Getting messy with spray paint: Finishing the instrument housings

Back in March we posted the crazy task of micro welding new threaded studs to our instrument casings. For those who missed it here is the link:

http://dino246blog.blogspot.ca/2012/03/crazy-task-4-micro-welding-most-obscure.html

Now that the casings are back from plating we decided to finish them off in preparation for their assembly. First task was to mask off with great care the surfaces we wanted to leave alone. Then a very light blasting with glass removed any residue and plating from the threaded stud and other hardware on the case. Next came painting the inside of the unit using a flat white paint (this is to most evenly reflect the light bulb that illuminates the instrument at night). To do this we found that the best way was to put on a latex glove and hold the instrument when painting it. Sure we got paint all over our hands but it was the most efficient way to articulate the part as needed in order to paint it well. Last came the delicate process of unmasking everything. From start to finish a crazy task for a part that lives deep in the dash but we feel the results are worth the effort.