Removing/filling Dell badge?

I want to take the Dell logo off the front of an inspiron, but was wondering what tools to use and what material to fill it with. I want to put a vinyl "skin" on my laptop, and was contemplating whether or not to take the badge off.

 

not sure how sorry but i would advise u 2 bcoz i've got a lapshtick on mine and they say it'll be finw which it is but not for long, it starts to bubble in a strange ugly way.

 

Prolly just get a mini screw driver and pop the logo off if it's a plastic, hard logo, and then if there are any indentations left over, get some body filler and smooth it over with that. The vinyl cover you talk about will then cover up the ugly pinkish body filler

 

yeah i had the same problem too. if you dont want it permanent you can use candle wax and even it out with a Popsicle stick. and then put the vinyl over it. thats what i did. someone gave me the idea of candle wax (just in case i need to return my notebook to hp if something goes wrong under warranty) on another thread.

 

And body filler is available where? A local hardware store?

 

pepboys, kragen

 

you can use bodyfiller..
but when you use it remeber to put hardener on it..
or it won't stick..
but don't put to much..
lol..

you can buy it at any local hardware store..

another term for this is bondle*

 

bondo* but yeah, hardware stores, auto stores... and for anyone buying bulk supplies of this, I've heard boating stores are amazingly cheap for it (ie. fiberglass boats and repairs)

but for the amount that you will need... just ask around with the neighbors and see if they have any... you just need a dab of it - not a whole container.

but I like that candle wax idea - far less permanent, especially considering that the vinyl is going on top and will act like a seal. Still not as hard, but hard enough IMO.

 

thats what i said i mean if in the future you need to send in your notebook for repair or you want to change the style of your notebook you could just remove the candle wax and remove or change the vinyl, anyways vinyl is not permanent

 

How would candle wax hold up in a laptop bag on a 90 degree day. We have experimented with many methods and we always go back to automotive fill. BTW two layers to do it right....

 

How about wood filler? Just fill and sand. Bondo makes a mess if you're new at it.

 

okay there is a proper way to do this... is the cover plastic?? or metal.. i assume its plastic unless its a brand new one.. if so....

remove the back part of the lid by removing the screws and gently seprating it

remove the badge. get yourself a small sheet of abs plastic and ca glue at a hobby shop.. make sure when you get the ca glue they get you the activator as well..

cut a piece of abs plastic to pretty much fill in the hole. use the ca glue (similar to crazy glue trust me on this i own a car audio shop i modify plastics all the time for custom installs)and glue the new piece in the hole. spray the activator on and it will be hard within seconds. dont worry if there are minor imperfections..

sand down the ca glue and abs to make them as flush as possible. start with like a 120 then to a 250 then to about a 400 or so grit paper.

now get yourself some duraglass body filler you should have a local auto paint supply store they will carry this.. its a mix if a bondo like material and a firberglass resin...

very THINLY smooth out a small amount of it over the ca glue and abs. let cure

now repeat sanding till its nice and smooth if there are and small things go over it again with either a spot glaze or you can use a high build primer.

imo i would now give the whole lid a quick scuffing and spray with a thin coat of primer and then you can get "Sem" brand vinyl paint and paint to whatever color you want it to be..

or simply apply sticker over it..

this is the right way to do this type of project. if you have any questions feel free to ask.. i customize dash boards every week...

 

I assume he is getting a skin to avoid all that trouble/expense. Avoiding disassembly and being able to return to stock are most likely considerations as well.

Filling it with bondo or body materials would be appropriate for painting, but I doubt that is the desired result in this case.

The wax would most likely work best. It would fill the hole so it is solid and prevent bubbling.

 

I remember reading about some replacing the dell badge. Here's the link:

http://www.dragonsteelmods.com/inde...ask=view&id=41&Itemid=32&limit=1&limitstart=0


It seems like he just popped the dell badge out and replaced it with some pipe cap. I'm going to try this but I'm still waiting for my lappy.

good luck

 

That is the exact computer that got me fiending to do my Averatec with a backlit logo.

 

lol...do you have pictures of that cosmetic mod? The way he made it...I'm having doubts that I can get my laptop to look like that.

 

Just the ones you posted. I linked to that page from the resources thread.

There is a link to my averatec in sig. I did a backlit logo using a printed transparency.

 

Circa on your backlite job, where it looks uneven does it bump up or anything like that right there? I can't really tell from the picture.

 

No, it is the groove that is present where the logo attatches to the lid and where I extended it. Here is a before....



Next to the logo, the uneven color is where the masking messed up the paint when I removed it. I need to touch it up but haven't got around to it.

BTW Syn, check your PMs

 

Thanks for the before picts. I almost choked when I saw the pict of the laptop taken apart. I hope I don't have to go through all that trouble to paint my laptop.

 

There is more than one way to go about it (You or a pro, disassemble or mask, spray can or auto paint, clear? and more). Do your research and decide whats best for you.

 

ewwwwwwwww that dragon paint job looks horrible.. especially where they left off the paint around the logos and speaker grills... it wouls have looked much nicer had they just be painted over as well... i used to paint cars and have painted many notebook housing for people.. we use a real base clear and then wet sand everything down it looks factory when its done.. its been a while since we did one..

 

I agree, however that one is not about the paint. The dragons cut out of the lid and backlit with the logo kinda overshadow the crappy masking that was done for the paint job.

 

Pry out the Dell logo and fill with Bondo. You can buy it in a tube premixed for ease of use. It's called glazing and spot putty



What my results looked like:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=48549

BTW if any MOD here can help me recover my actual acount that would be super.

 

With glazing puddy then you don't want to put it on as thick. Its great if the spots your trying to fill are small, but if there isn't enough backing then it wont dry good enough, because its not catalyzed like real Bondo is. If you do use it for a bigger hole then apply it like paint, very thin coats, and let them dry between.