vB Easy Archive - Most of you will probably hate it, but....

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Most of you will probably hate it, but....
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Posted by: Kabuk1

I painted the Treo again. I wasn't crazy about the sparkle black & the paint had begun to chip. This time- it's bright turquoise! It looks & feels a lot better than the last paint job. This time I used Tamiya paint in Coral Blue. I didn't have to use a topcoat this time cause Tamiya rocks, and it dried super fast. I was able to put the painted housing on the same day. I took the screen frame off during the painting process & left it unpainted because that part, in my experiences anyway, just doesn't paint well. The paint tends to slide off and you have to scrape it out of the earpiece after it dries or your sound is all muffled. Plus I like my LED(I may be the only one lol) & didn't feel like blocking off a tiny oval spot with tape. I like it like this, it looks more OEM & official.

I'm willing to bet that I'm the only person alive with a bright blue Treo

I decided on this color for two reasons- one, turquoise is my favorite color. two, EVERYONE and their pet paints their stuff black these days & I didn't want to be yet another sheep in the flock.

So bring on the compliments/critiques!

Posted by: TWO515TY

The paintjob looks very clean, but the choice of color makes your Treo look like a toy.

Posted by: mvaughanusm81

1)Did you take the old paint off or did you paint over it?
2)Since you painted the antenna, is the reception better, worse or same?

Posted by: Kabuk1

Yeah I figured some people wouldn't like it. But its my favorite color, plus I'm a chick, so its excusable, lol...

Its been getting a lot of attention so far though, everyone I show it to thinks its kewl.

And keep in mind, you're talking to someone who thought the StarTac Rainbow was awesome.

Posted by: TWO515TY

Painting the antenna shouldn't affect the reception at all. It's just a thin layer of paint, not a lead wrapping.

Posted by: Kabuk1

My signal strength is unaffected by the paint. if it is affected, I haven't noticed anyway.

Here's what I did, step by step:

1. I took the old paint off with plain acetone(doesnt damage outer finish, but be careful as it WILL mar the inner plastic) & an old washcloth. Don't use cotton balls or else you'll get fuzzies everywhere. and for the love of god, do NOT paint over old paint unless you WANT it to look like crap!

2. I put on one coat of the el cheapo 96 cent Colorplace gray primer from WalMart. It worked great BTW, better than more expensive brands I've tried.

3. After the primer dried thoroughly(about 10 minutes), I applied 2 thin coats of Tamiya, also letting each coat dry completely.

4. Then I just let it dry for several hours & put it back together.

Tamiya is great. Its model paint, so it's highly pigmented, dries fast & hard, and doesn't require a topcoat unless you want a super-shiny finish.

Posted by: TWO515TY

For the best results, you should have sanded off the old paint (or sanded the case until it was smooth). I've painted a couple of Xboxes and the difference between a case that's been sanded and a case that hasn't is very big.

Posted by: Kabuk1

I DID remove the old paint, with acetone.

I sanded the first Treo I painted & it turned out godawful. The scratches showed up through the paint & it looked really ghettofied. I also sanded the first Sidekick I painted & it looked awful too. I've had better results NOT sanding. Sanding housings removes the protective OEM coating, so if you ever want to re-paint it or just remove the paint & go back to a stock appearance, your housing is totally ruined- either melted by the paint remover or all scratched up by the sandpaper. That's why I never sand.

Posted by: Surfermobile200

your crazy!

i wish they made custom faceplates..

but homebrand is always good

Posted by: Kabuk1

You know you're jealous.

Posted by: Surfermobile200

no im not, not for a person who scored a "F_ E E" (lets play hangman shall we?) working phone hahaha

Posted by: TWO515TY

I know you used the acetone, but I'm saying sanding would have been a better option IMO. What grit sandpapers did you use to sand the phones you painted? If there were visible scratches, then you weren't sanding with the right grit. Generally, starting off with 400 grit, then 800 grit, 1200, 1500, then 2000 produces very good results, especially if you wet sand. Having visible scratches makes me thing you were using a low grit sand paper, which are used to completely remove paint.

Look at this Xbox I painted. (and ignore the stupid pictures of me and my friend being goofy) See how smooth and shiny the controller is? That's because I sanded it. The pictures aren't detailed enough, but there were no scratches on the Xbox either, everything was smooth because I sanded.

But anyways, you don't need to worry about all that because your paint job came out fine. I just think that painting comes out better when there's sanding involved.

Posted by: Surfermobile200

Quote:

Originally Posted by TWO515TY

I
Look at this Xbox I painted. (and ignore the stupid pictures of me and my friend being goofy) See how smooth and shiny the controller is? That's because I sanded it. The pictures aren't detailed enough, but there were no scratches on the Xbox either, everything was smooth because I sanded.

!! nice work on the paint job, wouldnt of done it better myself.. that xbox looks pimp.. all u need is some chrome attachments..

did u sand by hand or using a tool

Posted by: Kabuk1

I'm not arguing with you lol... I'm just saying that I like to keep my options open & if I sanded it I'd never be able to go back to a stock appearance. If I was painsting something else that I wasn't so skittish about, I probably WOULD sand it.

Posted by: WoNGsTeR

looks nice.. i think i am going to paint treo white... so you used Tamiya ? i can get it at any hobby store than i guess?

Posted by: TWO515TY

Quote:

Originally Posted by Surfermobile200

!! nice work on the paint job, wouldnt of done it better myself.. that xbox looks pimp.. all u need is some chrome attachments..

did u sand by hand or using a tool

Heh, thanks. Chrome attachments would look nice, but it was actually done in a rush and I didn't really have time for any other mods apart from painting it. My friend was going to the University of Texas, and he wanted his Xbox painted the day before he left.

I always sand by hand. Sanding with a tool would be too rough on the plastic, and I think you get better control when handsanding.

Quote:

Originally Posted by KabukiAssassin

I'm not arguing with you lol... I'm just saying that I like to keep my options open & if I sanded it I'd never be able to go back to a stock appearance. If I was painsting something else that I wasn't so skittish about, I probably WOULD sand it.

Oh ok lol... I forgot about being able to go back to a stock look.

Posted by: Kabuk1

Yeeaahh... I tend to tinker a lot & break stuff. I have an equipment protection plan with CompUSA & if I ever have to return my treo, they CANNOT know that I took it apart & painted it!

Wong- White would look sweet! I assume you can get Tamiya at any Hobby store. I got mine at HobbyTown USA. I dunno where you live so I dunno if you have those there. One word of caution though if you do paint it- Tamiya bubbles like MAD but this can be solved by gently popping the bubbles with a fingertip right away. It won't smudge & will smooth out before it dries.

Posted by: Chillin

How often do you need to manually reset your Treo? Why would you drill a hole in the battery cover?

I need to reset mine once a month at the most.

Posted by: WoNGsTeR

Quote:

Originally Posted by KabukiAssassin

Yeeaahh... I tend to tinker a lot & break stuff. I have an equipment protection plan with CompUSA & if I ever have to return my treo, they CANNOT know that I took it apart & painted it!

Wong- White would look sweet! I assume you can get Tamiya at any Hobby store. I got mine at HobbyTown USA. I dunno where you live so I dunno if you have those there. One word of caution though if you do paint it- Tamiya bubbles like MAD but this can be solved by gently popping the bubbles with a fingertip right away. It won't smudge & will smooth out before it dries.

really? ok thanx for letting me know.. so is the pain in spray can or u use a brush? if u use brush what kinda brush should i use?

Posted by: Kabuk1

Yeah it comes in a spray can. Even if it didn't, I would advise using a brush. Brushes don't spread paint evenly so your paint job will look streaky & bad. If you buy non-spraypaint I'd recommend airbrushing it on.

Chillin- I drilled that hole after I saw the pre-made ones on some Treo site. I usually keep my phone in a silicone skin & when I do reset I have to take the whole skin off & take off the battery cover. This way all I have to do is peel back the bottom part & stick my stylus in whenever I do need to reset.

Posted by: WoNGsTeR

Quote:

Originally Posted by KabukiAssassin

Even if it didn't, I would advise using a brush. Brushes don't spread paint evenly so your paint job will look streaky & bad. If you buy non-spraypaint I'd recommend airbrushing it on.

huh? u would advise using a brush? but brush wont spread evenly???

Posted by: Kabuk1

Oops- that should have read WOULDN'T advise using a brush...

Posted by: WoNGsTeR

lol ohhh ok ok... after i paint my bumper for my car.. my next project will be my treo lol...

Posted by: Rad Adam

I have an insurance plan with Sprint and I'm wondering if anyone knows if Sprint would care or not if I paint my phone? As in, if something went wrong and I took it in, would they not work on it b/c I've modified the phone? I can't imagine they would care, considering I could just drop it off a building or "get my phone stolen" and they'd have to replace it, not ever seeing that I messed with it.

Thanks for your opinion, or your knowlege in advance.

Posted by: TWO515TY

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rad Adam

I have an insurance plan with Sprint and I'm wondering if anyone knows if Sprint would care or not if I paint my phone? As in, if something went wrong and I took it in, would they not work on it b/c I've modified the phone? I can't imagine they would care, considering I could just drop it off a building or "get my phone stolen" and they'd have to replace it, not ever seeing that I messed with it.

Thanks for your opinion, or your knowlege in advance.

If they see that you've painted your phone, they'll probably assume that you opened it and voided your warranty, and they may not replace it for you.

Posted by: Kabuk1

Yeah if you're gonna pait it, its best to just 'lose' it if something goes wrong & you need to use your insurance.

Posted by: Rad Adam

Quote:

Originally Posted by KabukiAssassin

Yeah if you're gonna pait it, its best to just 'lose' it if something goes wrong & you need to use your insurance.

Kay ... thanks! I think I'll take it in and get a new 2.5mm port before I paint it and ruberize the sides.