can i paint extruded alluminum speakers?

[PhilV91]

I found a deal on Energy take speakers on ebay for more than half off msrp but they only have them in silver color only. I want black and was wondering if there was a way to paint the speakers black and they would look just as good as if buying the speakers from the factory? The speakers are housed in an extruded alluminum chassis. Anybody ever do this? Also the system i want to buy is 1 take FPS, 2 take towers, and 2 take LCR w a ESW-V8 sub. Anybody have this system. Let me know what you think of it.

 

[davidtwotrees]

I'm a house painting contractor by trade, but also do a fairish amount of spray work for doors and trim. I have clearcoated some speakers with my sprayer. I've sprayed Lacquer and varnish, and enamel. Frankly, if you have to ask about this, I highly doubt anything you do yourself is going to come anywhere near close to a factory finish. That level of finish is reserved for professionals, and VERY handy and or dedicated DIY's.
Maybe you could use cans of spray paint to do a pair of rear surrounds, or a subwoofer so they matched the rest of a system.......but to use cans of spraypaint on a whole 5.1 surround system? If the deal is that good, I would call a local body shop and see what they would charge to paint the speakers.......I have a feeling the cost would negate any savings you gained when you bought them.........that's just my two cents, much of it garnered by working in homes and seeing what people are capable of doing with paint. ..HTH.

 

[kayanat]

I'm looking for cheap speakers that use batteries for my iPod shuffle 2ndGeneration(aluminum) Do they exist??? I just want to be able to listen to my IPod through speakers in my house when the electricity goes out, but I can't seem to find anything cheap that uses batteries. Does anyone know where I can find them????? Thanks!!!

 

[Djizasse]

I was going to derail this thread, by replying to kayanat. Better not. It's too soon.

 

[highfigh]

I was going to derail this thread, by replying to kayanat. Better not. It's too soon.

That wasn't a derail, that was liftoff and exiting Earth's gravity.

 

[jwenthold99]

You could always check out the textured spray paint availible... It wouldn't be professional, but you could get a decent finish.

http://www.rustoleum.com/CBGProduct.asp?pid=29

The black hammered finish might be nice.

Just a thought.

I do agree with davidtwotrees, getting a professional looking finish would be tough.

 

[markw]

Maybe I'm a crotchety old man, but...

...nowadays, with the recent influx of trolls, when I see a "newbie" who is either this rude or stupid, I automitically think it's not an accident that can be blamed on ignorance or innocence.

As to the OP, yes you can paint it but you might be less than satisfied with the resuts. Offhand, I'd say it won't be as durable as the original and will be prone to chipping.

 

[Alex2507]

A friend of mine has a cheesy HVLP sprayer that I get him to use for polyurethane because he knows how to use it and I don't. Still the finish isn't factory grade. All things take practice and knowledge.

Do we still have a space station? Like for derailed and launched threads?

I noticed a high occurrence of trollish threads starting like a month ago.
Maybe AH is becoming an AH magnet.

 

[Djizasse]

...nowadays, with the recent influx of trolls, when I see a "newbie" who is either this rude or stupid, I automitically think it's not an accident that can be blamed on ignorance or innocence.

My thoughts exactly.

To answer the OP, I think he should use an aluminum primer before painting. I sincerely doubt it will look good.

And to kayanat: Choose one

 

[just-some-guy]

pro auto painting would be the way to go for great results. but the cost would be high.
i have done a lot of rattle can painting, and have had pretty good results. so, if the OP doesn't have great expectations. i say rattle can em (assuming he has lots of experience), and be done with it. but, as said, the finish won't be as durable. but should be plenty good enough for speakers. and, if it doesn't turn out, laquer thinner will remove it.

 

[The Dukester]

Do you know if the boxes have been anodized? If so, you will have to strip them before painting. I deal in anodized aluminum product all the time and it can be a bear. You will need to prime them before painting, also. Spray cans are tough, as mentioned.
I have had good luck with powder coaters here in my area. You will have to take everything, and I mean everything out of them before they can paint them though. They paint with black all the time, so should not have to charge all that much to run them along with another order. Try some race or speed shops if you can't find anything in the yellow pages under protective coatings. They have different sheens available, so you can get gloss, flat or satin. It may have a little orange peel in it, depending on the powder and the painter, so ask to see a sample that they have painted to see if you like the finish or not.

 

[Highbar]

Do we still have a space station? Like for derailed and launched threads?

Man he missed the space station by light years on that one. We need warp drive just to catch up.

I see I already got beet to saying to look into Powder Coating. Probably the best option and might even look better than a factory job when finished.