Painting Advice/Help Please...

I want to paint my laptop in a simlar fashion to that of this computer

http://www.dragonsteelmods.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=41&Itemid=32

But instead of an orange base and a rustic finish I was hoping for a royal blue or green base with black finish(in a similar fashion to the rust, but with more coverage and obviously darker). And no I'm not cutting my laptop...I dont have THAT much faith in my abilities... haha

Is this possible and if so how would I go about acomplishing it?

If not, does anyone have any suggestions on other cool paint ideas? Solid colors seem too plain to me. For reference I'm painting a tc1100 so there's no room for a normal lid design like on stardard laptops since the back of the unit is made of several different panels making it difficult to do. Just really hate to make it all black...

 

I suggest going to an auto body shop and asking if they can paint it for you.
The one problem you are going to run into is temperatures. Most places heat dry the paint in massive ovens. This will melt your chassis, so they are probably going to tell you that they cannot do it.
Your other options are to go to a motorcycle shop and ask if they know anyone who airbrushes. Then you can contact them and find someone who can paint your laptop.

I am having my laptop painted by a professional up in Canada. He painted a few of Boyd Coddington's cars. Unfortunately it costs me over $1400 to have my system painted, so that is most likely not an option for you.

Just come up with an idea and try to meet with a shop nearby.
Who knows maybe a place in your town can make your paint dreams come true in a weekend.

K-TRON

 

Thank you for your suggestion. Unfortunately, I dont have the funds to spend that much on a paint job. & even if I did I would do that job on a laptop this old. Perhaps on a nice one like yours but it doesn't make sense to spend more on a paintjob than on the computer itself to me. I'm not looking for a perfect job, Just nice enough that it doesn't look cheap to the average person's eye.

When I said ideas I ment design wise (ie: gradients, racing stripes, stencils, etc.)

 

You can always disassemble your laptop/ultraportable and use painters tape and mask off areas, and then use something like Krylon Fusion spraypaint on your system. It should come out good if you know how to mask and sand. Just make sure to put a layer of clear gloss over everything so that the paint is sealed.

K-TRON

 

im currently painting my laptop despite a previous failed attempt and its looking really good. the only advice i can give you is to stick with what your doing, and dont be cheap with supplies. get the best tape you can and practice your painting skills. you cant be afraid of sanding the whole thing down or applying paint thinner and starting from scratch if your not happy, because once u apply clear coat, thats it.
as i said i failed once because i got cheap on tape and i got greedy for time.
second time around is looking very nice.

remember: dont give up and dont sell yourself short! if a guy like me can successfully paint a notebook, so can you.

as for the dragons: get a spray on adhesive that will allow you to peel off the stencils after the paint has dried because just taping it will lead to bleeding where you dont want it.

be patient and tread carefully, drips are very hard to remove

 

Ok...so complications have arisen with my tc1100 and now im looking at aquiring a Toshiba R100 to replace it. I still want to paint it but it seems to have a magnesium lid. How will this complicate the paint process? Is it even paintable anymore? Thanks for all your help guys!

 

if it is a magnesium alloy lid, then krylon fusion alone probably wont cut it. i suggest getting a primer (basically, it makes the paint on top stick to anything) and applying the primer directly on the surface. sand it down a bit if you want a second coat, and then apply any kind of paint you want because w/ primer any paint will stick.

 

awesome! thanks for your help. Will post pictures after i get it all done. gonna practice on my friend's vaio desktop 1st

 

Actually paint will stick better to metal.
When I modified my laptop cover, I was quickly informed that body compound does not stick to plastic. So I had to heat weld the plastic with an asphalt bonder to a sheet of sheet metal. Once the metal was physically connected to the plastic lid I was able to start adding the body compound. Paint does not stick very well to just straight compound, or bare metal, you need to spray down a primer, called 2k primer. Once you have a few layers of that layed down than you can just use normal spray paint.

Mr. Bankai, I strongly suggest finding an auto paint store in your town. If you bring your laptop, they will tell you exactly what you need to use to get the paint to work. I have an Albert Kemperle auto paint shop in my town in Huntington New York, and the guy there gave me some help with all of my painting questions.

K-TRON

 

Here's a picture of my 1st practice paint job on my old Omnibook 500. Only painted the lid. Came out better than I expected finishwise but the color wasnt that great. Also managed to chip off some paint while removing the masking tape. Gotta be more careful next time...Will be painting a Dell 1505 next and my Toshiba R100 once it comes in. Going to take it a hell of a lot slower with these ones for sure.

BTW, how long am I supposed to wait before i sand in between coats? the can says apply the next coat after 10 mins but the paint doesnt seem dry enough to sand...thanks again guys for all your help

 

I would wait at least 5 hours before wetsanding between the layers of paint. It comes out much better when the paint is dry.
As for the masking, make sure to peal off the tape after every layer of paint. You must reapply all tapes/masks after every layer of paint, this way when you go to peal the tape off, none of the paint comes off with it.

That old hp laptop looks pretty sharp, painted red.

K-TRON

 

5hrs? but the can says apply the next coat within 10mins...and im supposed to use 2000grit sandpaper right?

 

The longer you wait the better, in 10 minutes, the paint is dry to the touch, not throughly dry. At least give it 2-3 hours to cool, you want it to look good dont you.

I wetsand my laptop with 800 and then 1200 grit sandpaper. You can go up to 2000 if you want, but there really is no advantage.
You can pick up some of this sandpaper at a local auto store.

K-TRON