Project Flashback: Pink Floyd Music Fridge

Back in 2012, just a day before Thanksgiving, this refrigerator departed Killer Paint and was delivered to its new home

The customer, a huge fan of Pink Floyd, wanted this fridge done in a theme dedicated to his favorite band. Artwork from a number of different ‘Floyd album covers and other sources from the group’s long history. Plus, there are a few other fun changes made to this project.

The image on the front door features a large central piece that is an amalgamation of the cover artwork from the albums Pulse and Dark Side of the Moon.

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An additional feature on the door that is more than just paint is the handle. The refrigerator’s original has been removed and replaced with a custom one, in order to continue the Pink Floyd theme even further.

The new handle is made from two actual metal hammers. They were cut, fitted and welded together, then painted to look like the iconic marching hammers shown during the “Waiting for the Worms” song segment of  Pink Floyd’s 1982 film version of “The Wall”.

The new handle piece was bolted to the door using metal mounting pegs welded to the back of the hammers, ensuring that the attachment will be sturdy enough to hold up to continued usage for a long time to come.

It is definitely quite a bit less ergonomic than the handle the fridge came with, but you could probably open bottles using this one if you wanted to.

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Down on at the bottom of the fridge, in the lower left hand corner of the door, is a bit of art that is a little less prominently displayed-

It is the cow from the cover of the ‘Floyd album “Atom Heart Mother.” Well, almost the same cow.

If you take a closer look, you will notice that some of the cow’s markings have been modified slightly in order to resemble the spade and skull used in the Killer Paint logo.

Almost every job that comes out of the shop gets a Killer Paint logo painted on it somewhere. It is just not always as subtly placed as this one.

(click image to enlarge)

 

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The artwork on each side of the refrigerator is designed to transition from one image to the next. The elements from the designs on the door flow over and morph around the corner and onto the right hand side.

On this piece, the stone heads from the cover of the Pink Floyd album “The Division Bell” sit on the ground at the bottom of the fridge. Above them, artwork derived from the cover of the live double album “Delicate Sound of Thunder” occupies the top half.

Also tucked into the artwork on this side is the iconic image of the Battersea Power Station, made famous by its appearance on the cover of the 1977 “Animals” album. (click image to enlarge)

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On the opposite side of the refrigerator, the image from the cover of the “Wish You Were Here” album is the central piece.

At the bottom sits the screaming face associated with “The Wall,” while a transparent brick pattern runs up the side over the other artwork. The logo for “The Wall” sits at the top in the dark sky, where the iconic flying pig, floats across the sky, lit by an array of multi-colored spotlights.

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Most refrigerators painted at Killer Paint are destined for home theaters, game rooms or “man caves” and not a typical kitchen. This one was no exception, so as with many custom fridges, neon was added to the back, to add that extra ambiance in its final setting. In this case, what better color than pink?

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To make this fridge bring a complete Pink Floyd experience, there was one more feature added. (See video below)

It has a music player and speakers built into it so that it plays a random Pink Floyd song when the door is opened! The songs play in their entirety, even if the door is opened

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Completed just before Thanksgiving, the refrigerator was loaded up and driven to the customer’s home, to make sure it was in place before the madness of the holiday season started. The room the refrigerator was to be in was full of other valuable keepsakes and memorabilia, and up a narrow outdoor stairway, so getting it into place was no simple task.

However, once it was in place, it looked like it belonged, and had always been there. The customer was definitely thrilled! (click images to enlarge)

We hope you enjoyed taking a look back at this project. Let us know if there is anything you would like to see us post here in the future!

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Maybe this project gave you some ideas, or you already have an idea in mind for your own car, truck, motorcycle, refrigerator, etc?

If you would like to contact Killer Paint about working on your own project, visit our website, or contact us at info@killerpaint.com

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Related Links:

The Original Killer Paint Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/THE-Original-KILLER-PAINT-INC/297040465604

The Official Killer Paint Website: www.killerpaint.com

Pink Floyd Offiicial Band Website: http://www.pinkfloyd.com/

Killer Paint’s “True Fire™ Basics” Blog Series: https://www.killerpaint.com/true-firetrade-basics

Killer Grunge FX™ Spray at Coast Airbrush: https://www.coastairbrush.com/products.asp?cat=789

Grunge FX™ Tutorial Video on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96hjkbrwprA

True Fire™ Instructional DVDs:
The Secrets of Airbrushing True Fire™ – Part 1
The Secrets of Airbrushing True Fire™ – Part 2

True Fire™ Freehand Templates: Artool Freehand Airbrush Templates, True Fire Template Set

House of Kolor Official Website: www.houseofkolor.com

Project Flashback: Hellboy 2 Refrigerator

Back in 2009, a customer came to Killer Paint with a request to do a refrigerator for their home theater. Being fans of the Hellboy films, they wanted an over-the-top theme based on the then recently released Hellboy 2: The Golden Army.

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Many of the Killer Paint Custom refrigerators start off with a vintage unit. Models from past eras like the 1940’s 50’s and 60’s were built with an aesthetic that makes them very well suited to these kinds of projects.

Their style was more akin to the lines and curves that a car might have, unlike most modern appliances, which tend toward the flat and blocky.

They also tend to be much smaller than most modern full-sized refrigerators, so they fit much more easily into many non-kitchen areas of the home, such as game rooms, man caves, or home theaters.

In this case, the Hellboy fridge started out its life as an older model GE fridge. It was still in reasonably good shape and quite functional, but it had quite a few changes in store.

This refrigerator project was going to be much more than just a exterior face lift and a repaint.

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Normally, when a refrigerator gets painted here at the shop, just the outside surface gets the makeover.

On previous custom fridge projects, painting or making any color changes to the inside of previous projects had been avoided, due to concerns about the potential durability and adhesion of the paint once the fridge is in daily by the customer, and can be troublesome to do correctly.

Mike knew that for this theme, opening the door to a sterile white interior just wouldn’t do. So for the first time at Killer Paint, the refrigerator was going to get painted inside and out.

The interior surfaces were prepared and treated in such a way this time that would allow the paint to stand up better to wear and tear. Of course, red was the logical color choice for the inside on this piece.

We’ll take a closer look at how the interior turned out a bit later.

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On the front door, a very large portrait of Hellboy himself (as portrayed by Ron Perlman) dominates the majority of the area. Mike wanted to do it large enough that he could put far more detail into the image, including fine wrinkles and skin texture.

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While Hellboy himself dominates the front door, each side of the fridge displays its own sets of characters…

The left-hand side features the film’s aquatic protagonist Abe Sapien, as well as the primary elvish characters appearing in the film- Nuada, Nuala, and King Balor.

A few other entities from the story, like the Angel of Death and one of the Golden Army constructs, are woven in to create a continuous tapestry of images (click to enlarge)

The other side features the other members of the B.P.R.D. (Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense) who work alongside Hellboy in the film:

The fire-wielding Liz Sherman (portrayed by Selma Blair) and containment-suited Johann Kraus (voiced by Seth MacFarlane) (click to enlarge)

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Guillermo del Toro, the director of Hellboy 2: The Golden Army, is well known for using fantastical imagery in his films, like the highly innovative Pan’s Labyrinth, whose influence is felt strongly in many of the elements of the Hellboy sequel.

As such, there was a wide variety of subject matter available. The film is chock-full of visually spectacular scenes, as well as amazing characters and wonderful (or terrible) creatures. It’s almost too much to choose from, as far as deciding what to paint on this refrigerator.

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Now let’s get back to all of the work that went into the inside of this refrigerator…

The inside panel of the door was also painted red to go with the interior. a faux-beveled border was painted on, and a large Hellboy logo, including the B.P.R.D emblem was painted prominently on the door.

The rest of the panel is filled with an arrangement of spiral glyphs, similar to those etched in Hellboy’s skin in the film. Cracks were then painted in to give the impression that the panel is made of a rock-like material.

For the small square door to the icebox, Mike sculpted another B.P.R.D. emblem along with scratches, cracks and other texture, then painted-weathered the panel to appear as though it were carved out of some kind of stone.

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With a brand new bright red interior, and faux stone doors, there was no way that the original wire shelves and drawers that the refrigerator came with would look good if they were placed back inside. Since the fridge was going to be for a home theater, and not storing meat of vegetables for meals, it was decided that the drawers would be left out entirely, to increase the amount of storage space available for beverages and snacks.

As for the shelves, Mike had something in mind to replace them. Using screen captures from the film, artwork was generated to use in order to etch the images on the underside of brand new, 1/4″ thick glass shelves. Three large shelves, plus one smaller shelf for the space adjacent to the icebox were made, and set on the pegs used for the original metal shelves.

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A few months ago, one of the photos of the refrigerator showed up on a certain Facebook page…

Ron Perlman himself saw and reposted a picture of the Hellboy fridge!

We hope you enjoyed taking a look back at this project. Let us know if there is anything you would like to see us post here in the future!

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Maybe this project gave you some ideas, or you already have an idea in mind for your own refrigerator, car, truck, motorcycle, etc.

If you would like to contact Killer Paint about working on your own project, visit our website, or contact us at info@killerpaint.com

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Related Links:

The Original Killer Paint Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/THE-Original-KILLER-PAINT-INC/297040465604

The Official Killer Paint Website: www.killerpaint.com

“Hellboy 2: The Golden Army” info page on imdb.com: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0411477/

Purchase “Hellboy 2: The Golden Army” on Amazon:

Purchase the original “Hellboy” movie, also on Amazon:

Ron Perlman on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/perlmutations

Ron Perlman on Twitter: https://twitter.com/perlmutations

Project Flashback: B-17 Bomber Fridge

Before we take a look at this project, we at Killer Paint would like to ask a moment to focus on the rash of destructive wildfires taking a heavy toll on the western United States this summer. Whole towns have been forced to evacuate, and many people have lost their homes and livelihoods as houses and businesses have been laid to waste in the wake of these fires.

It is equally important, if not more so, that we take the time to recognize the men and women who dedicate themselves to fighting these fires, giving their every effort to protect lives, property and the environment. We offer our thanks to the firefighters doing their best against sometimes terrible odds in trying to oppose these primal forces of destruction.

Recently, in our own proverbial backyard, three firefighters working for the U.S. Forest Service lost their lives fighting the wildfires near Twisp, Washington, on Wednesday, August 19. We offer our sympathies to the families, friends, and colleagues of those who gave their lives protecting others here and elsewhere.

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Some time ago, a customer came to Killer Paint, requesting a special custom refrigerator, based on a World War II bomber.

This unique conversion was one of the more elaborate fridge projects done at Killer Paint. Actually, most of the work wasn’t paint at all. Mike’s concept idea was to make the refrigerator look as though it had been built from a salvaged aircraft. The entire exterior was re-skinned with aluminum sheeting, rivets, and much more…

The owner of this refrigerator, Troy W. was the pilot of a converted B-17 that had been put to use in aerial firefighting. The aircraft, dubbed the Flame Dame was the model and inspiration for this project.

So to match to appearance of this plane, hundreds of the rivets were attached one by one to form panel lines similar to the original World War II bomber. The aluminum was lightly scuffed and weathered to give it a distressed, worn look, and the rivets were lightly stained to make them look aged and a little gritty. While the refrigerator was brand new, it wasn’t supposed to look that way.

Small metal pipes were bent into shape and attached to the side of the fridge to simulate fluid lines, along with many other details that were also added.

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The “Flame Dame” pin-up art on the original aircraft was a very basic art style. Mike wanted to put something more artistically robust on the door, though. He chose a classic pin-up, a homage to the great Gil Elvgrin, to turn into the new Flame Dame, with a fiery dress and mane of hair.

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Some more added details include a large “124,” which was painted on one side to match the number on the original Flame Dame bomber, while some smaller aluminum pieces made to look like access panels were added, too.

Here is a video showcasing the project. The door is wired to set off the digital player built into the refrigerator and play several different aircraft sounds.

Mike also wanted to incorporate some authentic aircraft parts into this refrigerator. For instance, the door handle is made using an air speed indicator pitot tube. The Grimes wingtip lights that are mounted on the upper sides are actually wired up to light up and flash in conjunction with the sound triggers when the door opens.

With all the hardware going on the outside of this thing, Mike decided to add something fun and convenient to the mix as well.

So he went and got a mountable metal bottle opener and secured it to the side of the fridge on a round baseplate.

It may not be something you find on the outside of any aircraft, but it is definitely something that works well on the outside of a refrigerator.

At least now nobody will have to go anywhere to open their cold ones.

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The final touch that Mike likes to put on many of the custom fridges that come out of Killer Paint is to light the back with neon.

Sure, LED lights and such are cheaper and easier to work with, and there is a multitude of color choices available, and so on. The problem with that route is that they just don’t light up with quite the same full-bodied glow as good old-fashioned neon.

After trying out some of the other high-tech lighting packages, it was clear that neon was still the way to go, unless something specific were requested. In this case, after considering a few options, Mike decided on basic red for the lighting, creating a fire-like glow, and to tie in with the pin-up art on the door,

When this baby is placed in its final location, the light really turns the whole thing up a notch, especially in “man-caves” and home theaters, which is the place most people have in mind to put one, when they come to Killer Paint looking to get a custom refrigerator of their own.

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Just because this refrigerator was complete didn’t mean that the work was done. You can’t just throw this one in a cardboard box with some foam peanuts, especially with fragile glass neon tubes on the back.

After having a sturdy shipping crate built with foam padded lining, the Flame Dame fridge got packed up all safe and snug, and was ready to ship off to its new home.

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To accompany the project, Mike also painted the back of a bomber jacket with a second Flame Dame pinup to match the one on the door of the fridge. A local seamstress sewed the patches from different firefighting organizations on the front and sleeves of the jacket as well.

We hope you enjoyed taking a look back at this project. Let us know if there is anything you would like to see us post here in the future!

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Maybe this project gave you some ideas, or you already have an idea in mind for your own refrigerator, car, truck, motorcycle, etc.

If you would like to contact Killer Paint about working on your own project, visit our website, or contact us at info@killerpaint.com

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Related Links:

The Original Killer Paint Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/THE-Original-KILLER-PAINT-INC/297040465604

The Killer Paint Website: www.killerpaint.com

American Red Cross: http://www.redcross.org/

NCW Fire Relief Fund: http://www.cfncw.org/firerelieffund/

National Fallen Firefighters Foundation: http://www.firehero.org/

KP Blog Archive- Helping a Veteran and Firefighter Battle Cancer: https://killerpaint.wordpress.com/2015/08/14/helping-a-veteran-and-firefighter-battle-cancer/

Washington State, Volunteering as a Firefighter: http://www.dnr.wa.gov/WildfireVolunteer