Maximum PC

I was looking for a new hobby and I thought that I would air brush the top side(when closed) of my laptop with a cool design or something.

I wondered, what steps should I take to do this properly without having flaked paint. I have never attempted to do anything like this so how do I prep the laptop, what special materials should I get, and I am open to designs if anyone wants to make a suggestion. btw, I am working with a blue background.

Can I find all my materials at a local walmart? And last, will this be a large financial commitment? In other words, give an estimate of how much the materials should cost?

Thanks,
Stick

I think I'd go to ebay & see if you can find a replacement top to practice on. That would be my #1.

Masking tape (look in the garage)
get some sticky adhesive paper (kinda cheep)
exato knife to cut out design ($1)
paint (look in garage)

I'm guessing not a lot of money.

One thing, if you have not done anything like this before.......

Paint gets EVERYWHERE in EVERYTHING. I would completely mask off the entire laptop including the sides and bottom before you shoot.

I went and picked up a few items and I could not find an airbrush. I went to walmart and meijer, neither one had an airbrush. Would I be able to tape the stencil on the laptop and brush the paint on with a small brush?

Or does someone know where to find an airbrush.

You should be able to buy one at an art store or online. Do a google advanced search, then click on froogle results.

So you did not go with the sticky adhesive paper?

no, I've never seen paper like that before. I will have to look harder I guess.

I am also still worried about applying too much paint and having it at a different elevation than the laptop. If you can picture the paint sticking up higher than the surface.

I bought these clear blank stencils. They are pretty much just plastic and you strace your design on one side and cut it out on the other side. Would I be able to tape that on, mask off the rest of the machine and blast?

this is my computer
http://www.yesky.com/20030303/dell_5100_030303_537.jpg

this is the design
http://bodyart.xiaan.com/Images/Tattoos/designSun.gif

and this is what I hope it will look like when I am done. Hopefully, and without the white(sorry bad photoshop job)
http://img107.exs.cx/img107/9652/dellmoded8fu.jpg

EDIT> ahh, I just flipped through this month's issue and noticed next month's issue is going to have a pc painting article. I will wait untill then before any paint is applied. I am also painting on plastic instead of metal. I wonder how that will effect the project.

looks cool, shouldnt be too hard to do that design, just make sure every crack of your computer has something over it to protect the sweet sweet insides. and keyboard and screen. But yeah, go to a local hobby shop or model store to find an airbrush.

If you guys are talking about what I think your talking about, taht paper is permanent unless he uses some sort of solvent, and then that ruins the paint, but if thats what ya need...

go to ACE hardware or some other hardware store and ask for "contact paper." they sell it by the yard, you can get clear, white, frosty, black, wood, lots of different designs.

hope that helps, not sure if thats what your looking for though...

Do your homework. The only way your going to be able to pull off a design like that considering the interfearance of the DELL design is to use adhesive paper.

Here is what you do.

Lay out a 1x1 foot piece of this stuff. tape the corners to a flat surface. Gently transfer your sun design via pen or pencil to the adhesive paper. Then take your time and cut it out with a very sharp x-acto knife. Get some 2" masking tape. Tape over the and press the entire surface you just cut on, making sure all the little pieces are still together.

Then, remove the backing from the adhisive tape, and slowly apply your design to the surface of the pooter. Remove the masking tape, and pluck out the areas you want to paint with your now dull x-acto knife.

Mask off the pooter, and paint away. Let dry, remove all masking and WALA! you've got yourself a custom pain job.

Note: That tape Chumly used for his mod looked dope. I'd try to find some of that.

Well, this is what I did.

I went to a hobby shop to look for an airbrush. They had 2 both about $70. Then a guy that worked there came up to me and I described what it was that I was doing. I picked out my paint(silver) and he told me that I might as well just brush it on(much cheaper). I guess the paint would be fine for this project.

I went home, covered my laptop with extra wide masking tape, layed the stencil of the design over the top and cut the shapes into the tape. Slowly peeled the shapes out and brushed the paint on carefully with a small brush. I am going to let it dry for a while. I touched it up a little bit already. How long should I wait until I peel the rest of the tape off?

I hope to make some pin striping when I remove the tape maybe using black. That should look good, and help to clean up any rough edges if there are any. I will definitely (note that it is spelled correctly) try practicing that because it looks very hard.

Well, sorry I didn't jump in earlier, but a brush job isn't going to cut it. It's too big of a design for a brush. It shouldn't come out too perfect like you'd want.

Airbrushing isn't for laying on one color. It's like an air powered artist's stick. If you want one color, rattlecan it. Airbrushing is for the more delicate work you can't lay down with the can. Feathered edges, fading, dots....that stuff. No need to spend money on a rig just to lay down one solid color with no effects. Same goes for a big syphon/gravity gun really. I can make my SATA do airbrush work and some awesome effects with the big thing. It's what I paid for.

That design could have been layed out with masking material, cut out gently with an xacto, and sprayed on with rattlecan paint.

Anyway, let is sit for an hour before you peel it off. If you wait longer, it'll be TOO hard and chips can break off breaking an intended line. At an hour or so, it's soft enough to break at the tape and conform.

Here is the final product.

(sorry the pic is so ginormous, it will show the detail better...)

I thought it came out pretty good for it being my first attempt at this sort of artform. I had to tilt the design sideways because if I didn't, I would have not had much of a design at all. That dell symbol got in the way more than I had anticipated. And you might also notice that it is not perfectly centered. I don't think its too bad though.

I am also glad that I went with silver instead of the black like I had origionally planned. I used the black for a little shadowing effect. In the end, there were way too many scratches and that pisses me off. But there was one huge one already there when I started. Ahh, well. Anyone have an idea on how to fix 'em? Remember... its plastic too. thx

Stick

How about clear coating over the scratches?

Bingo.

BTW Chumly, what did you think of MPC's case painting article this month? Kinda labor intensive from where I sit.... 2 grades of rubbing compound? Used to do that back in the day on vintage show cars, but what about warming the paint so you don't get orange peel in the first place then using some clearcoat? Easier is better IMO.

oc

I'm pretty disgruntled with Future Media right now. I still haven't recieve my issue, and just wrote a kind email suggesting that'll I'll just start driving over and picking the damn thing up. So, I'm not really sure on what they did. I'll have to read it sometime in March when I get it:p

I support rubbing compound on this stuff, but 2 kinds may be a little tedious IMO. There's some stuff my old boss has that really shines up a paintjob. Takes the little waves right out. I liked it, but haven't used it on my own stuff. Just my buddies bike that I was painting when I did that case. I then followed it up with good ol' wax and it just turned out looking sharp (I still like "The Wax Shop" stuff, and some "Eagle One" because it just smells like some armani cologne!).

And ya, I had some waves even with a good gun, but it's the nature of the paint really, and I'm still new to it I guess. I just remember lacquer going on smooth, then buffing it out. No itty bitty waves. I need more practice. I imagine their painter was a Master, and found it normal to do that double buff thing (my dad's a master and does all sorts of stuff I skip over, but I don't care! ). This stuff I had tried has some grit in it, and you did it by hand (no wheel like I was used to in Lacquer), so I can only assume the second was a much finer "grit" to finish it off with.

This orange peel thing has got me wondering where it went. I've layed this stuff on cold, wet, hot...nothing does it anymore! I think it's just too easy to lay down. Of course, I don't do it as quick as it's in the shop and usually BS about for a while, so it comes to room temp way before I think of doing any work. I'm slow like that. Maybe they're thinking of a different orange peel that we're thinking of. Orange peel to me is really bad, and not the waves I'm getting.
This is orange peel to me and usually not something I could rub out. The only cure is sanding it out and re-shooting it AFAIC.

What I get right after curing is this stuff below:

It's really really small waves...if that even. It's just a surface that isn't mirror. I wouldn't call it orange peel though. Maybe just mixed too thick or too fast of hardener, I dunno. But it's on each of my jobs, and it comes right out with gentle hand buffing.

Oh wait! I bet if anything...is that article using PPG!? I get crummy results with PPG almost all the time, and it's a real PITA to get right. Orange Peel is almost a guaranty somewhere when I use that stuff. I can't "Feel" the stuff, and the flow is just weird to me.

Yeah, we're on the same page on orange peel. It doesn't rub out when it's as bad as in the picture at that link. I've never seen anything peeled that bad. Bet they were bummed...

I don't consider the surface in the pic of your work orange peel at all. Like you said, a light rub and it's there.

After you shoot the color and rub it are you shooting clearcoat as well?

oc