Spray Painting My Macbook

So I'm pretty sure the externals of the Mac is anodized aluminum:

https://www.google.com/#q=painting+anodized+aluminum

Which has trouble taking paint.

It can be removed:

http://www.instructables.com/id/Removing-Anodizing-From-Aluminum-Quickly-and-Eas il/

but complete disassembly would be required.

So:

painting -

Difficulties getting it to adhere, problematic especially in the high wear areas like the trackpad.

Removing anodizing must be perfect

Possibly the best would be to remove and re anodize in the color you want. There are some very cool matte black anodized coatings listed.

Yes, Plasti-dip does peel, but try using enamel spray! Apply coats evenly to desired thickness. Make sure to do it in a well-ventilated area. Also, are you looking to do the outside only?

KrazyCid64 wrote:

well what would i have to do to paint it correctly after removing the anodizing??

Did you read my first response? For any chances for success, it will be a multistep process using some esoteric type primers and paints that must be mixed from several components before every application. It is dependent upon which paint manufacturers system that you wish to employ. Krylon will not cut it.

Ciao/

Hopefully you have enough money set aside to buy yourself a new one after your efforts fail and render the laptop unusable. Or, you could just buy one of the many hard covers available which will cover the outside - many options (color, design, etc) are available. Certainly cheaper than buying a new one.

Why don't you consider an easy to apply and remove skin. There are numerous sites on the web with hundreds of designs to choose from. Google will help you find such products.

Aluminum is a material that does not like to have paint adhere to it. There are several methods for painting aluminum and they all involve multistep processes. You would have to remove the anodizing, acid etch it, several coats of specialized primers and then the actual paint, three coats. I strongly urge you to abandon the idea because your chances of success are very limited at best.

Ciao.

If so, you would have to give very meticulous directions as to where and how they must paint it. You must also beware that it might be damaged forever. Personally I don't think that you have to take it apart. Just spray the outer casing and cover that keyboard and screen with painting tape and spray, as long as all that you see is coloured I think it is enough.

KrazyCid64 wrote:

I can take it apart for sure because i know how. But once i get rid of the anodizing from the aluminum, would i be able to apply the paint without having to do anything else?

Not if you want the paint to stick for more than a day or two.

Ciao.

KrazyCid64 wrote:

Hello Barry. The truth is , it is almost impossible to "damage" (don't know another word I can use here) anything on the mac by painting it if it is completely disassembled.

How many Mac's have you dismantled?

Does the screen coma apart on these models? That would be a nightmare to mask & still get a good finish.

There are items attached to the outer casing - if you plan on using chemicals to remove the anodising you may need to remove all the other steel & other metal parts to avoid any potential reactions. You may also need to unglue any port covers or fabric mesh (like the speaker grille) or accept they will be flooded by paint.

The example image is very glossy, to get that kind of finish you would need many coats or to prepare the case by polishing it to an even finish, otherwise the bead blasting texture will show through. Too many coats of paint may cause parts to move out of alignment (the hinge, the Apple logo cutout). The case machining is precise on these models.

It is possible to do if you are careful & patient, but to get a tough high gloss finish you would be better off getting a powered coater to do it for you but that requires heating to cure.

The keyboard doesn't seem paintable to me - removing the key caps usually breaks them, masking the keys would be impractical. Look for a custom keyboard or find a model that is compatible in the right colours if you do go ahead with it.

Spray painting Macbook Pro

Find out for yourself and determine what you want to do!

My suggestion would be to NOT do anything like painting it. If it is not broken, do not fix it.

Barry