templates metals on vci

[luigislaperig]

any body now the material of he metal on the vci.....i need to now cuz they creating my new templates and we are going to do it on stanlee steel and painted balck and then laser engraved!!

[luv2xra]

You should take off one the plates and have them check it out. Im sure they can recommend the best metal for the job.

[luigislaperig]

yea the only problem is that they doing the job in another state they got the measurement and everithing they just need to know on what material i want it....i was thinking aluminum but im not sure

[Krilikz]

Hmm good question, i tried to do some searching,but cant seem to lock onto anything. If i was to take a guess i would say aluminum.

You might want to try searching around to see what other metals are used in other vestax products.

[BentoSan]

Hmm good question, i tried to do some searching,but cant seem to lock onto anything. If i was to take a guess i would say aluminum.

You might want to try searching around to see what other metals are used in other vestax products.

I heard later versions of the VCI were done in aluminum but i havent seen any, i know mines made out of steel because its heavy and a magnet sticks to it.

[Kaon]

yea i think its steel is much more likely than aluminium

[luv2xra]

yea i think its steel is much more likely than aluminium

I agree. I would just consider the cost and durability, then go from there. The most important factor is the paint job, even more than material. Look at Eans old vci-100 mod, the paint has vanished on heavily used areas.

[Krilikz]

make sure you get enough clear coats on it. Thats normaly what makes a paint job expensive. But even if you get 4 layers of clear on your paint job, its not going to stop a major scratch.

[luigislaperig]

thanks for all the advice guys

[BentoSan]

If you want to make it so your VCI doesnt chip or scratch after sanding the unit down it has to be etch primed. Basicly its an acid that eats tiny microscopic holes into the metal so when the metal primer goes over the top of it, the paint makes its way into these holes and really grips onto the unit, this etch prime coat goes on really thin and diluted. Just because its etch primed doesnt mean it doesn't have to be primed, if you don't put conventional metal primer over the top it will still come off.

What really make a paint job expensive is the prep, Eans original VCI got sanded and some paint thrown on over the top of it and it really shows - no primer was used, let alone a etch primer. Clear coats help, but without a doubt the most important coat is the etchprimer and primer coats, they will determine how much of a beating the top coat will be able to take.

Soo... when i am painting my VCI which will be very shortly i will go though these steps
- Sand unit with 400 grit
- Etch prime unit
- Prime unit
- Sand primer with 600 grit
- Paint unit black with two pack polyurethane - 2 or 3 coats
- Cut and polish unit
- Cover with 2 or 3 coats of Clear.

If you want to put some metal flake into your clear thats also possible, however after doing 2 coats with flake in the clear you need to do another one or two coats without any flakes in the clear. This is to make sure all the metallic flake is covered with clear so it doesnt oxidize, if the flake oxidizes it will lose its reflective capabilities and your flakes will look like crap.