Restoring an old PowerBook G4 12" dents & scratches

[sarthak]

Congratulations. Does the seller expect you to return it?

No as I am getting it inspected currently. I am out $105 until I can get something back from eBay/PayPal/PBI.

I think the seller realized it's going to cost more than the machine is worth to return it. Besides, I don't think they can resell it in this dented condition.

Any tips on DIY dent repair?

 

[Altemose]

No as I am getting it inspected currently. I am out $105 until I can get something back from eBay/PayPal/PBI.

I think the seller realized it's going to cost more than the machine is worth to return it. Besides, I don't think they can resell it in this dented condition.

Any tips on DIY dent repair?

Fully disassembling the computer and then using a small ball-peen hammer and some blocks of metal can straighten the dents easily. It will never look 100% the same as it originally did, but it will be pretty good. Look at how well this YouTube user made his trash-picked G4 look!

 

[sarthak]

Update:
- Had the machine cleaned thoroughly, most wear is gone. The only damage is shown in pics now.
- Some wear on left palm rest.
- Wear on front right corner of top LCD casing.
- Dent still present.
- Scratching on bottom battery pack.

Had the machine tested and repaired. Clock issue is now gone. Expected it would take 2 -3 weeks but, I was able to get it done much sooner.

Dent Repair: The dent is located on the right side. Minor bulge on optical bay. Major damage to the corner. The battery pack is located underneath so removing the battery pack allows access to the inside where the dent is located. No removal of screws needed. Will try to fix this out.

Updated Pics:

 

[Altemose]

Update:
- Had the machine cleaned thoroughly, most wear is gone. The only damage is shown in pics now.
- Some wear on left palm rest.
- Wear on front right corner of top LCD casing.
- Dent still present.
- Scratching on bottom battery pack.

Had the machine tested and repaired. Clock issue is now gone. Expected it would take 2 -3 weeks but, I was able to get it done much sooner.

Dent Repair: The dent is located on the right side. Minor bulge on optical bay. Major damage to the corner. The battery pack is located underneath so removing the battery pack allows access to the inside where the dent is located. No removal of screws needed. Will try to fix this out.

Updated Pics:
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That doesn't look like a shipping drop by how clean and straight the dent is.

 

[sarthak]

That doesn't look like a shipping drop by how clean and straight the dent is.

The seller has pictures in the listing but all of them are a certain angle that do NOT show the dent. There is slight hint of the battery pack showing near the front. That's about it, no picture of the right side at all and even the bottom is shown from an angle that avoids showing the dent.

I can access the dent by removing the battery and will:
- Tape heavily the aluminum to prevent scratches.
- Remove screws to prevent thread from being damaged while metal is bent.
- Use pliers to bend the metal into place.

Notes:
- I don't want to open the machine.
- The bulge near the optical bay can be pushed in by hand until it is flat (hits the chassis behind it and can't go in further) however, it comes back out. This is very difficult to repair and don't know if a hammer will do more harm than help.

Cosmetic cleaning:
Will try to dampen a cloth in silver paint very slightly and wipe over the darker scuffs near the palm rest and on the lid in order to remove the "darker" wear on the aluminum.

 

[Intell]

Don't try to touch up the alumimum with paint. That will only make a mess with poor results. That wear is very normal and on almost all Powerbooks. As is the scratches on the battery and near the button.

 

[jbarley]

Cosmetic cleaning:
Will try to dampen a cloth in silver paint very slightly and wipe over the darker scuffs near the palm rest and on the lid in order to remove the "darker" wear on the aluminum.

I've had pretty good luck on my aluminum laptops using Mr clean magic erasers.
Does a real good job of cleaning and even helps buff out some of the lighter scratch marks.
Just make sure to use the "Original" pads, they also make a more aggressive pad which is too rough.

 

[ReanimationLP]

Do not ever use GSP.

Watch this video, if you need more proof.

They repack your shipments into smaller packaging so they can shoehorn more in, basically.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZwZgcoc_zw

 

[fhall1]

Just a quick question....if you saw all those poor feedback comments prior to the purchase, why go through with it? I would have moved on based on the number of bad comments - one, I could chalk up to a disgruntled buyer for whatever reason - multiples, makes me steer clear.

 

[sarthak]

I've had pretty good luck on my aluminum laptops using Mr clean magic erasers.
Does a real good job of cleaning and even helps buff out some of the lighter scratch marks.
Just make sure to use the "Original" pads, they also make a more aggressive pad which is too rough.

The areas I need to repair is where the paint has worn off. Wouldn't an abbrassive cleaner like Mr. Clean which I used for Mac Mini bottom casing (to remove yellowing) further scuff up the aluminum?

There isn't any grime left, just the left palm rest area and top lid where the aluminum seems to have turned slightly darker.

 

[Intell]

Was there any kind of internal cardboard box within that overstuffed marshmallow bag looking thing?

 

[sarthak]

Was there any kind of internal cardboard box within that overstuffed marshmallow bag looking thing?

Nope this was it. Some bubble wrap on it and the charger, shipped in a paper bag. Probably why the dents are there in the first place.

[Image]

 

[sarthak]

Fixed the dent (sort of). Still slightly bent compared to the perfect curve of the battery. Only sticks out a few millimeters.

Had a fellow hit it and bend the aluminum into place with the support of a nut. Remember to use lots of tape.

Before:

Process:

Result:

 

[Altemose]

Fixed the dent (sort of). Still slightly bent compared to the perfect curve of the battery. Only sticks out a few millimeters.

Had a fellow hit it and bend the aluminum into place with the support of a nut. Remember to use lots of tape.

Before:
Image

Process:
Image
Image

Result:
Image
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A lot better than what it was. Good luck on the refund!

 

[grockk]

There is a clip in the top case just at the corner of the optical drive slot.

Looks like when dropped, the clip popped out. I had one close to the same location make it buldge out when it popped out of the clip.

It might be worth taking the top case screws out and pulling up that side to see if you can get the clip back in. That would keep it straight.

See the iFixit guide to the upper case. You can see the clips here.

Also with the top case removed it will be easier to bend that section right above the battery back out.

 

[sarthak]

There is a clip in the top case just at the corner of the optical drive slot.

Looks like when dropped, the clip popped out. I had one close to the same location make it buldge out when it popped out of the clip.

It might be worth taking the top case screws out and pulling up that side to see if you can get the clip back in. That would keep it straight.

See the iFixit guide to the upper case. You can see the clips here.

Image

Also with the top case removed it will be easier to bend that section right above the battery back out.

Thanks. I've got it fixed, the dent is only a millimeter off from the curve. Perhaps, I will try your suggestion when I open the machine to upgrade it.

Unfortunately, the seller stated it had a Super Drive but, system profiler reports it as a Combo Drive.

That's about the only upgrade I can do to it.

 

[MacVidCards]

FWIW, one day I just happened to be looking out the peep hole in my door when UPS guy was "delivering".

He literally THREW the box 15 feet to land at my door. Saved him 30 ft of walking. Even UPS shipping guidelines mention that things will be dropped a certain distance.

Sellers need to package accordingly. Many don't. I just sent a stained glass lamp to my Dad. From LA to Buffalo, not a scratch. But I spent 2 days building a box around the lamp. And first I wrapped the lamp in 3 inches of bubble wrap.

Your seller screwed up. Leave appropriate feedback

 

[128keaton]

But I spent 2 days building a box around the lamp.

I keep on thinking of a montage of MacVidCards building a beautiful box out of PMG5 sides and putting a camera inside. Gets the footage back from his mom, adds some nice, generic iLife music, uploads it to YouTube. But thats just me.

 

[sarthak]

Don't try to touch up the alumimum with paint. That will only make a mess with poor results. That wear is very normal and on almost all Powerbooks. As is the scratches on the battery and near the button.

It actually works to repair the palm rest wear. Used IKEA Silver "paste" like paint on a few tissues and rubbed them in a circular pattern to the areas with wear. Cleaned it off with a damp microfiber cloth. At no angle can you see that there is paint applied to it. It looks virtually new.

BEFORE: (Looks worse in real life!)

AFTER:

Your seller screwed up. Leave appropriate feedback

As much as I want to leave - feedback, I would feel bad given that the seller gave me a partial refund. I am still suspicious since none of the pictures in the listing are at an angle that would show the dent. But, it could've been dropped when Pitney Bowes warehouse opened it up and rewrapped it after customs export inspection for shipment.

 

[Intell]

It actually works to repair the palm rest wear. Used IKEA Silver "paste" like paint on a few tissues and rubbed them in a circular pattern to the areas with wear. Cleaned it off with a damp microfiber cloth. At no angle can you see that there is paint applied to it. It looks virtually new.

As much as I want to leave - feedback, I would feel bad given that the seller gave me a partial refund.

Just wait a few months, then your hands/wrists will start looking like the tin man's and the Powerbook's topcase will start to get worse than it was previously.

 

[sarthak]

Just wait a few months, then your hands/wrists will start looking like the tin man's and the Powerbook's topcase will start to get worse than it was previously.

I tested the top, scratches on the battery pack and sides in small areas and the technique would not work. The paint would not stick to fill in the areas with scratches. I'm not saying you're wrong. It definitely does NOT work outside but does indeed work on the inside.

The IKEA paint has been sitting around for a few years sealed. It comes out looking much like dry hard silver thermal paste and not wet paint. Hence, I did not use a paint brush but rather a tissue to blend it in. I cleaned the palm rest with a damp cloth to remove any remaining paint. Since then, I've used several spray cleaners to clean the notebook.

The paint is not going to come off, it looks like it's anodized aluminum. The wear is very much microscopic areas (<0.01mm "dotted" pattern) that look much worse as a group and from a distance. They've been filled in with the paint. My hands are clean and the paint is definitely not coming off.

The paint has filled in the very much "microscopic specs" (again lots of them so it appeared much worse before) and I can't even see it there. Here's another shot.

 

[iamMacPerson]

It actually works to repair the palm rest wear. Used IKEA Silver "paste" like paint on a few tissues and rubbed them in a circular pattern to the areas with wear.

What part of IKEA did you find it in? I might make a trip just to pick some up and try on some spare aluminum cases. Nice job getting those dents out!

 

[128keaton]

Wow, nice progress. Looks like things worked out for you pretty well. In all, it looks much better than before. Also, if you could go to Maclassic and write what you've done on the wiki, it will make the world a better place.

 

[sarthak]

What part of IKEA did you find it in? I might make a trip just to pick some up and try on some spare aluminum cases. Nice job getting those dents out!

Sorry for the late response. Here's the details on the paint. It's been in storage (sealed) for a few years now so it comes out looking like paste. Just rub a very small amount into the scratches/nicks/marks with a tissue (several coats required to fill it in). Lastly, clean off the entire area with a damp cloth to remove excess.

Also works on Apple Cinema HD Display 30" Had a few scratches from shipping.

BEFORE:

AFTER: (Harder to fill in deeper scratches, requires several attempts at rubbing in the paste like paint).

 

[iamMacPerson]

Sorry for the late response. Here's the details on the paint. It's been in storage (sealed) for a few years now so it comes out looking like paste. Just rub a very small amount into the scratches/nicks/marks with a tissue (several coats required to fill it in). Lastly, clean off the entire area with a damp cloth to remove excess.

Thanks for responding! I'll have to look next time I go, I hope I can find it. I went for the first time about a month ago and damn that place is HUGE.