Time 2 Mod! Free Kboard and Mousey

[apHytHiaTe]

Ok, please forgive my noobishness, but this is pretty much my first mod. (Some expirimentation before).

Here's the story. Someone gave the school and old beat-up MS keyboard and optical mouse. My boss let me take it home for free :D So, what better to do to an ugly looking mouse... Mod it!! :D

Heres the whole thing...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v367/aphythiate/DSC00593.jpg

Its hard to tell in this pic, but mouse is really grubby. Forgive my unsteady hand :o
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v367/aphythiate/DSC00595.jpg

I sanded everything down that was to be painted. The top part of the mouse got some 100 grit, then 150, then 220, and then 100 again, because Mom told me it wasn't rough enough for paint to stick to it... The bottom (grayish part) was a real bear to sand. The stupid gunk from the sticker never did come off :mad:, but i dont care. It got sanded with 100 then 150, then 100 again. I didnt really do it as well as the top part of the mouse, but oh well. I think paint would have stuck just as well with 150grit as 100.

Here's the mouse about to be painted:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v367/aphythiate/DSC00610.jpg

[SacLANd]

eh, if you use the "Fusion" paint then it doesn't matter what grit. and as long as you use a primer, paint will always stick.
it'll be better if you go up to 600-1000 grit.

[apHytHiaTe]

and as long as you use a primer, paint will always stick

My thoughts too, but I heeded moms advice...

Update:

1st coat of primer on:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v367/aphythiate/DSC00613.jpg

It fell in the grass!! :confused: Also the 100 was too much, there are scratches visible throught primer.

[bored-sarcasm]

looks like there's barely anything on there...anyway, keep us updated. looks good so far.

[apHytHiaTe]

looks like there's barely anything on there...anyway, keep us updated. looks good so far.
Well, i ended up putting on way too much. And thanks for the good words. It seems like no one is really interested, and I don't blame them. The darned thing is really being contrary. However, it will bend to my will. Gonna get some more sandpaper 2morrow afternoon.

[H]ere is the keyboard, ready to be painted, sans keys:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v367/aphythiate/DSC00616.jpg

The detail I left out of that prepping was to remove the plastic cover which covers the leds. :mad:

Now with the burnt orange main coat:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v367/aphythiate/DSC00617.jpg

I used the same primer, but much more sparingly, i think about 1 coat. It will need some fine sanding, and then a clearcoat or whatnot. The keys are clean enough for me, and i would never figure out how to put them back if i painted them. The last time i washed keys, i got impatient with nature's drying process, and stuck them in the oven. A few minutes later, smoke was coming out, and that mod attempt was over.

Thanks for looking, and any suggestions to help my noobery are w3Lc0M3.

-apHytHiaTe

[SacLANd]

someone earlier did a paintjob on his mx700 and used some kind of paint he said doesn't wear.
2 coats of primer is usually enough, then some light sanding on the primer.
then another 2-3 coats of paint, and 1-2 coats of clear.
Light coats, don't drench the thing or let it run.
before you put the clear on, put on the lettering.

[gigglebyte]

I believe THIS (http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=765336&highlight=mx700) is the thread you are talking about....and as for burnt orange...are you a UT (University of Texas and NOT Unreal Tournament) fan or just a glutton for punishment ;)

[apHytHiaTe]

I do like UT, but I just saw it at the store, and it looked cool. I was thinking about burnt orange before, tho. It's really not that burnt, a little too bright for my taste.

[apHytHiaTe]

Not really much to update...

I didn't get my stinking sandpaper, and its gonna rain, so tough luck for me. However i am restarting on the mousey.

[apHytHiaTe]

The Keyboard and two thirds of my mouse are in the oven. Mouse gets the orange coat tomorrow and the keyboard gets clearcoated tomorrow.

[UT-Jackal]

I go to UT and i want that mouse :D

[apHytHiaTe]

Lol man, sorry i just added some blue to it. I'll do a custom mouse for you if u want it...

Hook 'em!

EDIT: You do realize that's just the primer on the mouse.... the color of the keyboard is the orange...

[UT-Jackal]

yeah i wasnt quite getting the yellow...
Do you currently go to UT?

[apHytHiaTe]

Oh my gosh, i am so lazy!

k here's the whole thing painted
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v367/aphythiate/DSC00633.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v367/aphythiate/DSC00628.jpg

pieces of mouse
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v367/aphythiate/DSC00625.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v367/aphythiate/DSC00624.jpg

upclose mouse
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v367/aphythiate/DSC00623.jpg

comparison to the same model keyboard
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v367/aphythiate/DSC00629.jpg

assembled
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v367/aphythiate/DSC00640.jpg

keyboard assembled
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v367/aphythiate/DSC00642.jpg

mousey assembled
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v367/aphythiate/DSC00641.jpg

gratuitous shot of my silver, unused mouse
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v367/aphythiate/DSC00632.jpg

monitor in pic #6
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v367/aphythiate/DSC00630.jpg

moron wearing tinfoil and cutting torch goggles, er... defending himself from govt. interceptor waves
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v367/aphythiate/DSC00635.jpg

slideshow of all my photobucket crap (http://photobucket.com/albums/v367/aphythiate/?action=view&slideshow=true)

Ok so there was the good. Here comes a bit of sad/bad news. I used an oven to cure the paint @ approx 180-185. Bad idea--way too high!! The plastic warped, and neither or the two are usable. Well that taugt me a lesson! Plus, the paint makes your food taste kinda funny when you cook again....

more cool news tho... i gots me some more supplies, including metalicast red+ground coat, sandpaper from 40-1500 grit, a neato rubber sandy thingie and more ideas.

Hopefully , i have leaned my lessons with ovens, and will do better painting/modding in the future. Visions of mx duos and intellimouse explorers are floating in my little peabrain, so untill next time, peace and God bless. so sorry for making you wait a long time, because i have been done for weeks lol, but school started. excuses, excuses.... l8r dayz

[ninethreeeleven]

I was deffinetly guessing he was a Lady Vol (http://utladyvols.collegesports.com/) fan.

Jackal I went to UT for a year and a half (in 98 when they won the Championship) I will never get those colors out of my head. This is almost exactly the colors of the lady vols, which if he is not a fan is a pretty strange coincidence.

EDIT: I think i made a mistake here, do you go to Univ. of Tennessee or Univ. of Texas, because while close, those are not the UTexas colors, thier the UTenn. colors, thats why I assumed you went to UTK (UTenn Knoxville for all those out of the mix.) [/hijack over]

[dargon]

Oh my gosh, i am so lazy!
slideshow of all my photobucket crap (http://photobucket.com/albums/v367/aphythiate/?action=view&slideshow=true)


Heh, Photobucket just craps all over itself when you try that link. Asks for a password, etc.

[cgrant26]

That thing totally makes me think "Miami Dolphins" lol. Nice job. :)

[apHytHiaTe]

Heh, Photobucket just craps all over itself when you try that link. Asks for a password, etc.

Sorry, was afraid of that. Mostly its just crapshots that werent good enough to post.

Really, I am a UT fan, but that wasnt the reason for this, most of it was on impulse. Now, ive got some red metalcast, and u guys cant accuse me of being a fan of some team ;)

Ino thats not a color scheme most of you would choose, and i concur. Its cool, but not my choice. Red or blue, or possibly purple flake are my choices. Well, if i feel like i want nvidia, i might even go green.

[Garage81]

GO GATORS!

them are florida colors.