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 The Great White Newt | |
Click the images below for larger, slightly grainer versions. Compare the two... Phase I complete: Oliver Cromwell, my MessagePad 2000 (on the right in this photo) is now shiny and white, and almost matches my iBook. This is the result of several hours of sanding, scraping, and carving the black plastic case of the MP2000 into a rounder, more friendly shape. In many cases, the plastic was so thin that my sanding opened holes in the case that I filled in with plastic filler. The front... Once the general shape was satisfactory, i.e. that it was mostly curves and not as many corners and seams, I began to apply paint and filler, sanding down the result to smooth the surface further. In some places the paint is thicker than the plastic of the case itself. You can see above that I re-opened the microphone port and speaker grille, which were covered over completely by paint in the end. I also took care to keep the cover latch in working order, painting the latch widget separately, as well as the stylus holder. I plan on adding a translucent screen cover that will latch into place as the original did, which is why the latch is still here. The back... Two to three layers of a glossy varnish bring the whole unit to a gleaming shine. Unfortunately, the varnish has yet to harden, so if I leave the newt on a textured surface, the bottom picks up the texture. Holding the newt for long periods also leaves fingerprints that do not wipe away. I'll have to do another layer of varnish, hopefully in a formula that hardens faster. You can see above that I have attached small plastic "feet" to the bottom of the newt to prevent it skidding off tables, as well as minimizing the effect of the varnish picking up textures. These I managed to acquire from a previous furniture project - they are intended to protect a wood table from a glass tabletop. I had 4 left over, and they went to good use here. The ports... Yes, the port cover door still works. I even went so far as to disassemble the original stylus and give the "eraser" end a white coat as well. The inner part of the case is still black, as is the battery and the power switch. I was a little hesitant to put these parts under the gun, so to speak, as they would require masking off the bare circuit boards to paint them. You can also see that the assembly isn't quite as seamless as I had hoped, as there are gaps in the case. Part of this is because of paint buildup in the seams. Next Steps: I still need to apply logos and type to the case. I'm thinking the Apple logo in silver or light grey (since the silver paint I tried out didn't stand up to wear) on the top/speaker end and the name iNewt on the bottom/microphone end. I'll update this page as I do more. Please feel free to email newton@option8.com with contributions, links, or comments. | |