[sbrennt]

Hey everyone!  I just recently got a pair of HD-25s, and I love them to death.  I love them so much I might paint them.  (whether thats a labor of love or act of torture to my headphones, well...)  
 
Anyways, I have seen people who paint 25's (customcans), but they have their price, and I am more of a DIY kind of guy anyway.  But I don't want them to turn out like the barney grados That I have seen all over this forum.
 
So the question: If I were to paint my headphones, How would i go about painting my headphones?  what kind of paint do i use?  Do I need sealant?  How involved is it?  I'm not trying to paint the mona lisa on the earcup, just something ultra-basic, so long as its possible and I work up enough courage to do it. 

 

[Phoenix Jackson]

I'm thinking of doing this to my DT 770 as well but I don't know if it's safe for the plastic cups (I want the option to erase them in time).  I was thinking of nail polish as someone else did it.
 
Hope to get some input.

 

[Kodhifi]

If you don't want to muck it up you need to disassemble as much as possible. You want the enclosure by itself, sans speaker, foam, ear cup, headband, etc.
 
If you want to do a pro job you will need to sand the plastic to rough it up, you don't have to sand the current paint off but you need something it can adhere to. Once you get it a little roughed up, clean it with a towel and alcohol or finger nail polish remover (acetone). This removes oils and residue. Blow it clean with a can of air duster and you're ready to paint.
 
1. Primer. This helps the actual paint adhere better and makes the paint job more durable and the tone more even. You will want to use spray paint. I used auto paint when I did my PC case but you can use just about anything but latex house paint. Acryllics are really good and durable, quick drying.
 
2. Hang the enclosures on little bits of wire or string so you don't have to touch them, wire is better because it's stiff and you can control spin. Use light and even coats of primer. Let it dry a minimum of 20 minutes in between coats, you don't want to see any drops running, use light coats, and use many. Don't rush it or it won't dry fast enough and you will get runs. Do 2 or 3 coats this way. If it's humid and cold where you're at let it dry longer, 30-45 min between coats.
 
3. After the primer is done let it dry over night 24hours min. If you have a blow dryer you can speed that up by blow drying on low heat for 10-15 minutes once it's dry enough to handle. You're trying to get the solvent to evaporate, leaving a solid shell of primer.
 
4. Now do the same thing again except with paint. If you wish to do multiple tones, or not paint in some areas, use masking tape and a razer blade to create masks. If you want to add pin stripping you can do that by hand later.
 
When you've done enough thin coats of paint that the color is solid enough for you, let it dry overnight again or blow dry once dry enough to handle.
 
The last step if you want a really good finish is to apply an acrylic sealant, even polyurethane sealant will work well. Except now you're going to lightly sand in between coats of sealant. You are trying to make the finish as smooth as possible, use very fine grit sand paper and LIGHTLY sand. Use 2 - 3 coats not sanding the last coat and you're done.
 
Congratulations, you have a professional paint job that will last as long as you have the headphones. The paint won't rub off on you, won't peel, won't flake, won't bubble, it will be as good as the factory finish.
 

 

[sbrennt]

Well thats exactly what I needed to know!  thanks Kodhifi!  Sounds like I now have a weekend project.  
 
Your the man Kodhifi! 

 

[TheManJP]

Very helpful guide! Used it to paint a pair of headphones of my own. Thanks for posting it!

 

[Kodhifi]

Post pics, let us see your handy work.
 

 

[ev13wt]

Here is a guy that does some awesome work. http://www.customcans.co.uk/blog/

In his blog, or if you google his name you will also find dissembely guide for the Senn 25 and a complete painting instruction post.

 

[tsiknus]

What are you running your HD 25s on?

 

[TheManJP]

http://www.head-fi.org/t/660760/newbies-custom-painted-hd25s#post_9373767
 
Pics up and running! You can see where I didn't quite follow directions, but ah well.

 

[thecourier]

Pretty good for a starter job TheMan. :thumb:

 

[PETEREK]

Oh I've done a few
 
DT880 Premium 250 OHM w/ detachable 3.5mm cable mod

 
DT770 Pro 80 OHM w/ detachable 3.5mm cable mod

 
Senn HD555 w/ soundstage, and detachable 3.5mm cable mods

 
Senn HD580 painted a dark, metallic grey. (wanted it to look similar to the HD650, waiting on the back ordered grills atm) I also added the burgundy fabric to the headband and the inside of the cups.

 

[PETEREK]

It's totally safe to do your DT770's btw. If you want to completely take them apart, and separate the cups from everything else, you're going to have to remove the solders on the right driver and bring the cable out of the can and out of the left cup as well. Make sure you sand a lot so the paint has a lot to stick to, flat surfaces will allow the paint to chip off. 
 
also, the feather on your HD25's looks bad a**

 

[quangbuk]

Hi there. I'm just recently into the customizing headphone stuffs and genuinely find it super interesting! Found this article and follow the guide line provided, and 1 day later I had a fresh looking pair of Philip's Snug for my school project 

 And now I really want to try new stuffs on a pair of audio-technica ws55 that I have, the pair's housing is made from aluminum not plastic, so obviously it gonna need different prep methods. I went to google and tried to search for preping methods for painting on aluminum surface, but all I wasn't able to find any useful and/or practical methods yet (many of aluminum painting instruction involve in using airbrushes, which I haven't been able to access yet). Can someone, if possible, please help me with an useful alternate method for drawing/painting on aluminum housing? Thanks a bunch!

 

 

[PETEREK]

When I paint metals I use Rustoleum spray paint. It sticks to it well. Be sure to use sand paper on the surface to give the paint something to stick to, paint is more likely to chip off if you spray on a clean, flat surface.

 

[quangbuk]

Thank you very much I'm gonna try it out right away