Painting Laptop

[NETWizz]

A friend of mine has a Dell XPS Inspiron 15 that she wants to be painted bright pink on account she is a breast cancer survivor and it would be meaningful to her.

She asked if I would give it a try, and I indicated yes. I told her it will be no charge (she is a friend of the family), but I forgot how expensive it is to do the job right, lol. I informed her it would take about a week. I used to work for a chain of body shops doing IT work and KNOW exactly how to do their job because I was curious and a friend trained me... and they did excellent work, so I took this as a challenge.


What I bought:
1. I called several PPG stores that sell some of the world's best Automotive paint and they can mix up rattle cans right there. I had them mix up a bright-pink 1K type can... They mixed it up as plastic bumper automotive paint /w flex agent, so it should never peal or flake. It was $22! I also bought a can of PPG automotive primer adhesion promotor that is suitable for use on plastic parts. Ironically this stuff is clear. It was $17.

2. Then I went to Pep Boys and bought some Grey Scuff pads ($10), Tack cloths ($5), Prep-Solvent in a spray can ($9), quart of 3M Bondo ($18), Tube of 3M Bondo Hardener ($7), plastic spatula ($4). Sandpaper 220, 320, 400, 600, 800 1500, 2000, 3000 (9 gritts @ $4 each), and 5000 ($6). A Sanding block ($5).

3. I then got on the Internet and ordered a Can of the Eastwood Ultra-High-Gloss 2k Clear because it is virtually the only true automotive clear coat in a spray can that yields chemically hardened/catalyzed paint that is chemical resistant and does not yellow. I repeat... do NOT buy those 1k clears in a spray can. 1k means one component (no hardener). The 2k stuff you have to smash a plastic piece in the bottom and shake it for about 5 minutes.. .then you have to spray right away or it dries/hardens in the can!

4. Lowes Respirator $30


Here is the plan:
1. Break it down to paint the LCD bezel, cover, and palm rest properly... Taping is NOT the way to properly do any type of paint work. Tape over the logo on the lcd cover.

2. Clean it with the prep solvent.

3. Apply some Bondo to fill scome heavy scratches, chips, etc.

4. Sand the Bondo lightly with 220 and 320 and 400.

5. Clean it with prep solvent

5. Resand the entire laptop with 600 and 800 and wipe down with dry rag wearing gloves.

6.Wipe with solvent again. Hang each piece with fishing line attached by tiny dab of super glue from inside (will never be visible when laptop is assembled)

7. Wipe with tack cloth.

8. Two (2) light coats of PPG primer.

9. At least three (3) coats of the PPG Base Coat... or one more than full hiding (whichever is more).

10. At least three (3) but probably five (5) coats of the 2K clear.


Final work...

Should be dry in a couple hours... Wait 24 hours

1. Wet sand with 1500 until ALL orange peal is removed.

2. Sand again with 2000, 3000, and ultimately 5000. At this point it should only be slightly hazed.

3. Use a Foam pad and DA with Meguiar's Ultimate Compound to remove sanding haze/swirls

4. Use Polishing Foam Pad with DA and Meguiar's #205 to Polish to brilliant shine.

5. Use a Finsihing Foam Pad and DA with Meguiar's Ultimate Polish to go above and beyond making a showcar finish.


Re-assemble laptop.


It should be extremely glossy, chemical resistant, chip resistant, etc. You should see your reflection in it if done right.

 

[HCHTech]

Jesus H. ________ on a pogo stick! This thing is going to have a Rolls Royce quality paint job when you are through with that list. You'd better be sure the laptop is working well enough to justify this kind of effort. I put myself through college working in a body shop, but I've never done anything even close to this.

I would worry about blocking intake vent holes - if this model has a square full of pinholes as the intake, that many coats of paint is going to fill those right in. It must have some pretty bad scuffs if you need bondo to bring it to smooth, which points back to the longevity of the computer bits. I would also worry that all that sanding will increase the odds of some bit of the case breaking just from handling it so much.

Consider debadging the cover if you can. That many coats of paint is going to leave a pretty big ridge where you taped the logo.

Consider just using a good quality lacquer color coat to minimize orange peel and skip the whole base coat / clear coat thing. It will cut your work by half - AND it will be less paint so it will also minimize the chance of blocking intake vents. You can get hardener added in. Back in my day, the brand name with the hardener was called Emron or maybe Imron, I think.

Don't forget to post some pictures of your efforts!!

 

[cypress]

I definitely want to see pictures when you are done. Especially since it is being done for Breast Cancer. I am a big supporter of that. Were you just painting the lid or the whole entire laptop?

 

[mraikes]

.... You should see every greasy fingerprint and dirty smudge in it if done right.

FTFY

Just kidding - Time is money (and money is money) so I admire your dedication to a proper color change and helping out a friend.

But personally, I'd probably just buy her one of these and call it day:

 

[Porthos]

Solved.
http://www.cafepress.com/+breast_cancer_heart_ribbon_laptop_skins,974977945

 

[NETWizz]

Yeah, but I want it to be something people will look at not just another piece of pink Chinese plastic.

It needs to have depth and reflections. If done right it should be beautiful.

As for the color change, I am painting only the palmrest on the top where the keyboard is, the backing to the LCD, and the bezel over the LCD. I haven't taken it apart, yet I assume I can just paint these three pieces. to still have some contrast with the rest of the laptop's chassis.

I do NOT want to make the entire think pink, I do not want to worry about sharp lines or over-spray into USB ports, etc. Hence, the only way to do it right is to take it apart imo... This should keep the paint off areas that should not be painted.

 

[Mercenary Roadie]

I would be worried about using all of that solvent on the plastic parts. Better to do a test before you apply it and find out it melts the plastic.

It should look great, just be sure to not paint over any of the joints, if you do you're going to have a heck of a time getting it back together again.

 

[FremontPC]

As for the color change, I am painting only the palmrest on the top where the keyboard is,

Def check for interference where the keyboard rests, paint buildup could cause a problem. Is it a urethane paint?

 

[CLC]

http://www.ipearl-inc.com/dell-xps15.html

This would be a lot less work.

 

[Mercenary Roadie]

http://www.ipearl-inc.com/dell-xps15.html

This would be a lot less work.

Those are kind of cheap looking and don't look like they will stay on with much use. The remind me of the replaceable covers Apple use to have for a couple of their laptops

 

[Moltuae]

It's a very commendable thing to do and I'm sure it'll look great, but I think I would just use Plasti-Dip, perhaps with a Glossifier.

I've Plasti-Dipped a few PCs previously. It gives a much more durable coating than regular paint, yet it can simply be peeled off later if you decide to revert back.

 

[dombooth]

I'd recommend stripping it down and getting the plastics Hydrodipped.