[grape ape]

I bought a used pair of Alessandro MS2i's and they have had quite a bit of the silver paint missing. I'm thinking about repainting it back on but was hoping for tips.

Has anybody done this with any success? The main problem I see is not getting any paint on the areas that aren't supposed to have it. What have you tried or what would you recommend?

Thanks,

Aaron

 

[intoflatlines]

Just do it carefully.

 

[grape ape]

If I use a brush, I don't think that any amount of carefulness will stop the bristles from going into the recesses of the lettering. I'll probably have to use another tool, like a rubber stamp that has been modified to only have a small flat spot left that I can cover with silver paint.

I don't want to rush into anything since the black parts or made of plastic and any mistake will be there forever.

 

[DocHamm]

You might also consider a paint pen. I've used them (not on headphones) with great success and they last a long time.

 

[grape ape]

yeah a paint pen does sound like a pretty good idea. I'll get one of those and do a test run on something that doesn't matter. It's a coincidence, but I just happen to be heading to the art supply store in a couple of hours too.

 

[RBYRER]

I have had the exact same problem with some sr60,s and I tried every thing with no success. If you are not happy with the way things come out and you decide to use paint thinner, be careful because if you use too much, you can ruin the finish on your phones. You might want to consider having grado labs doing it for you.

 

[doxaman]

I've tried it with a Silver Sharpie on a pair of sunglasses and it looked okay and lasted for a while. I found it best to use the edge of the marker wherever possible, avoiding sticking the tip where I might hit the background.
One thing I noticed is that it does look like a brushed silver color rather than the Chrome original look. I wonder if Grado uses a special process, silver paint or any metallic paint applied by hand never has the right sheen!

 

[grape ape]

THe black ring with the lettering is probably painted before it's inserted onto the ear cup so it would be a lot easier to use something like a cup with a very thin level of silver paint to put the ring face down in. You won't have any brush strokes that way. I doubt they have any hi-tech or complicated methods of painting there so the simplest awnser is probably the correct one.


Unfortunately there is no way that I can think of removing the plastic ring from the ear cup to try that theory out on. I think I'm going to try my stamp idea and see how good my luck is.

 

[strangedaze39]

I'm a painter for hobby (artist), make sure you use a thick solution and when your letting it dry I would suggest flipping it over so gravity doesn't work against you. You pretty much have to worry about bleeding the most. I would use a extremely fine tipped brush (if you have steady hands) and SLOWLY go about painting it with the thick solution. Don't forget to prep them and give it a quick fine grade paper sand. GL painting post results if possible.

 

[grape ape]

Thanks for the wishes, I'll post images when I'm done.

 

[strangedaze39]

Cool, Thanks.

 

[Audiofiler]

Silver Sharpie..
ahem..very good suggestion.

 

[kontai69]

FWIW, the same thing happened to my MS-Pros. The silver paint started to flake off with just the lightest touch. I tried using a "metallic silver" Sharpie pen as suggested above, but the paint did not stick well.

I wound up sending it back to Grado and asked them to reapply the paint. After several weeks, I got it back. The repair job was a little irregular, but the paint is durable. See my sig for a pic.

 

[intoflatlines]

They sell tiny (like minuscule) brushes at the art store that would work well. Also, since its plastic, I bet if you accidentally put a small spot of paint you could probably fix it with a tiny tiny bit of paint thinner on a q tip maybe. That's probably what I would try.

Actually, I might try it because my SR225 is missing a tiny bit of paint on the "S" of "GRADO LABS".

 

[grape ape]

I went to the art supply store today and looked at all the silver paint they had and realized what you guys were talking about. The silver paint looks cheap. It wouldn't at all have the luster of the original lettering. I decided to get some silver gilding foil. I've used gold gilding before on picture frames and a lamp and I imagine that the silver foil isn't very different. Foil unlike paint is very realistic. I'm going to give it a try on sunday and I'll let you all know how it goes.