[Beerbellydad]

Thanks to Jay and his awesome flat pack, I was able to complete my NX-Studio build this weekend. I've never done any project like this before and generally have lack-luster finishing skills so I kept my expectations low: just make it look like it's not homemade.

Gluing the box was super-simple. The pack is so well machined that it's kinda hard to screw this up provided you have several clamps




I don't have a spray booth but do have a yard and rattle cans. Shellacked the whole thing several times and sprayed the top, bottom, and front with several coats of Rustoleum high performance flat black. This stuff dried really fast and sanded very nicely so I was able to do several light coats in one day. Of course, lots of clear coats after that. I neglected to finish-sand because I really didn't mind the finish and didn't need a mirror polish. Also - lazy.




I had then chosen the speaker stands from Monoprice because they were inexpensive, and I could fill them with sand. However, the size the of the base concerned me so I chose to add T-nuts to the cabinets to allow me to securely bolt them to the stands.




Wrapped the sides with patinaed copper and with a roundover on the back-sides, the wrap is seamless. I used Gorilla Glue spray. The copper added a little cost, but the results are spicy. Here's a pro-tip for y'all who, like me, have never used a router before: mask finished surfaces and copper scratches easily.  Fortunately, these scratches look much worse in sunlight than they do in my basement, particularly after touching up much of the black with a quickly-wiped Sharpie.





Really happy with the results. There are imperfections: scratched veneer, imperfect paint, and a so-so job of cutting the exposed No-Rez on the top, but overall, from a few feet away, it's all unnoticeable and I achieved my goal of making it look reasonable. Thanks again to Jay and all the knowledgeable folks on AC that share their experiences. Not only in the information share quite useful, but you provide moral support knowing that these projects aren't that hard.

[hawkeyejw]

Nice job! How do they sound?

[Beerbellydad]

Nice job! How do they sound?

I upgraded from AV123 X-Omnis so I was used to an airy sound, but these are incredible. Very much looking forward to the hours of couch time as these break in.

[hawkeyejw]

I upgraded from AV123 X-Omnis so I was used to an airy sound, but these are incredible. Very much looking forward to the hours of couch time as these break in.

That’s great. These are on my list for my next upgrade.

[Tomy2Tone]

Nice touch with the screws on the woofer! Looks great man

[Peter J]

The copper looks cool. Perhaps you could provide a resource for people who'd like to give it a go.

[Early B.]

Awesome job!

[mlundy57]

The copper looks cool. Perhaps you could provide a resource for people who'd like to give it a go.

+1 

[corndog71]

Impressive work on those cabinets.

[Fltguy]

Very nice.

I did some research on copper veneer but shied away from it for my first DIY project. I am glad you climbed that mountain and posted your results encouraging those of us to think outside the lines.

[Hobbsmeerkat]

Absolutely gorgeous!

[Beerbellydad]

The copper looks cool. Perhaps you could provide a resource for people who'd like to give it a go.

I'll leave the video tutorials to you experts but I can offer a few tips. Feel free to ask any questions.

I didn't find using the copper all that difficult, though I was very nervous about kinking it. As it turns out, it's reasonably sturdy and I was able to wrap the Studios without assistance. I think this is a way to get your project to stand out without needing crazy artist skills. Also, 5mil is plenty thick so there's little reason to spend more cash on the thick stuff.

Useful information I found
https://www.veneersupplies.com/products/Copper-Veneer-Sample-8-x-10.html
https://www.joewoodworker.com/veneering/workingwithcopperveneer.htm

One of those links suggests a fancy glue or using contact cement. Well, using contact cement is dreadful and while the other adhesive probably gave a more secure/permanent/better(?) bond, I would totally use the spray glue again. That was super easy and once you let it get tacky, it'll stick for good.

I found it helpful to spend a little cash and getting some samples. It gives a feel of the actual copper thickness and there's no better way to gauging how something will look than look than to get a sample, touch it, and see it in the light that it'll call home. I ordered a few "finalists" that I thought were cool and having a sample in hand changed my mind definitively - worth it.

[mkrawcz]

I upgraded from AV123 X-Omnis so I was used to an airy sound, but these are incredible. Very much looking forward to the hours of couch time as these break in.

Those look great, they almost look like granite. After a few days of playing, they will open up A LOT.