Computer Case Scratches

vortmax

New Member
Okay, this is very easy. I’ve done automotive painting by this method before and had great results.

First you need a few things:

800, 1000 and 1500 grit wet dry sandpaper
1 can plastic adhesion promoter
1 can primer
1 can body color
1 can clear coat
buffing compound (optional)

All of this stuff is available at a auto part shop. Advance auto usually has a good selection. This may seem like a lot of work, but it will take one day to do and will look amazing when finished.

First remove the part or encase the CPU part in plastic. Mask off anything you don’t want painted. I recommend 3m fine line tape for edges as it stretches and will contour to curves. Normal masking tape will fill in everything else.

Smooth the surface down, using a razor if the gouges have pushed plastic up higher then the surface. You will need to sand the scratches out and feather the edges. Just wet sand with the 800 grit until you can’t feel an edge anymore. Sand the entire surface with 1000 grit to prep the surface for paint.

Clean the surface with mineral spirits, then a mild soap solution and rinse well. There is a prep cloth made that has a cleaner on it for this purpose. It works exceedingly well. You just wipe the surface down with it and you’re good to go.

Now read the can of adhesion promoter and follow the directions exactly. You will end up spraying a thin coat, allowing it to tack, then spraying more coats. There should be a final tack time before painting. Make sure you follow those times listed.

Once the adhesion promoter is on, it’s time to prime the surface. The secret to a good paint job is how you spray. Keep the nozzle 6” away from the piece and make sure you start the stroke before you get to the piece and stop it once you are away from it. Never start spraying with the nozzle facing the piece. You will get blobs of paint on it. Keep your strokes even and don’t worry about getting a solid coat the first time. Just get a nice even coat that’s not too thick. Allow to tack and repeat. Do several thin coats. Once you reach an even uniform color, then examine it under a bright light for thin spots. Apply one final coat, focusing on evening out these spots and let it dry a few hours.

Now…take the 1000 grit sandpaper and some water and sand down that primer. You will see that when wet, the paint should look extremely glossy, but when dry it has a matte finish. You will also see that any low spots will retain a gloss finish even after sanding. So sand until the entire surface is a matte finish and is free of glossy spots. Once you reach this point, your surface is perfectly smooth. Keep the paper wet. This will keep you from burning through the primer. If you sand too much and go too deep, just apply more primer, wait, and do it again.

Now you’re ready for paint. Paint the surface just like you did with the primer. Go through the sanding stage too. You said you wanted silver, so just get a silver auto paint. A metallic silver would look pimp, and the more coats you put on, the deeper the color will be. If you want a really nice effect, then do a good coat of red first, then put silver on top. Gives it nice depth.

Now you have the sanded color, put on the clear coat. Again, thin coat first, allow to tack, then thicker coats. Put on about 5 coats of clear and let dry very well.

Now, you can leave it like this and be happy. If you want a mirror-like surface tho, you need to sand the clear down with the 1500 grit until you get that perfect matte finish again. Then buff it back to a shine with the buffing compound. Use automotive grade polish and wax to finish it off and you have one killer laptop cover.

This whole process takes one day. And since most of the time is spent drying, you can do it as a side project.

I know you are selling it, so you probably don’t want to put the work into it, but if you ever want to know how to do impressive custom painting, well now you know.


***edit***
If you happen to run or sag the paint, don't try to wipe it off. Just let the piece dry for an hour or so, then wet sand the drip/sag down with 800. Maybe smooth with 1000, if the surface is rough from the 800, and start painting again.
 
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