Well it's me again.
This time, i had some spare time and thought of making something i wanted to do for some time ago. It's my first time doing this (although i'm familiar with the process since i use it for PCB making) but i thought i should give it a try. And in great recognition of what the XDA community enabled us - the users - to do with our phones, i wanted to brand my phone's battery cover with the XDA logo next to the andoid logo, the thing (os) that xda developers made possible to us. Ah and in the xda spirit, i thought it would be kind of cool to handcraft the design of that battery cover.
Here's the story of today's afternoon for me
...and possibly a guide for you, daring folks around there who just happen to have a spare scratched and ugly looking battery cover like i did
So.. i had this hd2 battery cover, from a dead HD2 that i have (poor fellow died during testing of the cpu bga problems and my tries to find a fix for them). The battery cover was in really bad shape, scratched, the finish was torn out.. looked like... crap.
I saw a topic around here about how to make your battery cover to a chrome-like finish by using some sandpaper and stuff like that. I think the idea is good, but the result is well... too shiny for my taste...and i want a "custom made one". I also wanted to have the xda and android logos onto the battery cover but i could not afford some laser etching on it, i can't even find one shop to do this here were i live in Romania. So here's how i did it.
1. I opted for a brushed metal design. A clear look design is just to shiny for my taste and... well, i guess it scratches more easily. So, using sandpaper, i've begun clearing away the original paint on the battery cover. When i was done with that, i begun sanding in only one direction and in straight line, in order to have a more symmetrical brushed metal look.
After some time sanding and after changing the sandpaper roughness to more finer ones, here's how it looked. Note that this is not the final design.
2. Next i needed some sort of logo - the stuff i'll be putting on the battery cover. I googled around, and got the xda text and android logo. I've edited them to a black&white design (you'll see later why..) and it looked like this.
3. I mirrored the logo, using irfan view and selecting horizontal flip from the image dropdown menu. You'll also see why. Then I've printed the logo onto a glossy a4 paper sheet, like the ones used for foto printing. I've used a laser printer, this is really necessary, inkjet ones won't work for what i'm about to do. You'll also see why
4. I draw some guiding lines for helping me center the image once i place the battery cover over it. Here's how i did.
5. I now placed the battery cover over the sheet of paper, using the lines i already drawn as a template to help me center it. As the image is mirrored, as you may guess, i will be transferring the logo from the paper to the metal surface and once there, it will look normal (not mirrored). More on that later. I also secured the paper to the battery cover with some electrical tape. Don't get upset, you'll also see why.
6. Well, i did use some fair amount of electrical tape to secure that piece of paper to the metallic surface. It needs to be as stretched as possible, not able to move around.
7. I used a smoothing iron (i don't know the exact word in english, aah, that thing you use to smooth out clothes) to heat up and press the piece of paper to the metallic surface. I pressed the iron and move it around the logo zone for about 15 minutes, at maximum temperature. Because the battery cover is not exactly flat, i was careful to follow the contour in order to leave no metal part unheated.
8. I then placed the heated battery cover with the paper on it, under a jet of cold water. I left it under the water for 15 minutes. This is important. The water must be cold, never use hot water.
9. I carefully begun peeling of the paper from the metallic part.
10. I peeled of almost all the paper, one thin layer still remained over the logo area. Don't rush things, place it under a water jet for yet another 5 minutes.
11. Ahh, there it is, the thing starts to look like something, ain't it
12. In the photo above, you can see that the toner from the paper was transferred to the metallic piece. That's why you need a laser printer, because of this property of it's toner. And also that's why you needed to heat it up with the iron. In fact, you're simulating what the laser printer does every time when you print something. Well, you done it on a curved metal piece.
In this last picture you'll also see that the logo isn't exactly 100% black, there are some grey or white spots on it. That's residual paper left over it. If you carefully rub it with your finger or a fine brush, you can actually remove it if you insist. You'll get a pure black logo (or other color if you wish and if you have a color laser printer available). At this stage you could also stop, if you like a black/color logo. You could then apply some lacquer, the spray-able variety to preserve the surface from scratches. I chose another design so i will go on with some other steps from here.
13. If you want something different, you may skip rubbing the logo to remove all the paper. If the logo looks as in the above picture, you're good to go for the next step. Remove the metallic piece from the jet of water and let it dry. If while it's wet you see that the black toner has gone away from some points, you'll need to use a little bit of paint to cover them out (you'll also see why). So if you see points where the toner is gone (after you removed the paper at the 9-10 steps) try to memorize where the areas affected are, then let the piece of metal to dry out for some half hour. After it's dry, you'll probably see that it turned kind of gray or even white-ish. It's no problem, it's normal, but it will be harder now to see those affected areas i was talking about before. That's why you memorized them. Now use a paint marker (one that has real paint in it, not the ones used to write on cd's or similar to those) or if you can't get one, you may also use some fingernail polish. Make some small dots over the affected areas. After you complete this, let the paint/fingernail polish to dry out. Be careful not to spoil the logo YOU WILL HAVE TO START OVER FROM STEP 1 IF YOU GET IT WRONG HERE... and that sucks )
14. After the paint has dried out, place the metallic piece under a water jet again. Cold water. Remove it after 1 minute, recheck for afected areas, if you still find them, you'll have to let the thing dry out again, and cover those parts with paint dots, again.
Here's mine.
and here's once i've done with the painting
After you're done, leave the whole thing to dry out for about 1 hour.
15. Get yourself some ferric chloride. You can get it from electronic components store, radioshack etc. It's used in electronics by hobbyists who want to etch their own pcb's. You'll need this stuff also. About 300ml will do.. The stuff is toxic, you don't want to touch it or spill it over clothes or other things, it will leave out some nasty spots that you can't remove. Use some gloves while handling this stuff. Now pour the ferric chloride into a plastic recipient big enough to fit the battery cover into.
Well i ignored the safety tip, but i'm being careful, i know the stuff, have been working with it for some good years.
16. Now you want to drop the battery cover...into the black stuff . Drop it with the logo side up. NOT DOWN. I really mean it. UP. Carefully swing the plastic recipient, just enough to move the liquid around. Try not to expose the metallic part, you must keep it submerged all the time. If you want to check the progress, be quick, lean the plastic recipient to one side just to expose the metallic piece, look at it, but then quickly lean the recipient back and keep the metallic piece submerged. Prolonged exposure to air in this stage can ruin your progress.
Here's how mine looks after 5 minutes into the ferric chloride. You'll be wanting to keep the metallic plate there for about 15-20 minutes. If you let it longer it will turn to a more darker color. If you let it just for 10 minutes you'll get a light gray. However you can't get an uniform black (or something as dark as an original battery cover) because if you let it this much you risk that the ferric chloride attacks the toner and paint surface, making holes in it or braking it apart.
Like i've said, here's the thing after 5 minutes. I want to let it for another 10-15 minutes.
17.
Once you left it for enough time, lean back the plastic recipient and look at the metallic piece once more. Take note that the color you see now will get a bit lighter once the whole process is finished. If you're satisfied, prepare a big water boll and quickly remove the metallic piece from the ferric chloride and drop it in the water. Be as quick as possible, while being careful not to drop the ferric chloride. Use gloves when doing this. Once the metallic piece is in the water, steer up the water with your hand.
Here's how mine looks now.
Your plate could be lighter or darker at this stage, depending on how much you left it in the ferric chloride. Don't worry if the color is not uniform. Instead, while the plate is still under water, get yourself a kitchen sponge, the one with one abrasive side and with the metallic plate still under water start rubbing it on the direction of the original brushed metal design you made in the start. Rub in only one direction, with the sponge and the plate always under water and continue to do so until the color becomes more uniform. Then use some isopropyl alcohol (also from radioshack - or the place you got the ferric chloride from.. they should also have this) and remove the metallic board from under the water. Now while the thing is still wet (don't let it dry!!!), get another sponge (clean dry one) and pour some isopropyl alcohol on the abrasive part and start rubbing the metallic piece once more, on the same and only direction (not back and forth). Rub in a parallel direction with the original scratches that makes your "brushed" design. The isopropyl alcohol should begin to disolve the toner and the paint. It should also help you to remove residual oxides left since you placed the metallic piece into the ferric chloride.
Here's my progress.
toner is starting to break down
18. aaaand... in the end, if you did it right, you should have something like this :
19. once the surface is of uniform color, wash the whole thing under a jet of hot water with some soap to remove any residues left by the chemical processes.
20. You're done! Now you have your custom made-hand crafted-geeky-logo. The logo itself won't peel off and the surrounding stuff is actually chemically embedded into the metal by a process similar to industrial aluminum anodizing (the same process used to cure aluminum used in unibody designs). Although it is scratch resistant to some degree, you may want to use some spray lacquer to protect your work.
I haven't got any lacquer yet but i'll use some if i can get some quality stuff. Here are some more photos with the thing so far.
(please excuse the photo quality, my camera and it's flash produces a weird looking effect, it seems that the metallic thing is kind of made from small dots, not brushed metal.. damned thing.. guess i'll be needing a new one)
...and a small video (with the same crappy camera)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtuRn02lPgY
Well, all in all, i like the thing. It's my first try at this, although i've done dozens of toner transfers to copper pcb's. I cannot be perfect at first try, probably neither you guys but is a good DIY afternoon fun.
I would also like to thank the xda community for giving me such a good times with my hd2's along with my other htc phones in the past. XDA has become such a successful community because of it's dedicated developers and users. I'm proud to wear the xda letters next to my phone.
PS: i promise i will also add a website link in the next version, if i get a new and more powerful iron, i was afraid this one won't be hot enough to heat the thing properly and transfer smaller text or details
amazing stuff dude!!!
i had lots of fun reading it and seeing the progress along the way and you've explained all the steps really well...the result speaks for itself!
++respect!
you my friend always surprise me, first with thermal solution and than THIS awesome " discovery ", thanks again .
Just like the user above said!
+respect Sir Facdemol!
awweeeeeeeeeeeeesome!!!!!
awesome....but tedious !
Its pretty cool but alot of work
Sent from the land were pigs fly
fantastic. really nicely done!
Love the mod.
thanks for the feedback
the mod took me about 3-4 hours to make. More complex designs are possible, ore similar designs on a mirror like finish. If the HD2 had an aluminum case.. hahah, that would have been fun...
I would vote for you for King of the HD2 hardware!
Very well done. I very well may have to try this. My battery cover is starting to look very bad.
OMG this is amazing! I may need to buy a metal backing for my phone just so I can do this.
this really looks sooo amazing. gread work!
That's bloody impressive! Might have to do this to my HD2
Damn that's awesome
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using XDA Premium App
Holy crabcakes. That's rad
. . NS4G . . MIUI . .
Is it for sale? (jk)
Really really nice, I like it!
+1 on everything was said!
Amazing. Well done!
Awesome!
Very very cool!
WOW! "applause"
Related
Something I always liked about my Kaiser was having a lanyard attached to it. I did this after dropping it a couple of times due to it slipping out of my hand.
As the HD2 is even more slippery in my fingers and probably more likely to shatter or break on dropping, I was disappointed that there was no lanyard hole.
I contemplated drilling a hole in battery cover but didn't have a drill. So I've duct taped a lanyard onto the back, a la the attached pic.
First I lay the lanyard ring on the back and threaded duct tape through it, locking the lanyard ring to the phone. Then I layered a bit more duct tape on top to give it some strength.
It may look a bit messy and I could have done it neater. At the end of the day it will (hopefully) stop me dropping and breaking a £500 phone which I'm happy about. It's also surprisingly strong and will give an indication before it eventually gives way. Takes about 2 minutes.
Edit: Ugly duct tape method replaced by neater black tape version.
Edit2: Video howto added: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yL3owsWT3E4
Disclaimer: If you try this and end up dropping your HD2 anyway, I accept no responsibility!
That could be the worst monstrosity to a HD2 Ive ever seen.
Haha, you may be right. But I don't have a mobile phone to look pretty, I have it to use it and rely on it to be working when I need it, not broken into 100 pieces on the floor.
Here's a neater black tape version. Not sure it will be as strong as the first though.
Biffy said:
Here's a neater black tape version. Not sure it will be as strong as the first though.
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Click to collapse
looks sooo fragile , also u should try take it to a gravire-er if u dont have a drill and make a hole suitable
Job done no messing!
I can't understand why HC didnt add a lanyard bar and at the end of the day your solution will work and probably save your phone one day.
Nice graduated background on your photo and good image quality, what camera did you use?
It's the Panasonic FT1. A little waterproof compact.
Combining duct tape as the first layer and then black tape over for neatness is the best solution so far.
I've also considered super gluing the lanyard into the 3.5mm jack, but know I'd regret doing it straight after!
well, you guys aint the first to do this.
i invented a similar design a few weeks ago, mine used a 1" belt, meaning it can be strapped to your waist any time you like, safe as houses and pretty cool aesthetically
Final version
After a bit of testing, this is the final method I will use.
Some folded black tape under the battery cover. The battery cover adds extra strength to the tape and it looks so much neater than the Duct tape.
to be honest, that is just ugly. sorry.
I also missed such a whole for it, as I also did that with my Kaiser.
Now I sticked to a Silicon/Plastic Combi Case
why dont you get a jelly case or something like that and you can make hole in it. tape will hold fora few days only
I'm going to get a case as well I think. But the tape solution outlined which is partly under the battery case will last a lot longer than a few days.
The tape should only be under any pressure if you're about to drop your HD2, which won't be that often and then the weight isn't that great.
I think it's a great idea, and the 'under battery cover' mod (V 1.3? ) looks fine. I'm going to try copying it so I can clip it to my handbag, but with fishing line for the loop.
Mariad said:
I think it's a great idea, and the 'under battery cover' mod (V 1.3? ) looks fine. I'm going to try copying it so I can clip it to my handbag, but with fishing line for the loop.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I agree. The third version looks nice and clean! The only question is: What did you attach the tape to? To the cover itself? Because I wonder how much strength it requires to pull off the cover and if that wouldn't happen if the device falls...
EDIT: I love how you labeled this a "hack"!
I attached the tape to the plastic under the cover, where the sim card is. I'll put a quick video together to illustrate.
I left it hanging by the lanyard last night, for about 7 hours, 7 feet in the air, no probs. It's not intended to be pulled as hard as a regular lanyard loop may be, but for a precaution if the phone slips from your hands. And then it will be fine.
And here's the not very good howto video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yL3owsWT3E4
I dont mean to jinx you or anything, but the piece of string from the lanyard could easily split the single layer of duct tape where it's folded.. that's going to be where the weak point is....especially considering the weight of the HD2. It's not going to matter how many pieces of tape you've got under the batter cover.
Now if you were to have your HD2 on a desk or in your pocket, the temptation of grabbing it by the lanyard will be there... or if someone else decided to yank the lanyard.....
I'd suggest trying that method of attachment on something of a similar weight and shaking it around for a bit to see how the duct tape handles.
Remember... the HD2 screen is thin glass... One drop on a hard surface or if it lands at the wrong angle, it'll be time to order a new one!
I've tested it by pulling far more strongly on the lanyard than it ever would be subjected to in real use. I was able to pull it hard about 20 times before the tape started to give way. By then it was visibly starting to tear away, so you should have a good warning before it breaks. It will perfectly suit my needs anyway and I might try doubling the tape up for more strength next. Also, I think this could be improved by using even stronger tape.
Very good on the last release.
Great idea, man.
I'm going to try, but I've only two left hands....
Pink strap should be nice too ;-)
DISCLAIMER: I am not responsible if you break your phone doing this. I am not telling anyone to do this, I am just sharing how I did it. If anyone tries it, post up your results!
Read through all of the steps, and if anything seems too difficult for you, do not try this. There is a good chance you will break something if you aren't completely confident.
Hey guys, I just wanted to share how I dyed my phone black (and people wanted to know lol). This is very dangerous, and this is no task AT ALL for the faint hearted. It is very easy to BREAK your phone doing this. In fact, to do one part you have to technically break the phone (hence why only experts should try this) but it will still work fine. Anyways, check out the pics attached!
MAD Props to xweaponx over at PPCGeeks for being the first (I believe) to try using RIT dye on their phones (the Touch Pro battery door).
Steps:
Pre-Step: Go to the nearest convienience store and pick up some RIT dye. It can be the powder or concentrate stuff, doesn't matter.
1. Take your phone completely apart. Follow this great tutorial here: http://androidforums.com/sprint-htc-hero/22036-sprint-htc-hero-disassembly-diy.html When you get to the trackball, remember which way to put it in, cause if you don't put it in the right way, you will start freaking out cause none of the panel buttons will reach the mainboard and they won't work!
2. Once you get to the end, this is the part where you have to be careful! You need to pull the screen off. This is very VERY dangerous too. You have to use an iPod pry tool or maybe a guitar pick or something plastic and thin. This screen is very tightly glued to the body, so this is going to be hard. GO SLOW. No need to risk breaking your glass screen
3. Once the screen is out, there are two more things you have to do. Use a tiny flathead screwdriver to pop out the earpiece. MAKE SURE: you know which way the earpiece is in, because when you re assemble it, you have to put it in the right way or you will have no sound out of the earpiece which can be very scary haha. Once that is out, take that same screwdriver to actually break off the End and Send buttons (right where they are connected to the body). If you don't feel comfortable doing this, don't try this at all, because if you don't do this step, the buttons will curl and not fit in the holes at all.
4. Now, you're phone should be completely apart. Make sure there is still nothing electronic on the housing of the phone.
5. Nows the fun part! Boil a pot of water. Once it is boiling, turn the heat slightly down to just under a boil, and pour some RIT dye of the color of your choice into the water. Use more dye for a more intense color, less for a more subtle change. Make sure you stir it up well.
6. Now, put the two housing pieces (the facial housing, and the battery cover) into the hot but not boiling water. Stir gently for about 10-20 minutes, checking on the color like an Easter egg.
7. Once your desired color is achieved, take out the pieces, and quickly run them under luke warm water, and gradually make the water colder. Keep rinsing until the rinse off water is completely clear. If you stop too early you might have a color bleeding problem (onto your hands) later. Use something like a paper towel or tissue to sop up the last bit of the dye so you do not have that color bleeding problem later. Let the pieces dry for a while.
8. Once the pieces are completely dry, put the phone back together using the guide I liked in step one (follow in reverse obviously ). Make sure you put the earpiece in the correct way like mentioned above.
9. If you followed everything, you should have a sweet looking original phone!
With all of this said, only do this if you feel like you can. And remember that disclaimer up at the top. Not my fault if you break it! If you do try this, post up your results! I wanna see all the colors anyone tries, or even if you did it black.
great tutorial, thanks! Looks nice
never thought of using dye, Great idea!
morbidpete said:
never thought of using dye, Great idea!
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Click to collapse
Got the original idea from xweaponx over at PPCGeeks when he did it to his touch pro battery door. Mad props to him for coming up with this great idea!
a darker, Hunter Green would look really nice as well
coldsweat said:
a darker, Hunter Green would look really nice as well
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Click to collapse
I agree! I was also thinking a nice darker blue would look pretty good too. If anyone else wants to try this, I really wanna see what kinda colors they pick
One thing to add: When you're done and they're dry, rub them for a few minutes with a tissue, to get the excess color off so it doesn't stain your hands/face/clothes as you use the phone. learned that the hard way with my TP.
entropism said:
One thing to add: When you're done and they're dry, rub them for a few minutes with a tissue, to get the excess color off so it doesn't stain your hands/face/clothes as you use the phone. learned that the hard way with my TP.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, I'll add that into the end of the tutorial!
Thats a great idea! I might try to die mine a dark blue
But how much would the dye cost, and where can I get a 'T-6 Torx' screwdriver
You can get the screwdrivers at any hardware store. A T4, 5 and 6 will have you set for damn near any cell phone out.
The dye is $2/per pack at Walmart, make sure you get the powdered and not the liquid. 1 pack will easily fill a 3 quart pot and dye as many backs as you need.
One thing about dark colors: Do NOT buy them, because your backs will come out nearly black. If you buy the royal blue and let it sit in the dye longer, you'll get navy-ish, kind of dark purple. Same with red to maroon, emerald to forest, etc.
Be VERY careful as the housing WILL curl up on you if you don't pay attention. Use rubber coated tongs and stir the pot lightly and constantly.
entropism said:
You can get the screwdrivers at any hardware store. A T4, 5 and 6 will have you set for damn near any cell phone out.
The dye is $2/per pack at Walmart, make sure you get the powdered and not the liquid. 1 pack will easily fill a 3 quart pot and dye as many backs as you need.
One thing about dark colors: Do NOT buy them, because your backs will come out nearly black. If you buy the royal blue and let it sit in the dye longer, you'll get navy-ish, kind of dark purple. Same with red to maroon, emerald to forest, etc.
Be VERY careful as the housing WILL curl up on you if you don't pay attention. Use rubber coated tongs and stir the pot lightly and constantly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How do you prevent this? and i'm assuming this breaks your warranty, because it is pretty clear that the phone was dyed.
lol, yeah, say goodbye to your warranty. As to how you prevent it: keep the heat low, for one. Bring it to a low boil, then put the heat on the very lowest setting you can. You don't want this bubbling at all. Heck, you can do this easily with the water just barely steaming hot. Stir constantly, and pull it out of the water to check the color and to see if it's starting to warp.
mine is black too, all i had to do was buy a $5 gel cover off ebay. looks great and protects my phone. somedays i'm feeling grey so i remove the gel cover and trust gadget guard's full skin and invisible shield's front protection.
yeah i'm picky like that.
lol i did this back in the day to my tp and i had a purple battery cover for a while till i got my hero, tehehe
Hmm, just brainstorming here, but do you with there might be a way to leave part of the phone undyed? Like with a wax crayon or something like that. Wax crayon is probably not realistic but you get my point.
Vrekk, it's possible. I remember in the TP thread, someone was using vinyl adhesive stickers to keep the dye off their phones, leaving it the stock color when they removed it. Looked tacky, IMHO, but it's certainly possible.
entropism said:
You can get the screwdrivers at any hardware store. A T4, 5 and 6 will have you set for damn near any cell phone out.
The dye is $2/per pack at Walmart, make sure you get the powdered and not the liquid. 1 pack will easily fill a 3 quart pot and dye as many backs as you need.
One thing about dark colors: Do NOT buy them, because your backs will come out nearly black. If you buy the royal blue and let it sit in the dye longer, you'll get navy-ish, kind of dark purple. Same with red to maroon, emerald to forest, etc.
Be VERY careful as the housing WILL curl up on you if you don't pay attention. Use rubber coated tongs and stir the pot lightly and constantly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can use the dark colors just fine, you just need to use less dye. The pack is meant for gallons of water, not a 3 quart pot. For example, if you buy the navy blue back, if you put 1/4th of the package in a 3 quart pot, you will get a nice navy (maybe a little lighter) blue.
I literally made dozens of touch pro backs with this method, with pretty much any color you could think of. You can mix and match dyes to get different colors as well. Obviously you only get one shot at it with your phone, so find some old touch pro backs or something and do it with that first.
For best results on removing the "glass" part of the housing, use a hair dryer (on low or medium, high will probably melt your case) to warm up the glue. I just removed one and it took about 15 seconds with no damage, becauase the glue was nice and warm and just came apart.
fyi...it will eventually wear off. it did on my tpro battery door.
zikronix said:
fyi...it will eventually wear off. it did on my tpro battery door.
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My diamond wore off as well, but if i remember correctly it was months later.
You don't even need to remove the "glass". Unless you have scratches on it, it just won't dye, can't adhere to that plastic.
Polishing plastic is the same as polishing anything. The one major concern is what you use and making sure it is chemically compatible with the material you are polishing. Test it by doing the inside and apply and rub lightly then look at after it sat for 30 seconds or so. You will be able to see if it reacting or not.
Second thing, is how deep the scratch is, because if it is real deep you will polish out the scratch and the result is a dip in the material where the scratch used to be as a result of removing enough material to get the scratch to disappear.. That itself may be a worse than the original scratch..... it all depends. So, you have to use your discerning eye to evaluate is the "fix worse than the existing damage".
a Light very shallow scratch--- you can use rotten stone (get at a art supply or some hardware stores) and linseed oil. You can use other oils but this one is the standard historically (because this is the oil that makes up oil paint in artist paints). Take a few drops of the oil and put on the surface to be polished and apply a little of the rotten stone and rub in a circular motion with a soft cloth (I like an old tee shirt 100 % cotton). The advantage of doing this method is the rotten stone is the cutting and polishing agent. That means you can control how much you want to use. Use more at first, clean it off and use less the second time, then on the final pass use even less. You can make plastic look like optical glass with enough effort. Try to refrain from using a machine to speed up the process... doing this as it will heat up the surface and REALLY F-UP the whole thing. I have had excellent results doing repairs this way.Just doing by hand takes longer and more patience.
If the scratch is really deep then, you can live it OR.... you find a compatible clear hard setting plastic glue or fill (this can be hard to find you need to know what the material really is) that will correctly bond to the material that needs repair. Now--- you will need to fill the scratch (divit) with this carefully, only filling the scratch and then let set for 24 hours or until it is totally dry. Then do the exact procedure as mentioned above. Remember.... if you use fill the surfacing MUST be perfectly clean otherwise, you will trap debris in the fix.
This fix can be done on almost anything as long as the material will not absorb the oil of grab the rotten stone. There are other things you can use but this is what we use when repairing antique and ancient items. hope that helps-- good luck
I need tips on gluing down this piece of plastic that's for the camera flash that runs into the vibrating motor when it comes loose, I tried super glue but it didn't adhere at all to the phone or the flash after 15 minutes, and wiped up 100% clean with a piece of cloth
I've got everything from Epoxy, Crazy glue, probably some other stuff that I can't think of off the top of my head. will probably end up having to mix together a bit of epoxy won't I? don't really care to send it in for repairs, would rather fix it myself and not have to wait a week or 2, no backup phone D:
i've run into this problem TWICE so far...
first time was about 7-8 months ago...opened up my HD2 (after viewing the disassembly video) and pushed the flash cover back into its place. it clicks into place, with four "pegs" (one on each corner of the flash cover).
about 10 days ago, it fell back in...again! it was probably because my friend was rolling and turning and flipping my "precious" in his hands. so i figured, i can train myself to not apply pressure on the flash cover...but what the hell do i do about fidgety individuals who aren't so careful with my HD2?
i opened it up, this time i removed the flash cover and took a good long look at it. notice there is a depressed border along the circumference of the flash cover when looking at the cover's "outside" face. i took a dab of super glue and let it stretch into a "string", which i then laid down on the depressed border along the circumference. then i quickly snapped the flash cover back into its place...the "pegs" felt more snug this time...i hope it takes!
anyway, thats what i have done, only been 10 days...if you want to give super glue another shot using my method, only advice i can give is to keep the glue AWAY from the dark grey casing of the HD2 and to keep the glue AWAY from the areas of the flash cover where the flash shines through. both of these surfaces seem to deform easily due to the super glue's chemical properties. i got glue on a small 0.2mm x 0.2mm area on the flash cover that is visible after reassembly if one looks closely.
EDIT: i should add that when i say "super glue", i am actually talking about a local product manufactured here called "elfy", which i always though was a knock-off of super glue. this stuff doesn't wipe off with a cloth after 15 mins...so there is something different between the "elfy" i'm using and your "super glue"
DISCLAIMER: I am not responsible for any unwanted damage you may cause to your device, this is to be a sharing of an idea which happened to work for me and a sort of framework for how you may also accomplish this.
So basically, I despise how terribly fingerprints show on my G4's edge, that's a nit pick. My main complaint is that because it's a glossy plastic, it gets scratched very easily and shows that just as bad, not to mention it's obviously plastic masking as metal and not doing a good job, or more simply put, makes this flagship look cheap. I had a vision of a G4 with a flat black edge, I thought I'd grab a nail file from my bathroom -the giant popsicle stick ones- and use it to gently wear away at the shiny coating. My nail file had two sides, a fine side and a coarser side, I used the fine side exclusively with higher pressure strokes in the beginning to remove the shiny coating, using gentler and broader strokes to smooth, got one of those crazy nail file tools that have multiple sides and are made of two sides with softer layers of material in between, the two sides are also split into different functions, ones usually a buffer and the other is a super fine nail file, fine than the former one.....then I used this same tool to buff and clean up the edges and make sure all is smooth and nice, worked excellently, can also probably use super fine sandpaper and a cloth.
My back plate was off and battery removed, I used the popsicle nail file one side at a time starting with rougher strokes to get rid of the shiny coating -which will distinctly flake away as white little crumbs of plastic- it will take a few passes to completely strip the coating off the edge, you'll notice it lingers like a sort of residue as it contrasts quite distinctly against the revealed plastic, once the coating is nonexistent begin to smooth and finish the side until it is uniform in color and looks completely smooth, you want to keep the direction of the strokes consistent as it will impact the uniformity and smoothness, I went horizontally around the phone if it were laying flat and that gave me great results, give the corners some extra attention but its the same idea, and thanks to the battery back being off I was able to make the finish meet the edge of the battery door by angling the file accordingly, repeat these steps loosely and gently with either the multi-tool-file or extra fine grit sandpaper, use your judgment, buff and finish to your heart's desire. During the entire process be sure to regularly clean off the sandpaper, file and sides of the phone on a cloth of some sort between passes as you will notice the sandpaper glide and will be clogged with material, I was wearing some bumming pants so I just rubbed it off on those, worked wonderfully. Obviously you are removing incredibly small layers of material so guys be careful, you could probably remove quite a bit before anything happens but that can also effec look of things quite badly so try to make it even. I plugged important holes with bits of tissue, only the headphone jack really, the usb port is shallow enough where some air remove any particles.
The file helps especially because of its rigidity and shape, allowing me to have a lot of flexibility when dealing with such a small surface area.
You are putting files and sandpaper near your screen, be careful. I had a very good screen protecter but even then I didn't touch my screen once, you can get at a pretty steep angle like 45 degrees away from being parallel with the screen and still be fine, maybe less, just be wary, it's easy to slip and scratch, I don't think a soft brush would do much but a rough scratch could leave marks.
My IR blaster still works and it received the same treatment, I made no effort to avoid it.
I will post pictures soon, I wish I could use my phone to take a picture of my phone. I'll use someones phone tomorrow to do so.
Feel free to ask me anything if you have a question or I left some vital info out.
:laugh:
okay, waiting for the pics and a more detailed steps before jumping in.
superbonto said:
okay, waiting for the pics and a more detailed steps before jumping in.
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Click to collapse
So, I don't know how to post the pics cus as a new user I can't use links...
Also, you might consider adding a step of using progressively higher grits of sandpaper, and even going all the way to a rubbing compound to get super fine control over how much matte effect you desire. The matte of 300 grit sandpaper is different than the matte of say 450 grit etc.
KingFatty said:
Also, you might consider adding a step of using progressively higher grits of sandpaper, and even going all the way to a rubbing compound to get super fine control over how much matte effect you desire. The matte of 300 grit sandpaper is different than the matte of say 450 grit etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes absolutely, this is worth considering. I merely outlined how I did it to show that its not really necessary to get specific, I didn't go out of my way to get any of the tools I used and it came out satisfactory. I'll probably add it in once I get pics up and if people feel it's not as accessible as I thought.
mp2195 said:
So, I don't know how to post the pics cus as a new user I can't use links...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
give us the link like www. linkhere.com/blah.img
mp2195 said:
So, I don't know how to post the pics cus as a new user I can't use links...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Use https://imgur.com/ to upload the picture and then post the direct link here, I'd love to see some pictures of this.
mp2195 said:
DISCLAIMER: I am not responsible for any unwanted damage you may cause to your device, this is to be a sharing of an idea which happened to work for me and a sort of framework for how you may also accomplish this.
So basically, I despise how terribly fingerprints show on my G4's edge, that's a nit pick. My main complaint is that because it's a glossy plastic, it gets scratched very easily and shows that just as bad, not to mention it's obviously plastic masking as metal and not doing a good job, or more simply put, makes this flagship look cheap. I had a vision of a G4 with a flat black edge, I thought I'd grab a nail file from my bathroom -the giant popsicle stick ones- and use it to gently wear away at the shiny coating. My nail file had two sides, a fine side and a coarser side, I used the fine side exclusively with higher pressure strokes in the beginning to remove the shiny coating, using gentler and broader strokes to smooth, got one of those crazy nail file tools that have multiple sides and are made of two sides with softer layers of material in between, the two sides are also split into different functions, ones usually a buffer and the other is a super fine nail file, fine than the former one.....then I used this same tool to buff and clean up the edges and make sure all is smooth and nice, worked excellently, can also probably use super fine sandpaper and a cloth.
My back plate was off and battery removed, I used the popsicle nail file one side at a time starting with rougher strokes to get rid of the shiny coating -which will distinctly flake away as white little crumbs of plastic- it will take a few passes to completely strip the coating off the edge, you'll notice it lingers like a sort of residue as it contrasts quite distinctly against the revealed plastic, once the coating is nonexistent begin to smooth and finish the side until it is uniform in color and looks completely smooth, you want to keep the direction of the strokes consistent as it will impact the uniformity and smoothness, I went horizontally around the phone if it were laying flat and that gave me great results, give the corners some extra attention but its the same idea, and thanks to the battery back being off I was able to make the finish meet the edge of the battery door by angling the file accordingly, repeat these steps loosely and gently with either the multi-tool-file or extra fine grit sandpaper, use your judgment, buff and finish to your heart's desire. During the entire process be sure to regularly clean off the sandpaper, file and sides of the phone on a cloth of some sort between passes as you will notice the sandpaper glide and will be clogged with material, I was wearing some bumming pants so I just rubbed it off on those, worked wonderfully. Obviously you are removing incredibly small layers of material so guys be careful, you could probably remove quite a bit before anything happens but that can also effec look of things quite badly so try to make it even. I plugged important holes with bits of tissue, only the headphone jack really, the usb port is shallow enough where some air remove any particles.
The file helps especially because of its rigidity and shape, allowing me to have a lot of flexibility when dealing with such a small surface area.
You are putting files and sandpaper near your screen, be careful. I had a very good screen protecter but even then I didn't touch my screen once, you can get at a pretty steep angle like 45 degrees away from being parallel with the screen and still be fine, maybe less, just be wary, it's easy to slip and scratch, I don't think a soft brush would do much but a rough scratch could leave marks.
My IR blaster still works and it received the same treatment, I made no effort to avoid it.
I will post pictures soon, I wish I could use my phone to take a picture of my phone. I'll use someones phone tomorrow to do so.
Feel free to ask me anything if you have a question or I left some vital info out.
:laugh:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just came across this. I will be doing this tonight whn i get home from work. My otter box has scuffed mine pretty good. I like the nail file idea. Its work. Lol make u respect it a little more from the hard work.
make pressure on him so he shares the pics. :/
can the leathe from back cover be removed, am should be getting mine and it might be with leather.. i dont like it. just wondering if someone has taken the leather off the cover.. what it looks like. just plain molded plastic?
raptorddd said:
can the leathe from back cover be removed, am should be getting mine and it might be with leather.. i dont like it. just wondering if someone has taken the leather off the cover.. what it looks like. just plain molded plastic?
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Click to collapse
Dont do it! It will look horrendous! You better get a plastic back cover from eBay, I got one so I could use a Spigen Neo Hybid without damaging the leather back cover.
pakitos said:
Dont do it! It will look horrendous! You better get a plastic back cover from eBay, I got one so I could use a Spigen Neo Hybid without damaging the leather back cover.
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i think leather looks GAY . no offense guys its just my opinion.. so it would be just a molded plastic right.? ill try see some stuff on amazon. what is the variant you have? is it from mexico..
raptorddd said:
i think leather looks GAY . no offense guys its just my opinion.. so it would be just a molded plastic right.? ill try see some stuff on amazon. what is the variant you have? is it from mexico..
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Click to collapse
Not molded plastic but lots of glue and sew points. Mine is from Telcel H815P
pakitos said:
Not molded plastic but lots of glue and sew points. Mine is from Telcel H815P
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Click to collapse
Unless glue cant be removed then itll look ugly... as foe the sewing points , thats a plu you get ventilation there.
this weather up north isnt very friendly... too bad you cant unlock bootloader.. whers the fun ?
Matte G4 Edge https://imgur.com/a/Bzspg
solventh said:
make pressure on him so he shares the pics. :/
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Click to collapse
Matte G4 Edge https://imgur.com/a/Bzspg
Thanks. Gold idea. Will try this when my broken test g4 arrives.
Can you pls seit the first post with the pics?
mp2195 said:
Matte G4 Edge https://imgur.com/a/Bzspg
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Click to collapse
thanks so much, man :]
Bullnados said:
Thanks. Gold idea. Will try this when my broken test g4 arrives.
Can you pls seit the first post with the pics?
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Click to collapse
For some stupid reason it won't let me edit my original post, weird. I'll try on my PC when I get a chance.
Perhaps to old?