Change Computer Part Colours Easily And Inexpensively
The black-on-black of modern computing is generally much preferred to 80s beige and 90s grey, but what if you want to rock some crazier schemes? Check out this low-cost tutorial for achieving your technicolour dreams.
Did the keyboard shown above start life such a dapper shade of blue? No sir, it arrived there via the miracle of vinyl dye. At GideonTech, a site devoted to computer modding, they’ve put together a tutorial on using vinyl dye to transform the colour scheme of your computer and peripherals. How does it work?
Vinyl dye is a type of paint that is used primarily on plastics. The theory is that the dye is thin enough to seep into the plastic and colour it, rather than covering over its surface. The benefits of this are that it won’t chip, scratch or peel. It also means that you do not need to sand, or to use a primer. This is because you are staining the plastic, rather than hiding it.
Rather than spend tedious hours sanding, priming and painting little parts like drive bezels and keyboard shells, you just need a few minutes in a well ventilated area to create your masterpiece.
If you want to take some vintage plastic back to a showroom finish, check out previously mentioned Retr0Bright, a DIY solution for reviving yellowed plastic. Otherwise, check out the full guide at the link below for more details and sound off in the comments if you have experience dyeing computer parts.
Vinyl Dye FAQ and Guide [via Make]
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Comments (AU Comments | US Comments)
@JohnnyUtah_GitEmSteveDave:
"Oh sweet mercy, a lime green hatchback."
jupiterthunder
Ive only used Vinyl dye once, it was on on a Snes controller i got to use with my Wii (gamecube adapter). Pain in the ass to find but worked great with the plastic on the controller itself but the A B X Y buttons flaked dont know if its the type of plastic if it didnt get any penetration or what but the controller plastic was definitely dyed and looked very nice. If i had a place to paint now id probably do a NES controller as well.
@kyre:
Vinyl Dye is a little mis-leading. It is not a dye in the traditional sense, at least not when applied to plastic. It doesn't penetrate the plastic much at all, if any.
zapwizard
I knew I'd seen this before. It is a great article. I read it before I built my plexiglass computer.
http://www.ragingcomputer.com/wpg2?g2_itemId=135&g2_page=2
Ben Johnson
I've been wanting to try this, but have been unable to find a local source of vinyl dye. I did obtain vinyl paint, but this is definitely not the same thing.
HeartBurnKid: Agent of R.O.A.C.H.
Tried this on my Street Fighter SE stick yesterday.
It was uneven and nasty looking.
CatboyMac's angry girlfriend
@JohnnyUtah_GitEmSteveDave:
Is this vinyl dye? I looked so long and hard for interesting colors in vinyl dye but could really only find colors normal for cars (black, red,etc). If so, where did you get it!!
Emelia Short
@kyre: I just recently used vinyl dye to change the color of a gaming peripheral and it was much more topical than I had imagined from reading about it online. If you do thin layers and avoid any sort of pooling or drips, from my experience, I would not be too worried about bleed. However, you might want to do a test piece of plastic first to see how you feel.
Also to everyone interested, I have not seen anyone here address this: it takes about three hours to be dry enough to be handled and SEVEN DAYS to be fully cured where it should be handled regularly.
Emelia Short
hmm.. wish i had known about this before i painted my dell a year ago
Quickpost this image to Myspace, Digg, Facebook, and others!
@Jason Fitzpatrick: The shine and the stripes make it go fast. I was going to add flames, but the manual said the mobo couldn't handle that much pure awesome.
@GrabYourKite_GitEmSteveDave: Everyone's goin green
Angry Numismatist
@Pink_Styrofoam: That sounds like an even better idea! I will have to investigate penetration depth. Thanks.
kyre
I've been trying to find this magical "Vinyl dye" here in Norway for ages but people always look at me like I'm crazy asking for "vinylmaling"
"Well, we've got this oil painting that should work pretty well on plastic"
Then I just *facepalm* and leave without saying a word...
@theDevilsDue:
I painted my old verizon enV cellphone with black krylon fusion. For as many times as the phone is in and out of your pocket, it held up nicely, but chipped none-the-less. This vinyl dye sounds like a better alternative.
utkhexon
@GrabYourKite_GitEmSteveDave: Well it *does* have a nice shine to it that you wouldn't have gotten with vinyl dye. Nice work!
@theDevilsDue: I've had great luck with Krylon Fusion too. I painted a remote keypad for my garage to match just a few weeks ago and it took a matter of seconds and a single coat to get a great finish.
@Asian Angel: @deanbmmv: Thank you. Of course, only AFTER I painted it did I try to boot it up. I guess there WAS a reason someone left this computer on the curb. When I get a free day or two, I will put the new Mobo and PSU I got from NewEgg into it.
@nickrp88: Jus to let you know, the "Green Machine" wasn't made using vinyl dye.
I did do some research though, and it looks like it doesn't bleed if you do the light coats. You should probably just do a test on something you don't use anymore, like those kiddy seats.
Araam Vafai Borhanian
I used this vinyl dye on plastic in the past and it did chip and flake off. I cleaned the plastic surface well, but it still didn't hold up over time. I dunno..
JdotFite
I love me some vinyl dye. I've custom-dyed two of my 360 controllers to "Toredor"-red (think dark red, it's what Ford/Lincoln/Mercury uses), and I made an attempt at a chrome one, but failed miserably and will be sanding it down and making it some shiny blue-green.
@kyre:
looking at the picture of the "green machine" it seem like you could pull it off. i can not see it penetrating very far or fast through the plastic, so as long as you have the stencil glued down, I do not foresee any major issues.
nickrp88
long shot: anyone know if the stuff will work on ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (uhmwpe) it is the slipery stuff they use to make the bottom of good skis, spectra wake boarding ropes and hip replacemnts.
nickrp88
@GrabYourKite_GitEmSteveDave: Love how your GreenMachine looks. ^__^ The racing stripes are a nice touch. ~__^
@ScaryDave: Nah, the only metallic thing is the manufacturer badge, I might give it a go when I get back from Spain
@kyre: If there is too much bleed, I wonder if it's possible to coat it with vinyl dye, wait till it cures, and then do a laser etching.
Pink_Styrofoam
@GrabYourKite_GitEmSteveDave: Ah you found out the true secret:
Go faster stripes are as good as Over-clocking, yet much more easier.
Oh nice. I'm such a newb when it comes to this stuff so this seems just right for me. Now I gotta figure out the color scheme i want.
Still, this couldn't help my WOPR case mod, which is a good thing. I don't feel as bad now.
I wonder if there is much bleed from that dye. I had been looking for a good way to decal my laptop (black thinkpad). Laser etching wouldn't be great on matte black plastic, and decals are kind of annoying and easily damaged.
If a stencil could be good enough to get clean lines, it might make for a really great way to add designs to computer parts.
kyre
@Gyroscope352: Mmm that does look like one tasty keyboard!
Touch-typers only though, might be a good way to dissuade computer illiterate friends from nicking your computer when your not looking...
@VenomIreland: Well this method does depend on how metallic(ish) your laptop is. Obviously it only works on plastics so for once a good build quality could be your enemy...
Agreed though, a blue laptop would be pretty sweet! Maybe you could try some of those laptop skin things if youre desperate and have some spare change?
This is awesome. I love making my peripherals new colors...
Given this, I'd like to share my favorite keyboard pain mod ever:
http://www.essell.org/journal/images/2009/whiteapplekeyboard.jpg
I may or may not have seen this on a Gawker site already...but still, if you're into the white peripheral look, this is awesome. I'd love to see a black version, too. Dang cool stuff.
Krylon Fusion (spray paint) is also an option. It is specifically made for plastic. I've always had excellent results. It requires little to no prep and the paint doesn't easily scratch or flake off.
theDevilsDue
Sweet, I'd love a blue laptop instead of this mettalic(ish?) grey and black.