# Buddy’s Box ‘o Metal



## BuddytheReow

As a metalhead im kind of excited about this one. An HM2 and HM3 in the same box! The hm3 is a stripboard layout, but it will still be pretty sweet. With my new work schedule and spring projects fast approaching this will take a while to finish. Stay tuned….


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## DAJE

Hyper Metal? Interesting choice. I've never tried one but I expect that the bad rap is because it isn't an HM2 rather than that it's a bad pedal.


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## mdc

I really like the HM3! Doesn't get the shine it deserves, though I suppose that keeps it cheap.


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## BuddytheReow

Even when I’m at work I still think about my projects. Decided on my lunch break to start my stripboard layout at my desk in the office. Would love to bring a soldering iron but I think security might be called…


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## BuddytheReow

Been picking away at it in pieces. Finally finished resistors and sockets in the HM3.


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## BuddytheReow

UPDATE

Finally finished the HM3 and….kinda disappointed 😔. I tried swapping out all the ICs and BJTs and get no change sonically. Oh, I should also mention that I used a 2.2uf cap instead of a 1.5 which beefed up the bass gyrator, but the problem was with the distorted tone itself. It sounds more like a fuzz pedal than anything else. It just didn’t sound brutal enough to be worthy of a Box o Chainsaws enclosure!

Sigh….

I have high hopes for a Tyrian distortion coming in the mail in a few days. Sound clips sound pretty good. I’ve already got a Sanguine distortion as a stand-alone so we shall see what happens.


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## jesuscrisp

By itself the sounds more like a sludgy fuzz in the "Swedish" settings. You need to put it through a distorted amp or into another distortion pedal.


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## BuddytheReow

The wife is sick. Not COVID, just a cold. What does that mean? Why, basement time of course!!!

Finally finished the promethium (HM2) board with stock components. Thanks @Harry Klippton for the 1.5uf cap!! 

Fired up the first time which is always a great feeling. However, I knew the sound I was looking for so I dimed  all the pots before testing. Omg the squeals this thing produced (in a bad way)! I read somewhere that a buffer before the circuit helps tremendously. Luckily my tuner has a switchable buffer and calmed the promethium back to a workable state. This means I need to add one in my enclosure either before the whole circuit set or just before the promethium. Next on my list is the Tyrian to audition.


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## BuddytheReow

Finally finished up the Tyrian board (had to wait for a Tayda order; didn’t have extra on/off/on switches). I only got to spend about 5 minutes with it before I had to go to work this morning. This thing is pretty gnarly! EQ is incredibly responsive and the gain is pretty heavy (you CAN clean it up to a medium OD by dialing back the gain and guitar volume). I’m gonna spend some more time playing on this circuit to see if this is indeed Buddy’s Box o’ Metal!!


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## BuddytheReow

Spent a good half hour with the Tyrian and I'm really happy with the circuit so I think I'll box it up along with the Promethium. The promethium needs a buffer in front of it to reduce the squealing to zero so I think I'll just build a Klon buffer inside the box out of vero. Drill templates to come shortly. I've been kicking around an idea or two for the enclosure art, but this may take some time to figure out what I want.


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## BuddytheReow

Drilled and dry fitted


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## BuddytheReow

Looks like a wire monster came through here. Can you tell how much free time I have? Yes, I know they’re all too long but that’s ok. It’s easier to trim it that out a new wire in lol


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## BuddytheReow

Still chipping away. Finished up the LEDs and grounded the jacks. When you don’t have a lot of free time you quickly realize how much work goes into these pedals


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## BuddytheReow

Since these are PCBs and not stripboard I’m trying to work on neatness, taking my time, and enjoying the build process. I still need to build an input buffer and may work on that during my lunch break today since I am wfh.


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## BuddytheReow

Welp, I think this is done. Still need to screw the nuts on and some knobs, but it’s tested and works just fine. I know what I’m doing tomorrow morning…


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## Harry Klippton

Looks tidy


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## BuddytheReow

7 TL072s, a TL071, 2 2n3904s, a 2n3906, and a 2n5457. The cost of those alone are maybe as much as the offboard components. Or maybe not. Still, this is a fun project!!!


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## BuddytheReow

So, I was playing around with this over the weekend...and...I'm a bit disappointed. The Tyrian side is pretty sweet, although a little bass heavy (could be fixed by dialing down the volume knob like I did with my Sanguine. The Promethium side doesn't sound good at all. It sounds fizzy, like it's hitting the BJT rails in a bad way or being "pinched".

Sigh....

I took out the buffer (quick fix) and it helped a little, but not enough to sound like a good chainsaw. Hmmm...I was thinking about it last night and the only thing I did differently on the board was install tantalum 1uf caps instead of the box ones (polarity is involved here) to fit the space. When I get a couple of minutes free time I'll take a stab at it. Fingers crossed I can get my Swedish chainsaws.


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## fig

Would that be C10/C12? I think I’d go MLCC.

This brings up a question I have for bigger brains (meaning anyone)…let’s take C10 as an example;

Is it possible for the ”more negative” direction to shift under normal operation (from the perspective of the C10)?


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## Robert

D4, D5, and C11 form a DC clamper.   Because D4 and D5 will always be slightly unmatched, even in the world of Fig, C11 can charge to a DC voltage which may be positive or negative depending on which way the mismatch favors.   D6 and D7 will keep that voltage below their forward voltage threshold so it should always be lower than (negative with respect to) pin 7 of IC1.2, but theoretically the possibility is there.


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## Harry Klippton

@BuddytheReow does the promethium sound wrong or do you not like the HM-2 sound now that you've experienced it?


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## BuddytheReow

@Harry Klippton it sounds wrong. I loooove me some good chainsaw action (although tbh it's a sweet one trick pony). It almost sounds like someone engaged a bad fuzz pedal right before the EQ section. I'll also need to check all my solder joints to be safe.


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## Harry Klippton

I made a mistake with one of the two I built. It sounded awful. I had used mlcc caps, and one was seated a little too good, so the dipped part of the leg was contacting the pad. I think it was C6. The distortion knob was sounding off . You know what you're doing, so I'm sure you'll find the cause


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## BuddytheReow

Harry Klippton said:


> You know what you're doing, so I'm sure you'll find the cause


I only THINK I know what I'm doing, LOL. Nowadays when I put a board or circuit together I try to exhaust every troubleshooting trick I know before reaching out to everyone here. Either way I need to be careful swapping out parts otherwise I'll fry the board. Not the end of the world if that does happen since 95% of the parts I can get from Tayda.


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## BuddytheReow

Took some time this morning to swap out the tantalums for the box ones even though they wouldn't be flush on the board. Swapping out components on a finished board is a real PITA. Took me a half hour to do 3 components (including removing the circuits from the enclosure). The result? The Swedish Chainsaaaaaw sound!

What lesson did I learn here? Be 100% confident with any mods or changes to the circuit before committing it to solder.


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## BuddytheReow

I'll post a pic in a moment, but I'm having an issue. I had some knobs lying around and threw them on, but didn't 100% care for them. I pulled the trigger on an order from GuitarPedalParts and it arrived today. One of the knobs is missing the hex screw. Sigh. This was my first time ordering from them. Do you think they would make good on this if I reach out to them? If I send an email now they're not going to respond until Tuesday at the minimum due to the holiday.


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## BuddytheReow

And the new knobs


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## Harry Klippton

I recently had the same issue but from a different vendor. I just stole a set screw from a different knob that I didn't plan on using


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## BuddytheReow

Damn, a whole month has gone by with this project.

I reached out to GuitarPedalParts and explained my issue (missing screw). They came back saying they do a QA inspection before any order is shipped without exception and asked me to confirm if the internal or external packaging was damaged. It wasn't. They offered a refund or to send the replacement with my next order. I was half expecting what Tayda did when I received a broken part (sent a new one and they ate the shipping cost), but sadly they did not and I requested a refund. Oh well. I've got 3 other knobs that work.

Then @jjjimi84 had a recent post explaining his painting experience and inspired me to experiment with crackle paint. Got the Montana one from Amazon but was hesitant for a while since a single can is $15. I ordered it and tested it a few times with different paint underneath on a botched enclosure I had laying around. For the effect I wanted it worked on the test box.

Trying it for real this time using the same technique but different paint (rustoleum) I was not successful. Primed it and let it fully cure for a few days. Put one coat of color on and let it sit for about 24 hours. Then the second coat and let it sit for an hour before trying the crackle on top. This was the result I had. You can see the crackle effect partially worked, but I wanted it throughout the whole enclosure. So, this morning I sanded off the black as much as I could and put 2 coats of the green on and will let it sit until tomorrow morning. I'll try the crackle paint on fully cured paint and see if that does anything.


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## benny_profane

I’d suggest sticking with the same brand to ensure chemical compatibility. Montana makes great products. The gold series is low flow—I strongly recommend it over the black series for painting enclosures. You’re able to get consistent thin layers. 

Also, you can probably find Montana significantly cheaper at a local brick and mortar arts supply store than Amazon.  

NB: there are two ‘Montana’ spray paint companies. The Montana from Germany is the one I’m talking about here. The Montana from Spain (stylized as ‘MTN’) is primarily geared toward graffiti and not recommended for pedals.


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## mybud

BuddytheReow said:


> Took some time this morning to swap out the tantalums for the box ones even though they wouldn't be flush on the board. Swapping out components on a finished board is a real PITA. Took me a half hour to do 3 components (including removing the circuits from the enclosure). The result? The Swedish Chainsaaaaaw sound!
> 
> What lesson did I learn here? Be 100% confident with any mods or changes to the circuit before committing it to solder.


Excellent point.


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## BuddytheReow

benny_profane said:


> I’d suggest sticking with the same brand to ensure chemical compatibility. Montana makes great products. The gold series is low flow—I strongly recommend it over the black series for painting enclosures. You’re able to get consistent thin layers.
> 
> Also, you can probably find Montana significantly cheaper at a local brick and mortar arts supply store than Amazon.
> 
> NB: there are two ‘Montana’ spray paint companies. The Montana from Germany is the one I’m talking about here. The Montana from Spain (stylized as ‘MTN’) is primarily geared toward graffiti and not recommended for pedals.


The thing is, I tried it with Rustoleum and it worked pretty good. I had a bit left in one of the metallic series so i tried that out.

If the crackle effect doesn't work I may just bite the bullet and order a can of the regular Montana stuff to ensure it works.


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## benny_profane

If you're experiencing crackling on the edges, but not in the middle, my guess would be that the application was too thick. This effect is a little weird because it does interact with the dry/cure time of the substrate.


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## BuddytheReow

I'll try again tomorrow, but with a lighter coat of the crackle and a quick base coat and 1hr dry time in between. @benny_profane I think you may be right about the thick coat.


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## jjjimi84

Here is my most recent failure with crackle paint. It does not like fluorescent pink at all, this is the second attempt, the pink is shot through the airbrush. First attempt the paint wasn’t dry enough the second was dried for 24 hours but it didn’t have the adhesion needed. I bought the brightest pink spray can i could find and it turned out to be a lovely shade of vulva pink but not the hot pink i need. Back to the drawing board.

@BuddytheReow this looks like a similar problem. The other three enclosures had the paint setting in them for at least a week before i hit them with the crackle. I am also considering laying the base color coat then a coat of clear then the crackle then another coat of clear.


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## szukalski

That is still a pretty nice pink effect there @jjjimi84


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## BuddytheReow

Went a little lighter this time on the crackle paint and the same problem still happens. Sigh....I'll try one more time, but this time putting the crackle on a fully cured base coat. If this doesn't work I'll nix this entirely and just hand paint it.


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## BuddytheReow

Third times the charm!!

The secret I found out was not to wait too long for the base coat to dry. I waited 15 minutes then sprayed the crackle.

My question to you guys now. Should I keep this as is or put some labels on the knobs? They would be painted of course.


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## Harry Klippton

Labels!


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## BuddytheReow

Harry Klippton said:


> Labels!


Not sure about a color then. White?


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## Harry Klippton

You could paint white blocks to letter onto with a different color


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## BuddytheReow

I did a dry fit by hand and super excited. I should let this sit for a bit (really? Longer?) to know what I want. I think labeling each knob may be too much and take away from the crackle.


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## BuddytheReow

Mk I. Was just a quick sketch but this is kind of the direction I’m thinking. I’m thinking white border and fill in with both yellow or blue to match the knobs.


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## BuddytheReow

Eh. Not bad. Gotta get ready for work now (booooooo)


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## jjjimi84

I finally had success also but it took a bit…

Primer, pink, clear coat, clear coat, black crackle, different clear coat, clear coat. Now i am about to start lettering and what not.


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## Robert

Man, those look great!   I do not have the patience for this, I'd be patching sheetrock today.


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## NickC

stranger things like


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## Harry Klippton

jjjimi84 said:


> I finally had success also but it took a bit…
> 
> Primer, pink, clear coat, clear coat, black crackle, different clear coat, clear coat. Now i am about to start lettering and what not.
> 
> View attachment 28332


Nailed it 🔨🔨🔨🔨🔨


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## BuddytheReow

Chipping away. Filled in the letters and outlined. May need another coat of white. Still debating if I should fill in with color.


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## jjjimi84

BuddytheReow said:


> Chipping away. Filled in the letters and outlined. May need another coat of white. Still debating if I should fill in with color.


I would thin the paint down and make a wash and kind of hit the corners of the letters making a sort of shadowing effect in color. Does that makes sense?


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## BuddytheReow

jjjimi84 said:


> I would thin the paint down and make a wash and kind of hit the corners of the letters making a sort of shadowing effect in color. Does that makes sense?


Yes and no. I can’t visualize it. Do you have an example?


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## jjjimi84

Playing on the horror theme, i would use the yellow to accent the word evil and then use blue to create a almost dripping effect on gnarly.

Sorry about the rough sketch, using my sons mangled markers.


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## BuddytheReow

jjjimi84 said:


> Playing on the horror theme, i would use the yellow to accent the word evil and then use blue to create a almost dripping effect on gnarly.
> 
> Sorry about the rough sketch, using my sons mangled markers.
> View attachment 28421


So, water down the color with a drop or two to thin it out and lightly touch the edges? I think I understand now. Thanks!


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## jjjimi84

BuddytheReow said:


> So, water down the color with a drop or two to thin it out and lightly touch the edges? I think I understand now. Thanks!


Exactly, if you are using acrylics. If using enamels then use the brand thinner, it works a lot better.


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## BuddytheReow

So, I tried the shading effect that @jjjimi84 suggested and it didn't work very well. I need to keep practicing that and may try on a different project or scrap piece. I decided to fill in the block lettering with solid colors and outlined in with an acrylic pen. I'm gonna let this sit for a day or two before sealing it up with some clear coat. For now, I think this is done, but want to make sure before committing.


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## BuddytheReow

Welp, it's been clear coated to protect it. Time to post the results in the build reports.


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