VisorCentral.com - Painting a VDX

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VisorCentral.com (http://discussion.visorcentral.com/vcforum/index.php)
- Visor & Deluxe (http://discussion.visorcentral.com/vcforum/forumdisplay.php?forumid=1)
-- Painting a VDX (http://discussion.visorcentral.com/vcforum/showthread.php?threadid=11447)

Posted by thorin on 02-16-2001 09:57 PM:

All you have to worry about is static. Always keep yourself grounded when playing with electronics. You may not even feel yourself giving the processor a million volt static shock after scuffling across the carpet.

A good way to work is to take apart your visor on a cotton cloth, or some other natural fibre. And before you touch the insides, touch an exposed metal part on any appliance with a three pronged outlet plug-- I use the key switch on my computer.

Good luck...

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Posted by Hoser_back_home on 02-16-2001 11:53 PM:

here's a question (thanks to Kamalot, i'm SERIOIUSLY considering painting the inside of my visor now! ) how difficult would it be to REMOVE the paint if it doesn't turn out like I want it to?

I don't have any experience with these paints so i don't know what the 'paint removal' properties are....besides if it isn't too much of a hassle, i may just remove and repaint the inside every few months to freshen up the Visor!

I also found this old thread from last year that should help anybody reading this thread and considering doing this!

http://discussion.visorcentral.com/...p?threadid=2017

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Posted by DBrown on 02-17-2001 03:37 AM:

quote:
Originally posted by Hoser_in_USA
here's a question (thanks to Kamalot, i'm SERIOIUSLY considering painting the inside of my visor now! ) how difficult would it be to REMOVE the paint if it doesn't turn out like I want it to?

I don't have any experience with these paints so i don't know what the 'paint removal' properties are....besides if it isn't too much of a hassle, i may just remove and repaint the inside every few months to freshen up the Visor!

Remember... you will be reverse painting if you paint the inside. The coat that goes down first is the one that will be seen thru the case. The only way to change the color would be to completely remove this coat and paint with a new color. Paint removal is messy and much more difficult to do well than painting. Without some sort of abrasive, it's almost impossible. If you use abrasives on the plastic, the scratches will be visible from the outside.

I suggest practicing with your spray paint on something similar but not as valuable as your Visor case. Keep the spray can moving. Use a few light coats instead of one heavy coat. Let the paint dry between coats.

If you do it well, and you refrain from getting into your Visor often, then an interior paint job will probably outlast your visor. No need to "freshen" it up.

Have fun. Spray in a well-ventilated area. ;-)
Dave

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Posted by grdeakin on 02-23-2001 05:58 PM:

back painting

It's been a while since I've been in a hobby shop, but I used to use the Tamiya RC car paints for back painting polycarbonate car shells. If you look at the painted side it looked like crap, but when viewed through the polycarbonate it was beautiful - just like a clear coat on a real car. Bear in mind, I haven't touched by kit since about '92, but I know that the company is still making RC car kits, so it stands to reason that they would still be making paints. While it won't matter as much on a rigid Visor case, the paints were very flexible when dry and took a significant amount of abuse. I certainly wouldn't recommend them for exterior paints, but they might be the key for backpainting. Let me know if anyone tries it...

Posted by jradi on 03-14-2001 04:33 AM:

Ok, I took my VDX apart and I'm about to paint it but I have a few quick questions first:

1. Would you recommend I take the buttons off first? There's a melted plastic rivet holding them in place and I don't know how I'd replace that later - I'd essentially have to scrape it off to remove them and glue them back later - could be messy. The alternative would be risking having the buttons get stuck in place due to the spray paint...

2. What material would you recommend masking the outside, edge, and screw holes with? Just masking tape, vaseline, or some other type of material?

3. Any other last minute tips?

Thanks,
jr

Posted by kamalot on 03-14-2001 02:31 PM:

Masking & Buttons

I mask the sided with Packing Tape. It comes off easily. I spend a while with a big roll and a sharp Xacto knife taping and trimming the edges. After I paint and put everything back together I go over the outside with a turpentine alternative and paper towels to remove any stray paint.

One thing to be cautious of, the Dreamcast VMUs have little screens that are attached to the main board by some rubber strips. These strips lost their adhesive when using real turpentine in the room. It seems the fumes ate the adhesive away! I don't know what could be affected by harsh fumes inside the Visor. Be careful.

As for the buttons, I don't know what to recommend. I have never taken a look at them before. One thing to consider is placing small, round stickers over the back-side of the buttons to protect them from the paint.

Painting your Visor is much cheaper than buying a new fancy Edge especially since you end up with the same 8 megs of ram...

Posted by tucson_sailors on 03-14-2001 03:19 PM:

Visor Deluxe Buttons - Answer

Go ahead and use an exacto (sp?) or similar hobby knife and remove the little blob of glue that holds the buttons to the post on the inside of the case.

You can get a hot glue gun cheaply (most hobby stores and places like Michaels or Ben Franklins) and all you need is a little tiny dab once you're done. It will hold the buttons in place. I also suspect (haven't done this yet) that for us people that have broken lower posts where the back of the case screws to the front, that you could simply blob a replacement, and then screw into the hot glue. Not the best solution, but easier than having to drill and repost.

Tucson Sailors

Posted by jradi on 03-14-2001 03:53 PM:

You're right about that lower post - it took me a while to figure out why I couldn't unsrew that last screw. I think a bit of superglue will hold it in place since it was a pretty clean break.

I managed to get the buttons off pretty easily, I'll get the material tonight and document the whole process with my digital camera - patience is key.

Once everything was removed - the plastic housing looks pretty straight forward to paint - especially since I just have to coat the inside for it to look great from the outside - my big worry now is that I can put it all back together again!

Being without my VDX sucks! I can't remember any of my passwords without it!

Thanks for all the tips and ideas!

Posted by kamalot on 03-14-2001 05:45 PM:

Photos

Make sure to post some snazzy photos of it when you are done!

Kamalot

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