KRUG

this is mostly going to be an entry of pictures. when i started this project i thought i would do a final post about it containing detailed instructions on how i did it. i have changed my mind because..well…i just don’t feel like doing it. i am fairly pleased with what i have done but i also would change several things about it or do some more research into painting. all in all, i’m ok with the end result and don’t feel like i destroyed anything. i have gotten lots of comments about the work and would enjoy hearing what you all have to say.

before	after

i put my laptop together on thursday. i think it looks amazing. it is a high gloss black so the paint is going to show all finger prints and oil smudges from my hands but that’s ok. i plan on carrying a soft, buffing cloth in my bag to wipe those off. the best part is that now i have a unique piece of machinery. no one else’s is like mine! i will be posting some high quality before and after pics later on flickr and i’ll let you know when i do.

in other news, i went to my second LAN party this saturday and, once again, had a great time. it’s amazing to me how much fun it is sitting in a room for 8 hours in front of my computer playing online games with a bunch of friends. so much fun that i missed half of the NASCAR race to stay and game some more. i am glad that i went home to watch the finish though because jeff gordon had a historical race today. it was his first win ever at phoenix, the first time anybody has ever won from the pole at that track, and his 76th career win which ties him with the late dale earnhardt. plus it gives him an extra 10 points in the chase and a solid lead in the standings. if only the braves had won today…

a quick side note on the laptop progress first. i have finished painting the white onto it and forgot to put the pearl coat on. so it’s just black and white now which i’ll just have to deal with. i am trying to get the clear coats to cooperate right now. i can’t seem to get an even and uniform shine on it. needless to say, i am way ahead of that schedule i made.

as far as baseball is concerned, the braves have started the season in exciting fashion. in two games, they have hit 4 homers to win two games in come from behind fashion. they caused ryan madson (a phillies reliever) to start his season at 0-2 in two games, francoeur already has an outfield assist, they have played a total of 21 innings, and wickman has a save and a win.

the only problem is that the mets are starting the season at 3-0 due to the cardinals falling apart.

i have created this year’s spreadsheet for the braves’ schedule. it calculates win/loss record, games above/below .500, series win/loss record, and various stats such as win/loss record at home versus away, versus every team they play, day games versus night games, how they fare on the different days of the week, and each month’s record as well. if you would like to download it for your own enjoyment, you can do so here. if you make improvements, send me a copy at krugbuggerton@aim.com so i can check it out.

just slightly.  i think yesterday i was going to start applying black coats.  well the schedule is way out the window because i started reading the labels on the paint i was buying, the parts came in sooner, and i got a little impatient.  so i have actually already applied the clear coats and i am waiting for it to harden completely.  the only thing i have left to do is smooth down the back so that there are no raised edges.  this is going to require sanding the clear coat and reapplying until the clear coat is smooth.  i tried sanding the actuall color coats and it distorts the images.  so this way, i’ll just have a thick layer of smooth clear coat on top.  then i’ll have to wait for it to dry completely.  the other three parts are done already.  unless the back of the lcd winds up looking much better because of the sanding and such. then i’ll have to do the same procedure to the rest of the pieces.  can’t have a non-uniform machine.

i have decided to paint my laptop. i have put a lot of thought and research into this and i am going to go ahead and do it. still wary of destroying the cosmetics of my machine i have purchased a second set of factory plastic casings to actually paint. this way, if i mess things up, i still have the intact set to fall back on.

i have spent the last week searching online trying to find other people who have attempted this and come out with good results. i found two excellent websites and have combined the two and come up with a plan of action that i think will work. i have also spent the week designing and redesigning the images i would like to put on the surfaces.

as progress ensues, i will be posting pictures on my flickr account followed by a final post with lots of pictures here. it will contain step by step what i actually wound up doing and my final thoughts on the project.

as of now, i have come up with a daily calendar for getting this project done by the time i leave for houston. i have friends here who will want to see the finished product. having said that, if i deem it necessary to lengthen the time of some steps, i will because i would rather have a quality finish than a bad one that my friends see. so this is my tentative schedule.

April 1 Remove all paint from the casing using a solvent (alcohol, paint thinner, etc.)
Completely wash casing using a mild soap. Rinse well and dry completely.
Apply first coat of black paint.
Bring inside after 30 minutes to complete drying indoors.

April 2 Sand (600 grit) entire surface and remove any imperfections.
Rinse well in water to remove all dust and dry completely.
Apply second coat of black paint.
Bring inside after 30 minutes to complete drying indoors.

April 3 Sand (600 grit) entire surface and remove any imperfections.
Rinse well in water to remove all dust and dry completely.
Apply third coat of black paint.
Bring inside after 30 minutes to complete drying indoors.

April 4 Sand (600 grit) entire surface and remove any imperfections.
Rinse well in water to remove all dust and dry completely.
Apply fourth coat of black paint.
Bring inside after 30 minutes to complete drying indoors.

April 5 Sand (600 grit) entire surface and remove any imperfections.
Rinse well in water to remove all dust and dry completely.
Apply fifth coat of black paint.
Bring inside after 30 minutes to complete drying indoors.

April 7 Sand (1000 grit) entire surface.
Rinse well in water to remove all dust and dry completely.
Tape the surface with masking tape and create the design using pencil or pen.
Use a sharp exacto blade to cut out the sections to be painted white.
Apply first coat of white paint.
Bring inside after 30 minutes to complete drying indoors.

April 8 Apply second coat of white paint.
Bring inside after 30 minutes to complete drying indoors.

April 9 Apply first coat of pearl paint. This is a very light coat. Don’t over do it!
Bring inside after 30 minutes to complete drying indoors.

April 12 Apply second coat of pearl paint. This is a very light coat. Don’t over do it!
Bring inside after 30 minutes to complete drying indoors.

April 15 Remove the tape and sand the surface using 1000 grit paper.
Rinse well in water to remove all dust and dry completely.
Sand the surface using 1500 grit paper.
Rinse well in water to remove all dust and dry completely.
Polish all surfaces to a high gloss using the rubbing compund.
Apply first coat of clear acryllic.
Wait 2 hours and sand the surface with 1000 grit paper.
Rinse well in water to remove all dust and dry completely.
Apply second coat of clear acryllic.
Wait 2 hours and sand the surface with 1000 grit paper.
Rinse well in water to remove all dust and dry completely.
Apply third coat of clear acryllic.
Wait 2 hours and sand the surface with 1000 grit paper.
Rinse well in water to remove all dust and dry completely.

Depending on time and roughness of the surface, continue with this pattern until there is no more time or until the surface is completely smooth.

April 16 Rinse well in water to remove all dust and dry completely.
Apply fourth coat of clear acryllic.
Wait 2 hours and sand the surface with 1000 grit paper.
Rinse well in water to remove all dust and dry completely.
Apply fifth coat of clear acryllic.
Wait 2 hours and sand the surface with 1000 grit paper.
Rinse well in water to remove all dust and dry completely.
Apply sixth coat of clear acryllic.
Wait 2 hours and sand the surface with 1000 grit paper.
Rinse well in water to remove all dust and dry completely.

Continue with this pattern until the surface is completely smooth.
SAnd the surface usign 1500 grit paper to remove all scratch marks.
Rinse well in water to remove all dust and dry completely.

April 22 Rinse well in water to remove all dust and dry completely.
Polish the entire surface to a high gloss.
Let dry for several days before assembly.
The clear coat can take up to a month to completely dry to a hard shell.

After April 30, assembly can be done with care.

by the way, those two websites previously mentioned are:

http://pages.videotron.com/thief/index.htm

http://deron.meranda.us/casemod/painting/