paint/vinyl considerations

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