For all of those of you out there with a stainless steel fetish here is what the empeg looks like with stainless allen keys instead of the black japaned ones that it comes with.

M3 thread for those intrested

That's how our hex bolts start life, before we send them off to be blackened

Rob

Someone should CNC an aluminium face plate to go with those bolts... would match all those dash kits available for cars....... yum.

32GB (JUST UPGRADED!) Mk. II BLUE
Detroit, MI USA
www.PfeifferBeer.com

IIRC, darkstar has one available (or at least brushed aluminium looking plastic)


/Michael

I was going to do one as a Christmas special last year - identical to the Mk.2 faceplate but in alumium. It would have cost a fortune but I was fairly sure we could have sold fifty of them. In practice we got acquired and the idea didn't come to anything.

I'd still like one

Rob

Sign me up for one !

Does it come with custom buttons as well ? The grey ones would look a little off I imagine ...

Off course the easy way around would be taking a stock black one and spray painting it. Wouldn't be alumium but it would be a good start for say a woodlook. Special kits for such a thing exist allowing you to take a standard plastic component and finishing it in different wood looks.

Brings me to a point, would be nice if you could purchase frontpanels seperatly. Any chance of that?

cheers,
Hans

Mk2 - Blue & Red - 080000431

Greetings!

You might want to check with DarkStorm about that. He is developing custom fascia. He also has some great clear and smoke faceplates as well.

Paul G.
SN# 090000587 (40GB Smoke)

Yes I know, but I am talking about actual Mk2 facia (i mean the black plastic bit if I confused you before) and processing them into different styles. It would be more limited then what DarkStorm has done with his custom Mk1 fascia but I like the Mk2 design because it looks even more futuristic. Like I said, making a woodlook for it would be relativly simple. Maybe there are also other possebilities. Say something like a carbon look, spraypainting it in silver or gold might look neat, maybe other colors would look good also. There is not that much plastic to work with but it is more then enough to achieve some cool effects. The grey buttos are also something I would like to see in different versions. How about a gold fascia smoked faceplate instead of the standard blue, red or what have you, and silver buttons ? Sounds like a cool combo to me, but then I am severely fashion challenged so .

Cheers,
Hans


Mk2 - Blue & Red - 080000431

Greetings!

I know which part you were referring to. I think Steve was also looking to do those as well. I do not know if he has made any, or if it will even work yet, but I know the thought was there.

I would be interested in some of those combinations as well. Probably the basic aluminum would work for me. Rob, I would be in that fifty, should you decide to go forward with it for this year!

Paul G.
SN# 090000587 (40GB Smoke)

Nice Nuts? Uhm, kinda falls into the same category as "Rob's slipping knob."

As a matter of fact I also have silverish hex bolts installed. You can easily get them. I have searched for silverish replacement buttons for months, but still haven't found what I'm looking for. I'm looking into making the rotary button out of aluminum with the help of a lathe. The buttons on the left (mk2) are difficult to redo. I don't have any idea how to make these out of aluminum. The buttons of the mk1 can also easily be done with the help of a lathe. If someone (Rob V.) can send me a set of those, I can try to make these as well. I guess the width of the shafts are the same on the mk1 and mk2.

Edwin de Vaan
mk2 rev.7 Trillian # 080000263 6Gb blue/red

how about a sand casting

Nice idea, but you are likely to have problems with porosity - it is not like to polish up as good. Would really have to look at investment casting or dye casting, and they are a little more expensive. Or you find someone who will let you use their CNC milling maching. Even that could get a bit trickey - is only good for very small runs. Got a 3D CAD model of the faceplate Rob??

(list 6284, Mk1 S/N 00299 4GB blue [for sale]. Mk2 S/N 080000094 6GB blue)

Investment casting (which is how the handle is made) would be very expensive for small runs, and I suspect the shape could be too complex. For a short run I think CNC machining is the way to go.

Got a 3D CAD model of the faceplate Rob??

As it happens I do - SolidWorks or IGES. If someone had a serious proposition about machining some of these, then I would be willing to talk about that.

Rob

Investment casting (which is how the handle is made) would be very expensive for small runs, and I suspect the shape could be too complex.

You're right, it would be expensive. You *can* however make really intricate stuff using investment casting. That is how a lot of gold rings are made, or at least the mounts for the stones, and some of them can get very intricate. They do use some tricks to get the metal to flow into all the small channels though.

Hmm, don't really think I could convince the workshop here that an empeg faceplate is work related .... Pretty much the only project (that requires workshop time) we have going at the moment is a 4 legged walking machine that stands nearly 2m high at the hip. Don't think I could convince them the faceplate was for it. (darn!)

(list 6284, Mk1 S/N 00299 4GB blue [for sale]. Mk2 S/N 080000094 6GB blue)

Your walking machine isn't going to have a stereo then?

Rob

Now that would win the "Most Unusual empeg Installation" award... Could you get your shop to work on it off hours? For the price of beer & pizza, you might get very good results.

Paul G.
SN# 090000587 (40GB Smoke)

Your walking machine isn't going to have a stereo then?

Hmmm, well .... probably not right at the start. If it ever actually works like we think it might then maybe :-)

... For the price of beer & pizza, you might get very good results. ...

Well Germans can put away a heck of a lot of beer. They can also be a little ... inflexible, but I guess I could give it a try. I'll get back to you about that CAD file if I think I have half a chance Rob. Am not very optimistic though.

(list 6284, Mk1 S/N 00299 4GB blue [for sale]. Mk2 S/N 080000094 6GB blue)

There are metallic coating processes for plastic out there (apart from silver Krylon paint) that will leave a nice bright chrome on the buttons you already have. I don't have any direct contacts, but it's a thought.

-Zeke

just say you weren't paying much attention...