ARTISAN LVTN: percussion

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black

DIY: BLACK BOX

The Black Box is really a simple do it yourself project done a few years back. This cajón of mine had a tropical design I didn...

The Black Box is really a simple do it yourself project done a few years back. This cajón of mine had a tropical design I didn't quite like, not to mention the dirt and damage accumulated over the years. To give it a more modern and masculine edge, I decided to repaint this old instrument in black and gold. Although not having too many photos of the actual process, let me walk you guys through this old project a bit.
The first step I did was to remove the sun pattern around the hole, as can be seen with the discolored area around it. The striking surface is actually quite bruised up as well, resulting from the friction caused by steel brushes. For those unfamiliar, these are what steel brushes look like here. On a side note, these steel brushes can be used as alternatives to hands for a different sound and play style. Before painting, the striking surface had to be disassembled first, followed by the rubber footings of the instrument.

The whole restoration process wasn't really well documented back then, but these old Instagram photos will hopefully suffice. After disassembly, the box needed lot's of sanding and bits of filler for gaps and cracks on the body. Once the old layers of lacquers and topcoats were all sanded off and all cracks filled and sanded smooth, came the first coat of paint. Then followed by alternating processes of sanding and painting to get a nice and even coat covering all over the Black Box.

Painting day. #diy #blackandwhite #design

A photo posted by Mark Perez (@artisanleviathan) on Nov 30, 2014 at 11:15pm PST

Sunday work day. Guess what. #workinprogress #diy #design #painting

A photo posted by Mark Perez (@artisanleviathan) on Dec 6, 2014 at 9:38pm PST

To get the colors I wanted, the paint had to be custom mixed. In this case, a base of black with hints of white to get the right shade of charcoal black, with a bit of silver paint for a subtle luster. Once it was all nicely painted, I did a final process of light sanding for a bit of texture on the piece and finished with a spray of clear coat. Using commercial canned spray paint, I did the striking surface in a beautiful and lustrous gold. The final step now is to reassemble all the parts and have an edgy new piece that acts as both accent furniture and percussion instrument.