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95 lines
3.2 KiB
95 lines
3.2 KiB
Title: Thinkapd x301 Restoration: Paintjob
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Author: Alessandro Mauri
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# ThinkPad x301 Restoration Project: Paintjob
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There are basically two options worth noting:
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1. Automotive spray paints
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2. Automotive vinyl wraps
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## Why Automotive products
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Automotive products have to endure use, flex weather and extreme temperature
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conditions (think about parts close to the engine or winter cold), so they will
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endure much better the everyday life of a laptop. Also the risk of separation
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or flaking is lower and resistance to moisture is much better than with standard
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paints or vinyls that are not designed to endure such conditions.
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## Using paints
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Using paint is the "basic" method of restoring any surface, basically it boils
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down to prep work and finding the right paints (color, texture, material
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compatibility etc.) but this process is very time consuming and very easy to
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mess up for beginners such as myself.
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The pros of the paint are:
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- Could lead to better results, closer to the original
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- Could be more durable
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- More options of color
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- More brand and quality options
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The cons of paint are:
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- Longer preparation
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- Harder to work with
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- Different materials need different paints and/or base coats (metal for the
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lid and plasic for everything else)
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- Harder to apply right
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- Harder to fix mistakes
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- Higher price
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## Using vinyl wraps
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Vinyl wrap films are thin, sticky, texturized sheets of plastic which one can
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apply onto a surface, kinda like a very big sticker, in order to change it's
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color. This is not news for cars and for [laptops][dbrand], vinyl "skins" are
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a convenient way to change the color of a surface, they are removable, easy to
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apply and can form to most surfaces.
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Pros of vinyl wraps are:
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- Much easyer prep work and installation
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- Good durability
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- "All in one" solution to the problem
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- Very cost-effective
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Cons of Vinyl wraps are:
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- Easier (by design) to peel and remove
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- Unsure about age and durability
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- Cannot double coat
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- Thicker than paint
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- More limited color palette
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- Very few "good" brands/options
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Vinyl wrap options:
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1. 3M brand, sets the standard for all things adhesive, widely used in the
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automotive space and in good quality [laptop skins][dbrand]
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1. [1080 series films][3m1080], cheaper and good enough for laptops
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2. [2080 series films][3m2080], pricier but newer and more resistant
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## Colors
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One part of a thinkpad is it's color, black is the most obvious way to go, but
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what shade?
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There are many many shades of black and many more finishes. Do you want matte
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or glossy, dark or light, texture or no texture, metrallic shine or not; you
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get the idea.
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While making an all white thinkpad is an interesting project I think the best
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way to go is to stick with the default black, at least for the interiors, the
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lid may see some touches later on.
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Here are some shades that I really liked:
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### [Dead matte black][deadmatte]
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![Dead Matte Black skin on car](img/deadmatte.jpg)
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[dbrand]: https://dbrand.com/
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[3m1080]: https://www.3mitalia.it/3M/it_IT/commercio-e-servizi-it/new-car-wrapping-colours-1080/
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[3m2080]: https://www.3mitalia.it/3M/it_IT/p/d/b5005081006/
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[deadmatte]: https://www.sirvisual.it/3m-wrap-film-serie-2080/3m-wrap-film-2080dm12-dead-matte-black!0-9223
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