vB Easy Archive - my step by step matte black paint directions..

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i went to hobbytownUSA and bought tamiya surface primer and tamiya color spray paint (for plastics). i sanded the thing down using 800grit sand paper..just enough to get it dull so the primer can stick...i sprayed 1 coat primer and 2 coats black metallic...although for the front it seems like i held the paint can too close to it because it doesn't look as smooth as the back...i didnt put any clear coat as this is my first test..i'm planning on taking it apart and painting it again, but with patience this time and a couple coats of clear coat...for now, the paint is holding up well...the trick is to keep the paint coat really thin...the thicker the coat, the easier it comes off...it doesn't feel sticky at all..it feels just like how it feels originally...taking the unit apart is fairly simple..heres a quick step by step:

1. Remove the 4 buttons by digging your nail to the edges closest to the screen and lifting it up.
2. Remove your sim card and bumpers.
3. Flip the screen half way and remove the 2 torx screws by the reset button.
4. Remove the other 4 torx screws under the buttons.
5. Carefully detach the top from the bottom. The top bumper area will be easier to detach than the bottom bumper area. The bottom requires the slightest bit of force.
5. Once you have the top separated from the bottom, remove the 3 black screws in the middle of the circuit board on the bottom half (they form a triangle). There are 2 additional screws above and below the directional keypad. These do not need to be removed in order to remove the circuit board from the bottom housing
6. Now, you can lift the circuit board away from the bottom housing. Notice the vibrator on the top right and the speaker on the left side are still on the housing. You will need to remove these if you want to paint it. You will also need to mask the two gray areas on the bottom housing (the one that says SIDEKICK II) (if you dont want to paint over them) as well as the camera viewfinder, mirror, and flash area.
7. For the top half, once those 2 torx screws near the reset button are removed, the screen can come off. If you look at the top half of the unit, you will see a cylindrical shape piece of metal at the top. This manages the screen cable so it doesn't tangle whenever you flip it. This whole assembly comes off with the screen. All you have to do is guide it out of the housing.
8. The housing for the screen can be removed by unscrewing the 4 screws behind it where the IMEI sticker is. The housing snaps off easily.
8. The rest is cake. The buttons for hanging up and pick up and also the scroll wheel can be removed easily. The scroll wheel is held on by 2 screws. The keyboard snaps off easily. Don't forget to unscrew the white piece of plastic stopper that physically stops the screen whenever it flips.