Speaking of reverb... My next project

[glasman]

I have been wanting to build something like this for a long time. Looks like this weekend it will get started.

[Normster]

Cool! Dumblator w/Reverb!!! What a great concept.

[pedro]

goddammit - I wish I could make decent faceplates like that - really lets my builds down !

Looks great gary.

Pete C

[glasman]

goddammit - I wish I could make decent faceplates like that - really lets my builds down !

Looks great gary.

Pete C

Hey Pedro, here are my secrets to making nice prototype panels.

1. Select a good object based drawing problem. Corel, Adobe Illustrator etc. I use Corel Draw

2. Design your panel at 1x.

3. Print the design on a good quality ink jet printer. I buy epson 13" x 19" photo paper and cut it to me needs.


4. Spray the finished print with a satin or gloss photo sealer. This is available at any good camera store that carries developer, fixer etc.

5. Find a source for .032 Garolite. I use McMaster here in the US. The garolite is great for backing up the panels. Aluminum could also be used, but the garolite is really easy to cut with a box knife or scissors.

6. Cut the garolite (or AL) to size. I buy 4 foot x 3" lenghts of garolite that exactly matches the height of the Hammond chassis (3") that I have used in the past. So I only have to cut the length.

7. CAREFULLY spray one side of the garolite with spray adhesive. I use 3M 77. Also spray the back side of your printed and sealed panel. Now wait the required time (on can). With the 3M I normally wait 90 seconds.

8. Now CAREFULLY align the panel with the garolite and apply. You only get one shot, so if you screw up you have to start over. Be sure to smooth from center to edge and watch out for bubbles.

9. If you get to this point now cool. Let it set for at least 24 hours.

10. I normally coat the finished panel with 10 to 15 coats of Polyacrylic satin spray. I do this to protect the panels. These coats MUST BE extremely thin, otherwise you will get bubbling. Be sure to allow at least 45 minutes between coats.

11. I nornally adhere the panels to the chassis. I do this by spraying the chassis and backside of the panel with 3M 77. Applying carefully.

12. I use the attached panel as my drilling template.

Ok now if you don't want to go through all of this work. There is an alternative, although not cheap. You can take your artwork to most Thorphy shops and they should be able to laser engrave the panels on plastic laminate.

Gary

[glasman]

Cool! Dumblator w/Reverb!!! What a great concept.

Norm, the bad one on this project is that I had to cannibalize an Accutronics tank to make it work. It is the only way I can make it fit inside. I could use a 9" tank, but I dont think so......

Gary

[pedro]

Gary - top man,

think I'll give it a shot on next build - or one of my "finished" amps !

cheers
Pete

[Chad]

Thanks Gary for the step by step for faceplates. I've been doing mine a differant (ie. Hard, not to nice) way. Chad

[Luthierwnc]

An old guitarmaking trick is to align the two parts and then fold a piece of low-tack masking tape (the blue or purple stuff) along one long edge. Open it like a book, spray the adhesive and fold it shut. This can come in handy for doing tolex too.

Skip

[Robert]

Very cool idea Gary!!! A standalone reverb, Dumbleator. Would you mind sharing your schematic/layout with the group. I'm sure many others would like to do the same build, maybe even HAD, to go along with their amps. I am especially interested in how your doing the power supply section.

[glasman]

Very cool idea Gary!!! A standalone reverb, Dumbleator. Would you mind sharing your schematic/layout with the group. I'm sure many others would like to do the same build, maybe even HAD, to go along with their amps. I am especially interested in how your doing the power supply section.

I will post a schematic once I get it ferreted out. I scored a couple of OLD transformers from a Viking recorder that have about 650V center tapped. The power supply will be full wave recitified. No Choke. I will determine the dropping resistors once I determine the final configuration and re-verify the transformer performance.

Nice weekend project.

Gary

[Bob-I]

Very cool project Gary.

Thx for the step by step on the face plates. I'm gonna try another method , I'll let you know if it's successful.

I bought some inkjet decal paper. My plan is to print the faceplate in reverse, put the decals on the back of a piece of lexan and spray Krylon over it. The printing and color will be on the back protected. I've been using Visio to create the faceplates since I use it on my day job I have it and know it well.

[glasman]

Very cool project Gary.

Thx for the step by step on the face plates. I'm gonna try another method , I'll let you know if it's successful.

I bought some inkjet decal paper. My plan is to print the faceplate in reverse, put the decals on the back of a piece of lexan and spray Krylon over it. The printing and color will be on the back protected. I've been using Visio to create the faceplates since I use it on my day job I have it and know it well.

I bet that will turn out very nice. I bought some of the decal material for making a logo for my Frankenstrat and that stuff is great. The reverse printing should work fine. I just hate drilling plexiglass, always ends up breaking on the last hole

Gary

[ElectronAvalanche]

As far as the PS is concerned, you can use two flat pack 120V - 9V X-formers, one feeding the other 120V - 9V -> 9V -230V. Thus you will get 230 - 230V on the secondaries.

You guys from the US need to get a 230V - 9V X-former.

I tried this on a homebrew Dumbleator and it works like a charm. You will get some 300V or slightly more with this. FWB!

Electron

I attached a pic of the Rodenberg Flexloop which is a Dumbleator. This Flexloop uses the mentioned system...

[Bob-I]

I just hate drilling plexiglass, always ends up breaking on the last hole

Gary

2 things....

1) Use Lexan
B) Make 2 just in case
4) Be very very careful

[Luthierwnc]

There is a little trick you can use to make drilling aluminum and plexi-glass/lexans easier. Those materials would rather be scraped than cut. Mill a slight back bevel on the edge of the drill bit. Imagine that the edge normally has about a 55 degree (to vertical) bevel on the back and 0 degrees on the front. Grind about 5-10 degrees off the front so the bit doesn't grab as aggressively.

This is hard to do on a grinding wheel. I just use a diamond file while the bit is chucked in the press. Use the same number of strokes on each side for consistency. Then I usually draw a fat line with a Sharpie on the bit when it is spinning so I remember which bits are modified. Control your feed rate and back the bit out every so often to free the waste.

This also reduces the chance of the stock catching and spinning in the highly unlikely event you didn't clamp it down properly. Not that it has ever happened to me.

If you really want to be careful, set the depth stop to about 2/3 through the stock and drill the holes. Drill almost through a clamped butcher block and drive a kebab skewer into the hole about 1/16" proud. Set the depth stop to about 1/2 through the stock and index the holes on the first side with the skewer. No tearout. Kinda anal for this job but I've done worse things than be careful. This is a variation on punching tuner holes through a headstock.

Good luck, Skip