Qbert, the iBook

What happens when a gearhead (dad) and a geek (me) do something with an iBook? Monster iBook of course.

Well with all of $20 and about 4 hours of mostly watching movies while waiting for the paint to dry, you get a multicolor iBook.

Ingredients

  • iBook G4.
  • 1.5mm hex wrench.
  • Masking tape.
  • Exacto type knife.
  • Sandpaper, a piece of 400 grit.
  • Plain white paper towels, for painting on and for cleaning up the overspray after.
  • Something to hold the cover above the paper towels while you paint. the roll of masking tape will work.
  • Dupli-color Mirage paint kit Available at any auto parts store. Do NOT substitute cheap paint, you'll only save $2-3 anyway. Pick a color you really like, you'll have it a long time ;)
  • A garage. Or somewhere else to paint.

Instructions

Oh like you're gonna follow them anyway? So after you go screw it all up, you can use some paint remover to ... then READ THE INSTUCTIONS. Read them on the Dupli-color website.

Tips

  • If you've never done multi-coat/step painting before, find someone who has. Else practive on something else first!
  • Taking the cover off the iBook is easy, 4 screws, then it just pops off when you pry back the upper corners.
  • When you pop the apple logo out, by slowly prying it up (with a putty knife ideally) - be patient. Oh, and duck.
  • Sand the top surface of the cover in circles until it's lost all it's shine. Not much pressure is needed. Then wash it well with dish soap, from this point on you will NOT touch the cover with your hands no matter how clean you think they are.
  • for the 12" iBook, you can just set a normal piece of paper in the inside of the removed cover, tape around it, and trim the tape off. Also cover the now open apple icon with tape from the inside.
  • Dust, dust bad. Very bad.
  • Ventilation good, brain damage not so good.
  • Did i mention reading the painting instuctions?
  • When you remove the tape and trim the paint edges at the end, take your time.
  • The clear apple logo should just pop back in, if you kept the goo tape clean, you dont need to replace it.
  • I just did the cover, but removing the bottom case of an iBook is possible, tho involves alot more work. And a 2mm hex, a small screwdriver, some twezers for the feets, etc. Plus, you're making heat dissipation all that more difficult for your iBook :( I also wanted to be able to swap out any iBook battery later.
  • You can also mod the apple, clear colored paints, or even watercolors work well.
  • If you take the paper that's between the apple and the LCD backlight out, it wil be far brighter, but kinda uneven. (I left it in)
  • If i did it again, it would probably take about 3 hours from start to finish, plus the 24 hours of final dry time.

Pics

Taking photographs of paint that changes colors based on the light levels, angles, and and the airspeed of an african swallow, is NOT easy. These pictures are terrible. It varies from bright emerand green to a deep purple, always sparkly. But of course, you will be choosing the colors YOU like.

Snoring, large angle - plum purple...

Awake, straight on - emerald green...