Powdercoating my CMP?

[TECK]

Hi,

I was wondering if is documented somewhere how to strip completely the Mac, so I can send it for powdercoating. I would like to have the case in gunmetal color.

 

[Shadow Jolteon]

iFixit would probably be the best place for that type of guide. Their page on the 2006-2008 Mac Pro models can be found here. It also contains an Apple Technician Guide under the documents section as well.

 

[DeltaMac]

You could download a copy of Apple's service manual for your MacPro, or iFixit should have a teardown guide, too.
Neither of those, as far as I know, show how to remove every possible removable piece (as prep for powdercoating), but should get you close enough to figure out the rest.
Come back with pictures of the result!

 

[iTurbo]

I powder coat lots of my own car parts (hobbyist).

Is the case metal? As long as it is metal and preferably not galvanized it should take to powder coating. I bought a media blast cabinet from Harbor Freight just to make cleaning/stripping down to bare metal a lot easier, but a good powder coating company should be able to take care of that for you.

I've had things PC'd by this company before and they turned out nice.

www.jmbperformance.com

 

[ActionableMango]

It's aluminum, so you might consider taking it to an anodizing shop instead of a powder coating shop.

That way the beautiful aluminum texture will still be there instead of being covered up in thick paint. Especially for a color like gunmetal, which is supposed to look like metal anyway.

If you wanted to do cherry red or something, then yes, I could see powder coating it.

 

[TECK]

I prefer gunmetal so it looks like the new Macs, is a good idea to find an anodizing shop. Did not think about it.

 

[thornslack]

I saw a couple custom powder coated MBPs back in the day. They all chipped. I would think anodizing would be the way to go. Pics if you do!!

 

[TECK]

From the 2009 manual:

Parts Requiring Enclosure Replacement
The following are not separate, orderable parts. To replace them, you must replace the enclosure.
• Media shelf
• Media fan
• AirPort antenna board and cables
• Rear panel latch

Does that mean these parts cannot be removed? I will check it out when I start the teardown and post details here. It should help others. I saw several torn-down cases for sale who still had wires inside the case, few examples:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/163077346812

https://www.ebay.com/itm/263960257847

 

[AlexMaximus]

Hi,

I was wondering if is documented somewhere how to strip completely the Mac, so I can send it for powdercoating. I would like to have the case in gunmetal color.

Hi TECK

#1
You will love this gallery..

https://www.cerakoteguncoatings.com/gallery/

#2
Let me know if you follow through. I might join

#3
With Cerakote, we would have more luck then this poor DIY guy and his black iMac Pro conversion project...

 

[Hater]

Jesus, 8 minutes of waffling crap before getting to the actual painting

And he didn't take the anodising off before painting, and didn't use primer... that paint isn't going to stick and will rub off right away.... so don't feel sorry for him - he knew exactly what he was doing - that is, making a video for the views. he hasn't damaged the imac whatsoever, and he knows it.

smart lad

 

[JesterJJZ]

Why is he spray painting in his room? I sometimes paint in a garage with the door open and that's barely enough to breathe right. Look at the haze in the room.

 

[MisterAndrew]

Yeah, I was thinking about the airport antenna. I don’t know if that would survive being baked. So honestly, I don’t think it’s worth the hassle. Nothing wrong with the aluminum color. The 7,1 will probably be grey so just wait for that.

 

[ActionableMango]

Perhaps you should find an anodizing shop and consult. You could walk in with one of those pictures to discuss feasibility. Just to make sure that it's doable, that they are willing to try it, what it costs, and see what needs to be removed/protected or not.

I know, roughly speaking, that anodizing means dipping the part in an acid bath and running a charge through the part. Maybe some parts can be covered/coated/protected in some way to prevent anodizing--basically the same concept for how you mask parts before painting. Because I wonder about all the things like the threaded steel standoffs or other non-aluminum parts that cannot be easily removed. What happens to the steel in the acid? Are the threads going to change tolerances? Etc.

Might be worth a few minutes discussing with the experts before you get too far into this.

 

[MisterBiro]

Yeah, I was thinking about the airport antenna. I don’t know if that would survive being baked. So honestly, I don’t think it’s worth the hassle. Nothing wrong with the aluminum color. The 7,1 will probably be grey so just wait for that.

Just take it out.

I've not done so with a 2009+, but on one of my 2008's I took the board out.

You can peel the firm sticky plastic cover off the bottom of the machine, unscrew it and gently pull the cables out.

 

[vetruvian]

This video shows some of the major steps. Might be able to PM the OP.