diff --git a/src/x301/paintjob.md b/src/x301/paintjob.md index baf859f..5450b14 100644 --- a/src/x301/paintjob.md +++ b/src/x301/paintjob.md @@ -41,6 +41,19 @@ The cons of paint are: - Harder to fix mistakes - Higher price +One "paint" that [some people][pdip] use on old ThinkPads is PlastiDip, It is +a rubber coating paint that goes on without preparation and can be peeled off. +It has the best of both worldsm, the ability to apply multiple coats while +requiring no prep and being easily removable. +Also, as seen in the video, the wear does not peel it like vinyl wrap, instead +it "scrapes" off like paint which looks much better. Lastly I think that the +texture and feeling is much closer to the original as with the vinyl. + +Unfortunately PlastiDip is not sold in my country (Italy) but there are some +alternatives, or even resellers that import the original from America. Either +way I have to research more alternatives and choose the best one, maybe even try +some. + ## Using vinyl wraps Vinyl wrap films are thin, sticky, texturized sheets of plastic which one can @@ -65,6 +78,29 @@ Cons of Vinyl wraps are: - More limited color palette - Very few "good" brands/options +Two big cons of vinyl wraps are: + +1. Texture, since I would be using automotive wraps they are going to be as + smooth as possible (I imagine); this is not good for a laptop since it will + attract more fingerprints and in general make the whole thing feel worse + to the touch, there is a reason why originally Lenovo went with a rubber + finiss. +2. Damage is worse on vinyl; with paint if you scratch it at worst you reveal + the material under it, in most cases you uncover the coat underneath. With + vinyl wraps, since it is basically a big sticker, bumps and scratches + risk peeling part of the wrap out, making it obvious it is not a real paint + job. + +Another consideration is thickness, my plan for vinyl is to apply it on the +completely disassembled laptop, in order to wrap a bit on the parts that are +"internal" to the assembly, basically squeezing it to prevent it coming off. +With a sheet that is close to a millimeter thick there is just not enough +tollerance to comfortably fit it in between seems. + +Lastly, one thing peculiar about the x301 are the port icons on the up side, +they wear out easily but I really want to recreate them if possible. This would +require painting on the vinyl, which I don't think can be done properly. + Vinyl wrap options: 1. 3M brand, sets the standard for all things adhesive, widely used in the @@ -93,3 +129,4 @@ Here are some shades that I really liked: [3m1080]: https://www.3mitalia.it/3M/it_IT/commercio-e-servizi-it/new-car-wrapping-colours-1080/ [3m2080]: https://www.3mitalia.it/3M/it_IT/p/d/b5005081006/ [deadmatte]: https://www.sirvisual.it/3m-wrap-film-serie-2080/3m-wrap-film-2080dm12-dead-matte-black!0-9223 +[pdip]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQ1HCSXNHX8