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mymemory

macrumors 68020
Original poster
May 9, 2001
2,495
-1
Miami
Ok, this is gonna happen soon or later. I do not have any of the new powerbooks but since they are made of aluminio (what ever) instead of titanium they can be painted very well.

I would like to get a 12" PB and paint it black, take the enclusure to a car bodu shop and ask for a little favor. It may look very good almost like a Pismo (but never the same I know).

What would you do if you had the chance?
 

applemacdude

macrumors 68040
Mar 26, 2001
3,240
2
Over The Rainbow
no. if i had a new powerbook i would take care of it like it was my little baby. realy why would you want to paint it black? black was so 4 years ago metal is the new style:)
 

MCPeck

macrumors member
Jul 17, 2003
44
0
I like where you are going with this...

The only concern I would have is that with the extra thickness (Al + paint + clear coat?) might cause problems with heat dissapation...

Heat is always an issue with the G4's in powerbooks, just make sure your painter knows what he is painting...laptop covers and not a car...

If it were me, I might go with a metallic Plymoth purple, aka prowler purple... maybe with tape lines to show the Al through... then cover with a pearled clear coat...

But what ever, have your guy paint it thin or your will over heat... remember it's easier to paint it right than try and strip the paint for a second try !:D
 

jbomber

macrumors 6502a
Jun 24, 2003
549
0
Brooklyn - NYC
I don't think i would do it, but there could be some really cool customization going on if the surface is that easy to alter...
 

Abstract

macrumors Penryn
Dec 27, 2002
24,835
847
Location Location Location
It'll **** your warranty. The heat problem would be more of an issue, and black traps heat. The added coat of paint will also provide a greater resistance to heat dissipation. Its not smart. ;) This heat may mess up the insides of your computer, and may make things wear out faster or something.

Steve would never forgive you for painting his perfectly designed PB a different colour. Feel Steve's wrath. Steve is pure energy --- emotional, evil, and sexual. Steve = mc^2.

EDIT TO ADD: Take a look at my Avatar. What is that "macrumors 6502" tag added above my avatar? :confused:
 

cb911

macrumors 601
Mar 12, 2002
4,127
4
BrisVegas, Australia
if i had a new PowerBook and wasn't worried about voiding the warranty or anything, then i'd go for it!! :D

but perhaps instead of painting the entire thing you could just do a small part of it. or maybe airbrush it instead. wouldn't airbrush be a more controlled way of painting it? you would probably be able to better control the thickness of the paint that goes on.

i hope someone does it to the new PB's. i remember that someone in Japan (i think) custom painted a powerbook, but it might have been a Pismo.


and Abstract, "macrumors 6502" just means that you've got a certain number of posts. like when you get 500 posts you can have a 'tar. i think the "macrumors" descriptions are sort of like that, and will keep changing the more posts you make.
 

cb911

macrumors 601
Mar 12, 2002
4,127
4
BrisVegas, Australia
yeah, i saw a thing about MacSkinz a while back... they were only available for the iBook at the time. i might have missed it last time i checked, but they say that they're working on releasing the skinz for the Titaniums... and i guess that the 12 & 17" will follow.

it also says about the skins that they're about as thick as a credit card. if they're going to make it out of the same stuff for the TiBooks, then there would have to be a very minimal risk of overheating. if you're going to put something that thick over a TiBooks case, then i doubt there would be any problems with painting it.

a good thing about those Skinz though... you can also purchase them in clear so you can paint them yourself. a much better option than 'risking' it with a $500 TiBook case.
 

RichP

macrumors 68000
Jun 30, 2003
1,579
33
Motor City
Its aluminum bro..you can have it anodized! Very nice finish, still will show the texture of the metal, and wont affect the heat transfer like paint or powercoat.

The only issue with things beside paint is that the whole unit isnt alum, so you may have issues coloring the plastic parts.
 

DrGonzo

macrumors member
Jan 7, 2003
83
0
bah

you should have no problems with "heat transfer"

The added coat of paint will also provide a greater resistance to heat dissipation.

WHAT added coat? If it's just "clear coated" aluminum you'd have to strip that off before you paint it anyways, and then you're down to bare AL. You all worry about heat transfer and then you go on to suggest macskinz. Paint it man, paint it to your hearts delight or get it anodized like others suggested.
 

RichP

macrumors 68000
Jun 30, 2003
1,579
33
Motor City
with all this talk of heat dissipation, were you planning on just painting the top of it, or the underside too. I dont think the screen has much/if any heat issues.
 

jbomber

macrumors 6502a
Jun 24, 2003
549
0
Brooklyn - NYC
Re: bah

Originally posted by DrGonzo
you should have no problems with "heat transfer"



WHAT added coat? If it's just "clear coated" aluminum you'd have to strip that off before you paint it anyways, and then you're down to bare AL. You all worry about heat transfer and then you go on to suggest macskinz. Paint it man, paint it to your hearts delight or get it anodized like others suggested.

Hehehehe. "Paint it man, paint it to your hearts delight". I can't wait to see some custom painted Albooks.
 

rainman::|:|

macrumors 603
Feb 2, 2002
5,438
2
iowa
Re: Re: bah

Originally posted by jbomber
Hehehehe. "Paint it man, paint it to your hearts delight". I can't wait to see some custom painted Albooks.

Yes, and all of them frying. Painting those will more than likely make your machine force sleep every 15 minutes or so, from the internal temperature going too high. I don't know whether the aluminum is clearcoated or not, but even if it is, you ARE adding another layer-- remove one layer, add two... But the real problem here isn't coat numbers or color (black only traps heat radiated through light, since it refracts no colors it absorbs each of their wavelengths), it's the fact that paint is NOT heat conductive, and aluminum is... So the heat flows through the metal, to quickly dissapate into the air/desk/your lap, and the paint will be a nice insulator for it, slowing the rate of heat exchange, increasing heat buildup. Simple physics :rolleyes:

Plus it'd be ugly... they're so beautiful the way they are... if you want to mod a laptop, go for iBook-- a G3 runs a lot cooler, and they're not so great looking anyway...

pnw
 

DrGonzo

macrumors member
Jan 7, 2003
83
0
OK EVERYONE i retract my previous statement because we ALL KNOW painting your powerbook will increase internal temperatures by a magnitude of 10 fold.
 

Abstract

macrumors Penryn
Dec 27, 2002
24,835
847
Location Location Location
The point is that aluminum, being a metal, is a conductor of heat and electricity, while the paint is clearly not as great a conductor. Normally, heat is transferred from the inside of the PB to the surface layer so that the heat can be transferred to the air surrounding it, as well as though thermal radiation (infrared). However, the resistivity of the additional paint would slow down the process of heat transfer from the inside to the outer surface of the machine. and so heat may not escape the PB quickly enough to keep the inside cool.

Plus you'll void your warranty. :cool:
 

Snowy_River

macrumors 68030
Jul 17, 2002
2,520
0
Corvallis, OR
Across a thin layer of paint, the thermal gradient is going to be very small. The degree to which a layer of paint is going to insulate the ALBook is going to be pretty minor (though present, none the less). Now, powder-coat is another matter. Powder-coat will tend to be thicker, and is much more thermally insultating. I would not recommend powder-coating a PowerBook.

As far as the case being anodized, I don't know what implications this has for painting, but it has relatively little bearing on further anodization. Therefore, color could be added by further anodizing the case to a new color, though your choices would be limited, and a good anodizing shop would charge you a fair bit for the job.

Personally, I like the idea of painting some kind of custom logo on the back of my PB display. There would be no need to worry about heat issues with that, and, if I do it right, I can get a nice glow effect in the right parts of my logo... :p
 

patrick0brien

macrumors 68040
Oct 24, 2002
3,246
9
The West Loop
-All

Of course the aluminum of the PowerBooks anodized. All aluminum released to the public is. Otherwise it would oxidize very quickly - I mean very.

Unfortunately, once anodized, it takes very special primer - don't ask me what - then paint to stay adhered to the surface.

Your best bet would be to re-anodize the aluminum with color in the electrolyte bath - which would involve de-anodizing it first.

The de-anodizing process would then thin the metal some. You need to know exactly what you are doing. Here is a good tutorial to strippping, polishing and anodizing Aluminum.

If you do go through with it, let us know!

BTW- I suggest you buddy-up with a reseller and see if you can get some factory-direct enclosure aluminum for the PowerBook. Removing the existing skin will probably damage it.
 

jbomber

macrumors 6502a
Jun 24, 2003
549
0
Brooklyn - NYC
Originally posted by vniow
[nitpick]She[/nitpick]

where'd the little lady get all the fancy book learnin' to be messin with them new-fangled computers?

that's what's wrong with this dang country now. [/redneck_rant]
 
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