I got the sides, back, and front panels back from the painters, so I'll be getting back to the rebuild soon.
The sides & back are done in a Mercedes silver with a clear coat. They were stripped down to bare metal, bead blasted, primed with a self-etching primer, then wet sanded and shot with the urethane-based paint & clear coat.
I also removed the plastic piece on the control panel and had it & the front panel done in a faux carbon fiber finish. The front panel now has a 7/8" x 1 3/4" cutout for the PID to be panel mounted.
The guy that did my paintwork is mostly known for his bike & hot rod work, but he took my job because he'd never done an espresso machine before. I think I benefited from his curiosity greatly!
http://www.ericscustomfinishes.comSome might recall I'd had the sides & back painted a long time ago and had them mounted on my #2 machine that I use daily. Unfortunately, the seam that I had filled cracked from the heat or vibration and the paint cracked over it. This time I had the painter TIG weld the seams closed before he painted them.
Tex