Painting a Neumann KM86

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So a while back I called up Trew Audio and bought a used Neumann
KM86 they had on their website for a decent price as these things go,
nice mic and sounds pretty good (although as it came from their at that
time new Canada Store I got billed by Fed Ex later for import and
customs duties - ouch.)

Anyway, the whole barrel of the mic is filed clean to the metal,
you can almost see where someone had been trying to file off the name
that had been etched into the mic by an old owner. Bad idea for a
number of reasons I guess, when it doesn't work out you have to keep
sanding until you get a shiny mic barrel, with even more questions
about a mics origins than if it had a studio name etched into it. But
Trew is certainly a honorable audio dealer and on that level I have no
doubts this is a straight up situation, but that still leaves me with a
mic that has no paint on the barrel, which is kind of irritating.

So what do I have to do to paint the KM86 barrel in the original
Neuman grey? Is it doable myself, or is it an electro static process
like enameling a refrigerator, or can I send it somewhere affordable?
It's just a cosmetic issue but if it's not prohibitively expensive it
would be nice to spruce the thing up. Hey, they do all kinds of stuff
with metal on "Monster Garage" and "American Chopper"...

Ideas? Thanks.

Will Miho
NY Music and TV Audio Guy
Staff Audio/Fox News/M-AES
"The large print giveth and the small print taketh away..." Tom Waits

 

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WillStG <willstg@aol.com> wrote:
>
> So what do I have to do to paint the KM86 barrel in the original
>Neuman grey? Is it doable myself, or is it an electro static process
>like enameling a refrigerator, or can I send it somewhere affordable?
>It's just a cosmetic issue but if it's not prohibitively expensive it
>would be nice to spruce the thing up. Hey, they do all kinds of stuff
>with metal on "Monster Garage" and "American Chopper"...

Take the board and electronics out and take it to a car body shop.
A real shop, not Earl Sheib. Look for the place where all the hot-rodding kids
hang out in the lobby drinking beer.

If you give them a painted one, they should be able to match the paint right
off. Only problem is that you may have to pay for the minimum order of
paint, which could be a quart.

My local shop will basically shoot small things like that for free if you're
willing to accept whatever color of paint is left over from the last customer.
I often take them things like DI boxes and front panels. On the other hand,
sometimes you get purple metalflake.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

 

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On 4/7/05 4:48 PM, in article d349rp$2k1$1@panix2.panix.com, "Scott Dorsey"
<kludge@panix.com> wrote:

> On the other hand, sometimes you get purple metalflake. --scott
>

You say that like it's a BAD thing?!?




Allen
--
Allen Corneau
Mastering Engineer
Essential Sound Mastering
Houston, TX

 

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On Thu, 07 Apr 2005 22:58:24 GMT, Allen Corneau <acorneau@mac.com>
wrote:

>On 4/7/05 4:48 PM, in article d349rp$2k1$1@panix2.panix.com, "Scott Dorsey"
><kludge@panix.com> wrote:
>
>> On the other hand, sometimes you get purple metalflake. --scott
>>
>
>You say that like it's a BAD thing?!?
>
>
>
>
>Allen

Hey, it could be the Scott Dorsey "limited edition" KM-86.

Al

 

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Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

Powerder coating with a two-pot epoxy would be the way I would go. Get it
done by a professional. Powder coat will never scratch off. Don't even
think about using any type of consumer grade paint.

Bill.

"WillStG" <willstg@aol.com> wrote in message
news:1112905000.244066.140650@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
> So a while back I called up Trew Audio and bought a used Neumann
> KM86 they had on their website for a decent price as these things go,
> nice mic and sounds pretty good (although as it came from their at that
> time new Canada Store I got billed by Fed Ex later for import and
> customs duties - ouch.)
>
> Anyway, the whole barrel of the mic is filed clean to the metal,
> you can almost see where someone had been trying to file off the name
> that had been etched into the mic by an old owner. Bad idea for a
> number of reasons I guess, when it doesn't work out you have to keep
> sanding until you get a shiny mic barrel, with even more questions
> about a mics origins than if it had a studio name etched into it. But
> Trew is certainly a honorable audio dealer and on that level I have no
> doubts this is a straight up situation, but that still leaves me with a
> mic that has no paint on the barrel, which is kind of irritating.
>
> So what do I have to do to paint the KM86 barrel in the original
> Neuman grey? Is it doable myself, or is it an electro static process
> like enameling a refrigerator, or can I send it somewhere affordable?
> It's just a cosmetic issue but if it's not prohibitively expensive it
> would be nice to spruce the thing up. Hey, they do all kinds of stuff
> with metal on "Monster Garage" and "American Chopper"...
>
> Ideas? Thanks.
>
> Will Miho
> NY Music and TV Audio Guy
> Staff Audio/Fox News/M-AES
> "The large print giveth and the small print taketh away..." Tom Waits
>

 

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Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

WillStG wrote:

> So what do I have to do to paint the KM86 barrel in the original
> Neuman grey? Is it doable myself, or is it an electro static process
> like enameling a refrigerator, or can I send it somewhere affordable?

Have you called Neumann USA's parts department to find out how much
a KM 86mti sleeve would cost? I'd guess that it's a better deal than
all this worrying and running around. Also, a new sleeve will come
with a fresh purple Neumann badge attached and ready to be lost again.

--best regards

 

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Thanks for all the suggestions guys. I didn't call Neumann because I
was guessing that it would cost $100 or more for a new sleeve, and I
was hoping a bit of paint would be lot more cost effective.

Purple metal flake, hmmm... Maybe I should get the top painted too.

Will Miho
NY Music & TV Audio Guy
Staff Audio/Fox News/M-AES
"The large print giveth & the small print taketh away..." Tom Waits

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

WillStG Wrote:
> So what do I have to do to paint the KM86 barrel in the original Neuman
> grey?

Take it to a plating shop... the finish on a Neumann mic is "nickel
plate"... which is basically like "chrome" or "black nickel".

Powder coating is an entirely different process, which in the world of
building scooters is preferable [at least to me] than paint or nickel
coating... but won't be able to match the "original" color/finish of
your microphone. I did some motor covers in black nickel a few years
ago... it's kinda neat, there's an almost 'mother of pearl' swirl kind
of texture you can get from it... but it scratches [like chrome].

The bike I'm building now will be all "60% gloss black powder coat"
except for the upper fork tubes, the handlebars, cylinder head covers,
dash plate, chain sproket which will be chrome. The only thing not
chrome or powder coat will be the cylinder jugs which will be black
wrinkle paint and the brake rotors which will be whatever color they
were when they come out of the wrapper.

Should look pretty sharp.


--
Fletcher