazing creation to your fans so it will be well worth the time and money spent on making it that extra bit cooler!