SO,
I could take the peeling paint no longer, so I "fixed" it. Or at least I thought I had.
I took apart the unit, very timidly; everything came off but the buttons and what not. I used an old drywall (worn down) sponge, and kept it wet, sanding carefully. Cleaned often as I went, and wasn't too worried about surface scratches, as I was about to paint it.
BTW, the gold finish under that non slip coating is actually quite imressive.
Anyway, only the most advanced techniques, tools, and paint were used. See for yourself...
and yes, that is a roll of toilet paper!!! :lol:
Two days later, the rubber started to peel off. I used "Plasti-Dip" spray paint. I thought a rubber grip might be nice, since I work construction, and black is just plain cool. I tested the tool grip paint on a nokia 3595 dummy, and now I just can't get that **** off of it. I thought it would stick to my wallaby. Apparently, not. I used my fingernail to peel off a wear hole caused by my Al case, and just peeled off the rubber in a few large pieces. Anyway, I'm going to check into good primers soon. I think that the noslip coating that flakes off our units isn't the problem, but the foil finnish that just won't let anything adhere. Anyway, If you have a suggestion or comment, fire away. And sorry, the only digicams i have are a Sony T610 and a V300....
Thanks!
I picked up some black Plasti Dip from Lowes. I sprayed it on to my spare purple back cover that came with the phone. It came out awesome. They have other colors also.
Sent from my SGH-T959
Follow me on Twitter @BobMcElroy15
I've been thinking about trying this since no 3rd party seems to want to supply any decent accessories for this phone.
How much did it cost? Pics?
Thanks for the tip.
Its been done already. Search for post
The spray is under 10 bucks. I also sprayed a usb flash drive
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Looks sweet. Any prep work involved? Or did u just sprayed it on as is??
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
I didn't sand it down or anything put you should apply 2-3 coats
I found a can of black (I wish they would have had other colors) at Lowes for $7. 4 coats later, it looks awesome! I love the feel and that it no longer slips out of my hand. No more fatty silicone cases for me. My work colleagues were amazed at how nice this looked and felt.
This was a great tip. Thanks to OP.
dam that looks legit, gonna have to try that!
That looks sweet...
I would like to know how this held up over time..
I am SO glad you posted this! I have been looking at an extended battery on Ebay with a black GLOSSY battery door (BLEH - fingerprint magnet!), but having seen this I'm going to get a can of this stuff and paint the back of that battery door - should be great!
The K-Zoo Kid said:
I would like to know how this held up over time..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately, no too well so far. It has started to peel back on one side from rubbing when it goes in/out of my pocket. I imagine it's because the original surface is so slick/smooth. I think if it gets bad, I'll try again but spray on some kind of primer or maybe just spray paint first so it has something to hang onto. Anyone have any thoughts/ideas? OP, how is yours holding up?
went to Menards and they didn't carry plasti-dip, so I used this Rustoleum Truck Bed Coating instead... gave the backplate a hard, scratchy black surface. It's kind of awesome. Suddenly my Vibrant felt like a rugged industrial device than a shiny, whimpy product-photo-ready gadget. I cracked up at the difference when I first held it in my hand.
process:
sanded down backplate with sandpaper --> applied and dried two coats --> truckbed.jpg (attached)
superglued dorky metal sticker (it wouldn't take to the rough surface otherwise) --> cleaned up superglue around edges --> applied liquid mask over sticker --> applied coat (and repeated last two steps again) --> texturedetail.jpg (attached)
caldjeff: you need to sand the backplate first w/ sandpaper in order to roughen it up, so that whatever you apply to it has something to grip. This is a general suggestion... I don't know about plasti-dip in particular.
seannyb said:
went to Menards and they didn't carry plasti-dip, so I used this Rustoleum Truck Bed Coating instead... gave the backplate a hard, scratchy black surface. It's kind of awesome. Suddenly my Vibrant felt like a rugged industrial device than a shiny, whimpy product-photo-ready gadget. I cracked up at the difference when I first held it in my hand.
process:
sanded down backplate with sandpaper --> applied and dried two coats --> truckbed.jpg (attached)
superglued dorky metal sticker (it wouldn't take to the rough surface otherwise) --> cleaned up superglue around edges --> applied liquid mask over sticker --> applied coat (and repeated last two steps again) --> texturedetail.jpg (attached)
caldjeff: you need to sand the backplate first w/ sandpaper in order to roughen it up, so that whatever you apply to it has something to grip. This is a general suggestion... I don't know about plasti-dip in particular.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well done! I'm loving this idea and i think im going to try it when i get my extended battery with a backplate.
Does anyone know if you could modify the housing on the Epic Touch 4G to a different color, and if so where do I buy parts?.. Thanks is advance.
you mean something like this? http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1305414
I wouldn't use regular paint, rustoleum makes vinyl and fabric paint that will permantly dye the plastic another color. no buildup and it wont look like it was spray painted.
just try it on small section of the inside of the battery cover first.
A lot of autopart stores should carry it for car interiors also probably walmart
Hey people
I saw this video on YouTube, and I wondered if it would be possible with our Plays.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHRhwvgZn3o
(For some reason, YouTube tags aren't working)
I do not have much experience with spray-painting, so I would appreciate some help. And I would like to know, do we need a base layer, because our back cover already has a glossy black (or white, blue, orange) look.
Thank you for your help.
Ridder
I would start off with carefully removing the Sony Ericsson logo with a sharp blade( lift it in a corner and tilt it up carefully. put this on a piece of waxpaper and keep it safe.
Then clean the cover with alcohol to give you a clean surface and wash with soap and water. Start with the finest P-grit sandpaper you can find(or even better very light sandblasting) sand it very lightly, be very careful around edges, else you will notch it.. You just want to give the plastic a uniform roughness for the paint to hug to. Do not oversand it. Keep your hands clean, and preferably as dry and free from oil as you can.
Place your cover in a wind and dust free area, and attach it to an elevated piece of wood or whatever you can find, with some tack underneath. then start your first coat, evenly applying it over the entire surface.
Remember rather too little than too much. You can rather apply 10 light coats than one dripping coat. Lightly build up the coats, giving the paint ample time to dry properly between each coat. Keep going until you get to 5 or 6. You should now notice it starting to give you a gloss appearance. Despite being tempted, do not touch it. After the last coat has dried, finish off with two or three coats of clear(allowing drying in between)
You should now have a lasting(if you are careful) durable chrome finish. Attach the Sony Ericsson logo sticker, and you're good to go I think I might give mine a matt black finish next, as the phone is very slippery when clean. Post a pic if you go through with it!
You can also try this: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SILVER-ALUMINIUM-CASE-SONY-XPERIA-PLAY-FILM-/270796482126#ht_1868wt_1990
Or this: http://www.amazon.com/JVCC-AF20-Aluminum-Foil-Linered/dp/B000QDEQQU
http://www.ebay.com/itm/4m-Adhesive...ccessories&hash=item3cc5bdf6c9#ht_2557wt_1163
Might save you quite a bit of time and effort
Considering the new xperia x has one and that the back cover on the z3 is easily replaced, wouldn't it be a great idea to give your old phone an updated look by just putting a custom back on it!
Can be done. The camera plastic cover is glued to the back cover from the inside?
isn't it like a Faraday cage? does it kill the wifi + mobile signals?
bookworth said:
isn't it like a Faraday cage? does it kill the wifi + mobile signals?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Shouldn't kill them (maybe it will be tricky with NFC). The thing is that the frame around the phone is plastic, so that should be enough for the WiFi.
Guids said:
Considering the new xperia x has one and that the back cover on the z3 is easily replaced, wouldn't it be a great idea to give your old phone an updated look by just putting a custom back on it!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
THat's a good idea. I thought about it and was wondering about the Faraday effect. But then again I would settle with anything that is not glass to be honest.
I'm sure that anybody with a CNC could make a custom backplate in POM or any other resistant plastic...
Now to find somebody on the forum with a CNC and spare time!
I made my own in acryllic plastic.
1. Cut out in 1mm acryllic sheet using the old back as a template and then cut with Exactoknife(Needs to cut/draw a line several times with exactoknife, acryllic is tough to cut, also needs to be sanded down to same size as old cover. Sanded evenly and not to fast to prevent friction heat that messes up the acryllic)
2. Take out camera lens from the old frame (Adhesive tape, easy to remove with exacto)
3. Drill a hole for camera lens using old back as template.
4. Sanded both sides from 80 to 120(Wood) then 400>600>800>1200 Silicone carbide paper(Wet)
5. Heated it up evenly with a flame on both sides to give it a darker smoked color then stuck it between two flat objects to prevent it bubbling or deforming until it cooled down.
(Heated back and forth so it didnt get too hot and had time to cool)
6. Once cool, washed with water.
7. A few smooth strokes against 1200 Silicone Carbide (Wet) to even out any irragularities
8. Dried, then a few smooth strokes with 1200 Silicone Carbide dry, sideways to have an even pattern and smooth surface.
9. Took the camera lens, glued into hole. Let dry then 1200dry sanded around camera hole to remove glue residue. (Dont sand the camera lens or you have to polish it. Major PITA..)
10. Took the top part of the black sticker from the inside of the old glass cover, cut out the top camera part as a square and stuck it around camera and flash to prevent flash bleeds.
11. Reapply new adhesive tape to the cover and reapply it and voila, waterproof again
This is my 3rd, made it last night, rushed job as I was tired wanting to sleep, so did not care about looks.
Also couldn't find one of my previous glass covers so I had to reuse the camera lens and sticker from the old plastic cover.
Resulting in the camera lens outer ring breaking off and the sticker being semi sticky and filled with bubbles. But it functions, which was the main idea.
Didnt bother about sanding it decently so there's still scratches, but it gives you an picture what it looks like.
If done properly and more patiently you can get a smoother texture, no air bubbles and a non broken lens, but once superglued that lens is stuck rocksolid.
Hey guys, is there a drawing of the back cover available?
I would like to try a 3D-print, after the second back cover is broken.
But I don't have a radius gauge and need the radius of the corners.
Thanks for your help.
@mike the pike
what a coincidence!
I have made a modell in FreeCad because I had the same idea like you. But I don't have a 3D printer, so my plan was to order it from a german company which offers to cut parts out of plastic plates.
I'am not a drawing or CAD profi, in fact this was my first experience with stuff like this, but I am pretty shure my modell is quite accurate. My only opportunity to test it, was to print a 1:1 sketch and compare it with the (broken) original backcover.
Feel free to use and modify my work, but please tell me if it works. :highfive:
Doing this, part one
I spent some time in the machine shop on campus yesterday, and, with the help of the assistants, made a metal back out of sheet aluminum.
The toughness is far superior to glass, and the strength is, too (the glass used on the Z3 Compact by default is somewhat pathetic).
From here, I was planning to first apply a brushed finish with an abrasive pad and WD-40 (thanks, YouTube) then either anodize (time to steal a HVPS from a hardware store?) black, or pay someone to apply a thermoset powder coat. Anodizing would probably yield better results, and be cheaper, but the scratch resistance on the aluminum is a bit low, so thermoset would help a bit. Oh, and the bottom left corner is a little bit off. Might get some silicone caulk and apply at the corner for waterproofing. Otherwise, it turned out extremely well. Filed down the corners myself to get the perfect fit.
One problem that I have is the flash. The normal back glass is a plane of glass stretching across the LED in the back. Will either 3D print it, or, more realistically, just stick a spare Z3 Compact camera lens cover on it and call it a day. Any other suggestions are welcome.
Also, I'm not allowed to post images, since I made this account for this . If you're interested in the result, PM me.
Eric
P.S.: NFC doesn't work but reception is perfect.
Barrel_Trollz said:
I spent some time in the machine shop on campus yesterday, and, with the help of the assistants, made a metal back out of sheet aluminum.
The toughness is far superior to glass, and the strength is, too (the glass used on the Z3 Compact by default is somewhat pathetic).
From here, I was planning to first apply a brushed finish with an abrasive pad and WD-40 (thanks, YouTube) then either anodize (time to steal a HVPS from a hardware store?) black, or pay someone to apply a thermoset powder coat. Anodizing would probably yield better results, and be cheaper, but the scratch resistance on the aluminum is a bit low, so thermoset would help a bit. Oh, and the bottom left corner is a little bit off. Might get some silicone caulk and apply at the corner for waterproofing. Otherwise, it turned out extremely well. Filed down the corners myself to get the perfect fit.
One problem that I have is the flash. The normal back glass is a plane of glass stretching across the LED in the back. Will either 3D print it, or, more realistically, just stick a spare Z3 Compact camera lens cover on it and call it a day. Any other suggestions are welcome.
Also, I'm not allowed to post images, since I made this account for this . If you're interested in the result, PM me.
Eric
P.S.: NFC doesn't work but reception is perfect.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I assume that the glass they use for the camera lens is of a convex design such to scatter the light intensity for maximum coverage of the subject. It won't be so easy as just using any untreated material unless you want a dull-flash. Assuming you've already made your cuts to good tolerances, then why not just source your adhesives from the OEM itself? Save yourself some work. The proper way to apply those adhesives(as such to retain the water-resistant nature) is to use a hot plate up to 100 C and place it on the plate for a few seconds before pulling it off.
I'm mainly worried about the cut at the bottom left. It's not at all made to a good tolerance. I did buy the adhesive sticker, and I plan to use it, but some silicone wouldn't hurt on that one place.
Also, there is a bit of distortion when I look through it, so you're right. Not much I can do about it, though, but pray to the gods of diffraction.
allerd said:
@mike the pike
what a coincidence!
I have made a modell in FreeCad because I had the same idea like you. But I don't have a 3D printer, so my plan was to order it from a german company which offers to cut parts out of plastic plates.
I'am not a drawing or CAD profi, in fact this was my first experience with stuff like this, but I am pretty shure my modell is quite accurate. My only opportunity to test it, was to print a 1:1 sketch and compare it with the (broken) original backcover.
Feel free to use and modify my work, but please tell me if it works. :highfive:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, I didn't visit this site quiet a wile.
I lent me a radius-gauge and I think I found some good values.
Unfortunately I don't have them in mind, because I gave them to a colleague, how will 3D-print the cover for me.
As I only made hand-drawing, he will transcript it into any 3D-data-file, which I will provide you here, as soon as I received the results.
So stay tuned.
The cover for the camera is still usable and I plan to insert it into the new back-cover, but I'm quite at a loss about the flashlight.
p.s. Yesterday I mounted my 4th back-cover
Accurate 3D model and curves for creating z3c back cover:
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1998130
Mission complete
Hi all!
I finished my metal back cover. Still a new user, so can't post images, but I just wanted to let you guys know that I completed it and the phone is 100% functional (aside from NFC, RIP).
In the end, I anodized the aluminum and used a thin plastic sheet sealed with superglue around the flash (flash works fine BTW), and gave it a little brushed finish afterwards that cut into the anodized piece ever so slightly.
I'm very happy with it, the finish on this phone is unlike any I've ever felt. Smooth, yet solid, soft, yet sturdy. The phone is cool to the touch when in standby. The camera was a bit wonky at first, but as I pressed down into the metal back it stabilized, and now seems very resilient. The anodization itself didn't go all that smoothly (took four tries), with the metal part itself ending up with an uneven finish. It being black and brushed helps, as the texture undulates, making up for the inconsistencies.
I made a post to /r/Android with images and more details. Same username as on here. Go check it out if you're interested.
Eric
Mission also complete
I finished now my 3D-printed backcover and it is quite satisfying.
I made it by using the file railpl posted.
Unfortunately it is about half a mm to short so there is a small gap on the short side, but for me it is okay.
I used the lenscover from my old glassback and drilled a tiny hole for the flashlite.
So I think it is not waterproof anymore.