Quick keyboard mod

[985323]

I got bored today so i grabed an old keyboard

then i took it apart for paint

and put it back together looks not bad Eh?

[dontdoit54321]

sorry but that looks terrible

[985323]

i know i forgot to pit down a primer before i painted, it looks better in real life as the flash shows all the imperfections

[nevermind1534]

Yeah, the camera can either make something look really good, or really bad. Try taking a picture with light from another source, and flash turned off, and see how that looks.

[SgtM]

sorry but that looks terrible

You know, that just doesn't cut it around here. How about offering some feedback? What about it don't you like? What could be improved and how? It's fine to not like something, but to say so and not offer up a suggestion on what/how to improve, isn't how we do things.

[blueonblack]

You know, that just doesn't cut it around here. How about offering some feedback? What about it don't you like? What could be improved and how? It's fine to not like something, but to say so and not offer up a suggestion on what/how to improve, isn't how we do things.

You know what? This is what I love about this place.

Personally, I don't like it either but as you said the flash probably has a lot to do with it. The color scheme works fine, but if it were me I would take it back apart, sand it down smooth (not necessarily to the bare plastic), and start over with a good primer, sanding between coats. Some plastic is very hard to get a good finish on, especially the stuff that is already somewhat textured, like a lot of keyboards.
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Silver Surfer Vaporizer

[jdbnsn]

Either the paint or the texture of the plastic makes the finish appear very grainy. In my experience, that can look quite nice in a matte finish, but tends to look poor in a gloss finish. Like noted above, sanding with a higher grain paper can smooth it out if you favor gloss, otherwise you might like to try a matte finish to see how it looks.

[SgtM]

Agreed with Jon. Plastics can be a pain to paint. You have to make sure you prep real well, and possibly even use an adhesion promoter such as bulldog adhesion promoter. Also, make sure you wipe the project down real well with a tack cloth, or if you don't have one, soak a paper towel in rubbing alcohol and wipe it down. This will help remove any oils from your skin that may have gotten on the plastic. Lastly, use dust coats. Your first coat should look like little specks of paint landed on the project. Second coat a little more fill, and finally complete coverage with the 3rd coat. You can also wetsand with 800-2000 grit sandpaper after the final coat is down to smooth out the paint, and remove any dust particles that may have landed on it. Finish it up with a good clear coat, and you're set. Use the same steps for wetsanding the clear, and then polish with some 3m (fine cut) compound. About 45-60 days after you wetsand and buff the clear, you can use car wax on the project to keep it's shine.

+rep from me for the effort.

[Drum Thumper]

I'm thinking that 90% of the culprit is the flash on the camera. Also, how long did you let the paint set before putting it back together? Did you clearcoat it?

It's a great start, and as I say to everyone...welcome to your new addiction.

[FuzzyPlushroom]

I quite like the color scheme there. Agreed, the flash is almost certainly the problem - if it's smooth to the touch, then it's fine; I'd clearcoat it but aside from that... no complaints from me.