I'd like to replace my mouse and keyboard with black ones and paint my tower. I feel reasonably comfortable about painting the tower, shouldn't be a problem at all.
Now, since monitors aren't cheap, and black ones are hard to find, I plan on using my current ugly beige one, but I'm considering painting it too, since a beige monitor would ruin the effect of a badass black/charcoal grey system.
Does anyone have any experience with this type of undertaking, and if so, what types of paint are good for this, misc. hints, etc...?
I wouldnt recomend painting your system black or any other dark colour, there are two reasons for computers being beige or white, they are light colours because of heat problems (if in the sun too long it can create alot of heat), and also dust is a huge problem if your computer is a dark colour. i think compaq came out with a few systems in the past that were black, but these problems came up, so they discontinued the black colours.
The best way to do this (and I should know, since I've done this about 15 times in different colors) is to get several gallons of that vinyl based floor paint. It's the stuff you use when you want to paint your garage floor and stuff. Get a big @ss brush too, the bigger the better (faster application).
Prep work:
1. Play Quake3 Test for about 4 hours or so. It helps warm up the case for even spreading. Make sure to leave the game running while you paint so it stays warm.
2. Open any CD-type drives so you can get the inside to. Remember you want it to look professional.
3. Now take that big @ss brush and start spreading paint. Also follow the more=better rule, you don't want any of that biege showing through. 1.5 gallons should do the trick for a mid-tower, 2 gallons for a full-tower. make sure you get all the cords that are attached as well.
4. Before the paint dries close the drives back up and add any special effects. It's a good time to throw on some glitter and other items for texture. Personal picks include oatmeal, Lucky Charms, beads, gems, and pop-rocks.
5. Spray a layer of clearcoat on and you're all set.
-note: One method I've used when I'm in a hurry, is to simply pour the paint in to my bathtub and gently roll the computer through the paint. It doesn't cover as easily, but damn if it isn't fast.
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For the monitor it's best to use a paintgun. Spray down the whole thing real good (make sure to get in all those holes in the back).
When it's all dry, take a good piece of sandpaper and remove all the paint from the glass.
No sweat.
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When using a blow gun draw your breath before placing your lips around the barrel.
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Celeron:
I'm 27, so buying paint won't be a problem...
Heavy_D:
Heat's not a problem. My comp stays well away from any sunlight whatsoever. And yes, black is a relatively difficult color to keep clean. My truck is black, it's beautiful when it's clean, but dirties REAL fast. I think that, like my truck, I'm prepared to accept the cleaning chores.
flavio:
Great ideas! Those tricks should save me tons of time! Your ideas also got me thinking about some other ideas, like having my CPU gold-plated at: www.goldfx.com/
Oh, and as good as your idea is for getting the paint off of the monitor screen, I think I've found a better one! Sandblasting!! Bet you never thought of that. That'd get the paint right the hell off, wouldn't it?
[This message has been edited by Baloneyflaps (edited 09-07-99).]
Gold would be nice. Personally I went w/ Pewter, it had to be baked on, but that gave my card a nice wavy effect. See:
The thing w/ this though is that you want to show it off. What I did was put a plastic-wrap insert in the top and side of my case. I also installed 3 400 watt spotlight bulbs pointing at the cpu so everyone can see the nice work I did.
Hope this works for you.
I'll have to try that sandblasting method on my next one. Anything to conserve time .
I've been planning to paint my system black too. My computer supplier (I get it direct from a distributor) says that what they usually did was to spray casings with the same kind of paint used for the dark fibre/plastic bumpers on cars (similar material with casings or so he says).
As for black being hotter...well it's true if you leave the computer in the sun. But if I remember my physics right, when it's not in the sun, a black casing should actually radiate heat faster than a beige one (all others being equal) due to blackbody radiation.
So, you paint your case black. How does it look when you put your beige-faced CD-ROM or DVD drive back in?
I just paint racing stripes, rallye stripes, or sometimes flames along the sides of my computer. This can also easily be done do monitors and printers as well.
For stunning visual impact, I get a set of replica racing sponsor stickers (STP, Champion, etc.) and slap them around, too. Of course, on my car I also have sponsor stickers (Intel, Microsoft, 3dfx, etc.).
(Seriously, though, what do you do about the beige disk drives?)
baloneyflaps,
I still don't know why you chose that handle but AMK services has a black case the model #BAMK 0334.B. The monitors you know about black IBM, can't help you with the faceplates.
It seems the only real problem painting the tower would be matching the faceplates. I believe in any 3 1/2 floppy drives, the faceplate can be easily removed and painted. CD drives might be a little trickier.
Any buttons, on the tower or the monitor, would take a little care. The ventilation holes on the monitor would be another danger zone.
As for the CD-faceplate question: I have two ideas.
1. With a very careful preparation, I think that a very light external spraying of paint just upon the front wouldn't be harmful.
2. There are various types of black tape that might be suitable for these areas. One I am familiar with, is a tape that is usually sold in auto parts stores that is intended for the purpose of blacking out car trim to achieve the so-called "euro" look. With careful application, and trimming done carefully with an X-Acto knife, I think this might be a suitable solution.
3. My particular case's bezel completely covers my floppy, all except the actual drive door, which is dimunitive, (of course) and is recessed to the point of almost not being visible at all. It could easily be made black by any number of means. The rest of the drive is not an issue, as it is not at all visible.
If you are a bit myopic like myself a handy trick is to paint a scaled down pc (in black) onto the centre of each lens of your glasses. This instantly gives the desired effect but somewhat reduces your profiency at Quake.
later
Col.
------------------ Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand.
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