Techmology - powder coating

If you've been looking at our photos, you might have spotted, most synths we made so far were painted. But not just simply painted, they were ✨Powder Coated✨ It’s Not Paint, It’s a Damn Force Field.

Our synths are built like tanks (and Look Great)

We design instruments that are meant to be played, gigged, and knocked around a little. Thin paint? Nah. It chips, it scratches, it looks sad after a year. We refuse to make instruments that look like shit.

The Shmøergh Solution: We use Powder Coating. It’s the superior finishing technology to many others, it's easily accessible locally, versatile, durable, flexible and looks pretty fucking good if you ask me.

Okay, so what the hell Is Powder Coating?

It’s not wet paint. It’s dry, pulverized plastic/resin particles (a powder).

The Voodoo Process: They (well, the dude they just refer to as "the master" at the paint shop) charge the metal enclosure (the part), and then charge the powder. They blow this thing on using an electrostatic spray gun and the powder magnetically snaps onto the grounded metal. Cool huh? Science is magic.

The Bake-Off: Once covered, they put it in the oven (a really big one) and bake it. High heat cures the powder, melting it into a thick, uniform, and chemically-bonded plastic shell.

Quirky Fact/Tech Detail: If you try to do this with wet paint, you get drips, sags, and streaks. Powder coating creates a perfect, consistent film because the particles are evenly sticking to the surface.

The real benefits (why we bother)

• TOUGH – It’s 4-10x thicker than wet paint. (so thick you have to count with it actualy) It resists scratches, chips, and corrosion. Go ahead, drop your patch cable on one of our synths. We double-dare you.
• BEAUTIFUL – That perfect finish? That’s the electrostatic magic. No funny business, just pure, consistent color that we spent hours (okay, it was minutes) debating. Aaaand, it comes in shiny, matte and everything in between.
• LASTING – We’re all about open source and lasting products. This stuff lasts up to 20 years. It’s tough enough for a stage, a workbench, or a dusty maker space.
• ECO-FRIENDLY – No solvents. No air pollution. Almost zero wasted powder because the overspray is recycled. We want to make cool stuff without trashing the planet.

What this means for your synth

• The powder-coated metal is the HOG or Moduleur’s first line of defense against all that’s nasty out there.
• It protects the delicate electronics inside from moisture, fairydust, and your inevitable overpriced craft beer spill.
• It also works as a pretty good insulator while being metal so the synth is safe and electrically shielded.
• It’s a design choice as much as an engineering one—the way the finish reflects light, the texture you feel under your fingers. It’s part of the playing experience.

Not finished tho…

Once the powder coating is done we still have to put markings, graphics, letters and all kinds of things on there, so although powder coating is called a “finish” it is far from done. But let’s talk about those another day.

Stay tuned

We sweat the small details—like dust—so you can focus on the big ones—like sound. We design, we engineer, and we only use f*cking cool technology.

Now go make some noise because the HOG Moduleur is coming soon.