BYOC DS-1 distortion pedal

So... A couple of years ago I picked up a BYOC kit to build a Boss DS-1 disortion pedal clone for something to do while my SO was going to be on a business trip (Yes, I know, I've got plenty of projects and under-updated threads around here already... Shut up.) She's been out and back a number of times now and I've only just recently opened the bag.

So, let's do like the trendy tech kids and startup billionaires say, and "fail fast". I got off properly wrong by A) not prepping the body beyond cleaning it (I didn't scuff it up), and B) by going to the store for orange paint and letting myself fall for the Bauhaus Gold because Bauhaus. It wasn't the effect I had in mind, and the fact that it flaked right back off the smooth case was a blessing in that it didn't let me get away with just rolling with my terrible color choice...

So, let's clean it up and get ready to try again...

(By the way, the roloc abrasive bristle disc things are awesome for this, and left a nice finish)

SUCCS... No. Closer, maybe...

So, I got it in my fool head that a paint pen would be fine for the division between the orange and the nicely patterned metal. I figured the little ridge would guide me, and I'd get a nice even dividing line. A combination of misgauging the scale of the ridge and a lack of freehand talent left me with that rubbish.

After conferring with Jumper K Balls, I'm awaiting a roll of 3M Fine Line tape, and I will pull out the Dremel, get rid of the existing line (and ridge) and try to mask for a nice, even sprayed black division between orange and metal.

If I can stop shooting myself in the foot, I might just wrap up the cosmetics, and start working on the parts that make it a distortion pedal instead of a paperweight or doorstop.

I keep drooling over BYOC's amp kits, and pondering stuff at AX84.com, but since I'd like to get back to a functioning band before we're playing to our own retirement home, maybe that's not such a great plan...

Just coat it in bedliner? #hootus

In reply to akamcfly:

What's the inspiring music for that scene in my movie?

That orange/bare metal/black outline will work out great if you hit it with some Rustoleum clear coat.

The Rustoleum will eat into the orange and black and do something magic for you. Blurred lines and color spreads where you least expect. Perfect for a distortion pedal as the paint is gonna distort all over the place ! ! !

I'm running a late 60's vintage FuzzFace, same one that I had in high school. Sweet prehistoric tech that never fails to delight ! I never know what it's gonna do next . . .

Ransom wrote: What's the inspiring music for that scene in my movie?

https://www.youtube.com/embed/ikJKSqnTylI

Okay, I've stripped it down to bare again. It's still a long way from perfect, but for something I'm going to, by definition, stomp on, it's good enough.

In retrospect (I'm starting to get deja vu episodes from all the retrospective insights I'm collecting on this project), I should've clearcoated over the metal before doing the orange and stripe. Or maybe I just did something funky with the tape again, since the line isn't super-crisp over the orange paint, either. Tape, clear, then color, in order to seal the tape edges?

All stuff I want to do better at, but again, "stomp box", even if I never use that term...

Hopefully now I can actually get the soldering iron out.

If you're curious, the instructions I'll be following are in a PDF here.