Develop Bugs

Painting the HTC Universal's housing

So... I've purchased a Vodafone v1640 from eBay a while back.. and I'm sick of the silver housing! I'd rather have a white or black housing, so I plan on opening the sucker up to paint it! I'm pretty sure I have no warrenty anyway, as I purchased from eBay and am not on a Vodafone plan (Cingular here in the USA)...
My question is... what's the best type of paint to do this with? Any special sort of paint?
Or, I guess, if there's anywhere I could buy different housings for it, pre-painted.. that'd work too.
Any input at ALL would be greatly appreciated! ;D

I want some infos too on this case for a new housing because black housing for Universal looks the best.

From my experience of disassembling the HTC Charmer, I think the HTC stuff are kinda tightly fitted, it might not be that easy to have it painted. I mean, I'm not sure how good you are at painting, but for the paint job I did (on other stuff, toys, cars, shelves, not the phone, yet), I usually end up with a thick (relatively) layer of paint on it, which I think may cause problem when you try to assemble the phone up again.
So, my advise, make sure you can really do a skin tight paint job before you try it on the phone, as it seems that it is really difficult to get a spare casing for HTC stuff.
BTW, you may want to look at some of the web site for PC modding, where they tend to mod their keyboard and mouse, giving them new paint job, probably such forums will have experts on the paint that you should be using.

you might have to experiment a bit if you haven't painted before...
The most impoportant thing is to find a dry place with no humidity.
You can get the retouching spray for cars called deco paint. It will work well.
p.s. IMO black housing will look good if you have a black keyboard.

Hmm black keyboard...
very good point.

i once painted my dreamcast controller black 8)
just used a normal spray can for it (didn´t have an airbrush at that time yet)
works very easy:
- open it up and remove all things you dont want to spray
- clean everything very good (with terpentine/gasoline/ammonia for example)
- let it dry
- spray it (very thin, because you don´t want to make drops of paint on it) from about 15-20cm away (any closer and it will be more difficult to avoid paintdrops and keeping the paint thin
- let it dry in a clean enviroment
after a few months of usage the paint will shine on spots where you hold it much...
so you might want to spray some colourless shine stuff (sorry: don´t know the name for it in english, it is ´lak´ in dutch) on it after the paint is drie to have the color remain the same way
or you could just touch it everywhere so the shine is everywhere :wink:

heh, it's close in english, it's pronounced 'lak-ker', spelt lacquer

Anyone have any luck with this repainting the case idea? Any pictures?

i did my old mpx 220 before black cases were out, i used a special, plastics spraypaint from krylon. flat black ,and clear topcoat. i dont have the pictures anymore but it was nice. just take your time read up on painting . thin light coats and follow the directions on the can.

[In Progress]Custom paint job of my blue angel

Well here are the pics of my phone, atm i have only taken it apart and put on tape on the parts i don't want to get paint on, im planing on painting it black completely or maybe a combination of red/black like my laptop here's a link to it, so you can see it, and finaly i want to thank +Qppc(eres un mostro pintando ejejje ) for the inspiration, anyways when i finish paiting it i will post the pics until then wish me luck xD.

Good Luck men!!!
BTW cover with tape and paper the sliding black part of the qwerty piece
if this gets paint maybe it can damage your flex cable on buttons back on display... or even it can slide off again cause the paint turns it a little gross.
Post more pics of your works latter and remember Let it dry! and apply smooth layers of paint betwen them let 5 or 10 minutes time diferent!.
You are welcome men!
This will become crazy.!

update:i'm going to change the type of paint im using cause is not gloss i though it was but its not, i test it using my OEM battery since is not the one i use on my device, I'l post a picture of the battery already painted tomorrow.
stay tune

Try to edit your pics
Suggest:
Edit your pics men... Make up them with brightness and dont let them out of focus is hard to see the surface type and threatment. good luck with batt!

Sorry lol i dont have a digital cam, the only thing i have is my old htc tornado, so thats what im using to take the pictures lol, later on il be adding the pictures of phone parts already painted, gave them 3 thing layers of paint tomorrow il give them one last layer and after that il sand, and i also decided to go full black(i love black lol) anyways stay tune for my follow up pictures.

[Q] How do I fix gauge/scratch on frame of phone.

The outer frame of my phone (the metallic plastic border-frame-thing) has a scratches and gauge on it now because I dropped it few weeks ago. I know it's just the appearance but at times I just find myself staring at it with discontent.
Here is the Link to the photo of it. (remove the spaces I'm a new user)
http : / / yfrog . com / n415092010127j
So I ask what would you do if you vibrant has that gauge/scratch?
Do you think it's fixable? maybe just sand it down to smooth it out or would it be make it worse?
Is it possible to get a replacement part?? I cannot find anything online but... I did see the non-working "T-MOBILE DUMMY SAMSUNG VIBRANT T959 DISPLAY PHONE" model on ebay.. do you think I can take the part from there? (haha, I think I do sound somewhat desperate)
oh and is there a case that just covers the perimeter of the phone leaving the back and front exposed? (I have a case for my phone already it but it makes the phone look pretty bulky)
Thank you everybody

I'd like to know this as well as I dropped mine on Friday and scratched all four corners! I thought about sanding it to give it a brushed look, but since it's plastic, I have a feeling it would look like crap.
Can you replace just that part?

Just put it in a case that covers the chrome bezel.

I had a similar issue when I had my blackberry 8900. The "chrome" around the sides started coming off, so I picked at it with my nail until it all came off. It was smooth black plastic underneath, and I'm willing to bet that's the case with the Vibrant.
You could tape off the parts you don't want scratched (screen, buttons, etc.) and use sandpaper on the chrome.

YES U CAN
GO TO
Global direct part.com and find ur phone

sad2903 said:
YES U CAN
GO TO
Global direct part.com and find ur phone
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Click to collapse
www.globaldirectparts.com
you mean that?

http://www.globaldirectparts.com/Samsung-T959-Front-Housing-p/smsng6085940.htm Right here bro

Just use a good quality liquid Wax polish used on automobiles.
I had a very similar issue as yours. I tried everything and finally came up with a solution. And it was the liquid Wax polish used on cars and bikes to make them shine. Just mask all the sensitive parts of the area of your phone in which you have scratches, then take the polish and rub it on the damaged area with optimum pressure with a clean cotton cloth (make sure a little heat is generated due to friction) . You might have to do it several time so, protect any other unwanted part.
Hope this helps ?

White housing

If I told you guys I was making white housing for our Cappy's, would you guys be interested in buying it?
It's not available anywhere, but I made one for myself and it looks great!
I was thinking of charging $40.....trying to get some idea of how many people would be interested.
Let me know!
Sent from my Cappy using Tapatalk

Just remember, if and/or when you start to sell these, you need to do it in the Marketplace, not here.

Just my own opinion here, but I'm not loving it. The fact that the sides are white, but the backplate is still black doesn't look good. The front would look better if the top and bottom were also white. It would make the whole thing look complete.
I like the concept but I think it needs to go further.
FWIW, I've always been a jet black gadget lover. I think it looks sleek and refined. White just always made me think back to the old white/beige PCs of yesterday.

i would absolutely buy one, ive been scouring the internet for them for months now

Top and bottom of the front white would look better. White lettering on the back too maybe?

ill buy for $40 maybe a bit more, it just past my bday so i gots money to spend.
Pm me if you want.....

40 seems a little expensive for my liking. And it looks like to me that all you were doing was just adding a vinyl skin ontop of the phone.
Although if you were to make one for the whole phone I think 20-30 would be more than enough of a fair price for one.

actually no, i bought official Samsung replacement housing from Japan, then put 6 coats of white plastic paint, followed by 3 coats of clear. took about a week altogether.
Sent from my Android 4.0 ICS'd Cappy

I agree that i think it needs to be more white, great idea though.

WHITE? ewwww.... just my 2cents.. now a matte black finish ill bite
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

maybe if it were actually white plastic and not just white paint, also the display would have to be white also cause it just looks ugly as of now

i love the white, but like the others on here i think the whole thing should be white. and if its a white paint and not plastic isn't there going to be a chipping issue overtime?

Green?
I dont mean to hijack this thread, but I was very interested in getting a different color housing for my captivate after viewing this. After searching for a few hours for colored housings online I just decided to try what you did with the white and buy my own paint and try it out! I went with an Android Green just to match my theme on my phone (I am due for an upgrade soon anyways). I will try to update with a picture of the finished productas soon as I am done!

Partridge86 said:
I dont mean to hijack this thread, but I was very interested in getting a different color housing for my captivate after viewing this. After searching for a few hours for colored housings online I just decided to try what you did with the white and buy my own paint and try it out! I went with an Android Green just to match my theme on my phone (I am due for an upgrade soon anyways). I will try to update with a picture of the finished productas soon as I am done!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wait...did you spray over the camera hole?

nygfan760 said:
Wait...did you spray over the camera hole?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well.. I was smart enough to put some clear tape over the outside of the camera lens, however when i flipped it over to get the edges I was not paying close enough attention and sprayed the inside. I was able to get the paint off pretty easily though.
I did an idiot move when putting my phone back together. I was using the phone with just the sd card to take pictures and left the card in the phone when trying to fit the housing back on.. needless to say I snapped the sd card in half and it no longer works :/
Edit: I'm not sure if I'm gonna say that I am done or if I should add another coat. However I am pretty happy with the color I just need to clean it up a bit! Let me know what you all think!

Partridge86 said:
well.. I was smart enough to put some clear tape over the outside of the camera lens, however when i flipped it over to get the edges I was not paying close enough attention and sprayed the inside. I was able to get the paint off pretty easily though.
I did an idiot move when putting my phone back together. I was using the phone with just the sd card to take pictures and left the card in the phone when trying to fit the housing back on.. needless to say I snapped the sd card in half and it no longer works :/
Edit: I'm not sure if I'm gonna say that I am done or if I should add another coat. However I am pretty happy with the color I just need to clean it up a bit! Let me know what you all think!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think it'd be cool if you put a coat on everything that isn't the screen. To me it looks incomplete with the bottom of the phone(both front and rear) still black. Two coats probably isn't a bad idea! Maybe some gloss clear coat over the top to make it shiny? I like the android green choice though.

wwcjr91 said:
I think it'd be cool if you put a coat on everything that isn't the screen. To me it looks incomplete with the bottom of the phone(both front and rear) still black. Two coats probably isn't a bad idea! Maybe some gloss clear coat over the top to make it shiny? I like the android green choice though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well this is actually with about 3 coats and 1 "gloss" coat. I'm not sure if I used the right paint. I used the "plastic paint" which probably takes a bit longer to dry. When putting it back together I kept pulling the paint from the tail part so I decided just to completely take the paint off of that part. Also I was thinking about painting the top and bottom of the front, however I did not want to risk covering the microphone hole and the inputs at the top. I think if I hadnt rushed through it so much then I could have had a better finished product.. good thing is these housings are around 8$ on ebay so I can just buy another one and give that one a proper try!

Partridge86 said:
well.. I was smart enough to put some clear tape over the outside of the camera lens, however when i flipped it over to get the edges I was not paying close enough attention and sprayed the inside. I was able to get the paint off pretty easily though.
I did an idiot move when putting my phone back together. I was using the phone with just the sd card to take pictures and left the card in the phone when trying to fit the housing back on.. needless to say I snapped the sd card in half and it no longer works :/
Edit: I'm not sure if I'm gonna say that I am done or if I should add another coat. However I am pretty happy with the color I just need to clean it up a bit! Let me know what you all think!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Prep work is 90% of painting. The actual painting part is very quick. You should have sanded better. It looks like the paint will dry and begin flaking off if it has not already.

Well one of my friends suggested I should "wet sand" it. I've personally never heard of that but he said it will make it look a ton better, so I guess I'll try that this afternoon.

Wet sanding= sanding with water to remove particles from the sandpaper.
Start with 200 grit to really clear off the paint. Then move to 400 grit. Then move to 800. Then clean with alcohol VERY WELL.
you want it to be flat and sanded down to 800 grit across the whole piece. Don't stop with 400 grit until all the green is gone. Use 800 to polish it. The rubbing alcohol is used to clean off any particles which may stick. Douse it in alcohol.
There are better ways.. but if you're going to do all of that, may as well use a nice metal flake paint and a clear coat from your auto parts store to get it really nice. If you do the clear coat, don't stick it in your pocket for a few days.
Also, time yourself on that 1 minute shake thing... trust me. Shaking is important. Longer is better. It helps the paint to dry properly and faster.

scratches on the camera lens

Hi guys,
did any of you have scratches on the cam lens, in the middle, that affects pictures. i have the phone for more than 2 months and looks like that each month there is a new scratch on the lens. so far i was lucky enough not to get it in the middle but looks like at 1 point my luck will run out and 1 will hit the middle.
im just refusing to use a case because i think it looks ugly and will steal from the beauty of this device.

I have not had any problems with scratching but then im using a case where the case is just sticking out a bit more then the lense as to protect it also the case is clear so still looks nice

You can get cases that will compliment your phone and peotect the lens. Best if you try on cases yourself before buying.
Sent from my HTC One X using XDA

Never had an scratch and also no cases for more than 40day.
Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2

I agree OP - cases suck.
I also have a scratched camera lens. I cut a screen protector out and put it on, but thought that it might effect image quality.
Its a buzz killer ....

since its a matter of time now till my cam lens will get scratched in the middle last night i did a little experiment. i took a piece of hair and stick it in the middle on the lens. well i have to admit that, i dont know how this camera is focusing, but there was no trace of the hair in the pic.
ill give it another try with something thicker now

Restoring lens
jargalus said:
Hi guys,
did any of you have scratches on the cam lens, in the middle, that affects pictures. i have the phone for more than 2 months and looks like that each month there is a new scratch on the lens. so far i was lucky enough not to get it in the middle but looks like at 1 point my luck will run out and 1 will hit the middle.
im just refusing to use a case because i think it looks ugly and will steal from the beauty of this device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
I had the same problem exactly, and i have just joined to give you the solution that I used. My HTC photos are sharp and clear as before now.
The solution is very simple ... all what you need is a clean glasses cleaning cloth, glass cleaner (like windex) and tooth paste !! yes tooth paste!
First clean the cover with the glass cleaner ... keep it wet .. apply a tiny portion of tooth paste on it .. rub it with the cloth ... keep it wet all the time.
Repeat till you get the lens back to its original state ... or at least 90 % ... the technique used is similar to the one used in cleaning car head lights .. similar to this video for example:
youtube. com/watch?v=b1_sFEOGTMc
I hope u find it useful.

aldebsi said:
Hi,
I had the same problem exactly, and i have just joined to give you the solution that I used. My HTC photos are sharp and clear as before now.
The solution is very simple ... all what you need is a clean glasses cleaning cloth, glass cleaner (like windex) and tooth paste !! yes tooth paste!
First clean the cover with the glass cleaner ... keep it wet .. apply a tiny portion of tooth paste on it .. rub it with the cloth ... keep it wet all the time.
Repeat till you get the lens back to its original state ... or at least 90 % ... the technique used is similar to the one used in cleaning car head lights .. similar to this video for example:
youtube. com/watch?v=b1_sFEOGTMc
I hope u find it useful.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AMAZING!
IT SOUNDS so silly, but indeed, it WORKS.
I was getting washed out pictures on my beautiful, 4-month-old, otherwise unscratched HOX+. This device is so beautiful, it's crazy that HTC did not pick up this design flaw. But now, my pictures are SO much better... THANKS!