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    Painted my XPS M1530

    Discussion in 'Notebook Cosmetic Modifications and Custom Builds' started by jack53, Feb 28, 2008.

  1. jack53

    jack53 Dell XPS 9360 i7 Lover!

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    Well, I had to be different. I thought my tuxedo black was a little bland, so I painted mine metalic ruby red. Sort of in-between the Current XPS m1530 & the older XPS 1710 style. I took my sweet time masking it perfectly, then I painted 4 coats of primer, 4 coats of base, sanded in-between w/2000 grit and then 2 coats of clear, then I baked it with a heat lamp between coats.

    The "before" shots are here:
    http://corvettec3.com/dellXPSm1530review.htm

    Masking
    [​IMG]

    Primer: 4 coats, one hour between, light 2000 grit sanding in-between
    [​IMG]

    Base coat: 4 coats, light 2000 grit sanding in-between, Clear: 2 coats
    [​IMG]
    (base coat was ruby red metalic by Dupli-Color Auto Spray)

    Sunlight photo
    [​IMG]

    Indoor lighting
    [​IMG]

    My favorite of all time: the XPS 1710
    [​IMG]
     
    jack53, Feb 28, 2008
    #1
  2. ahl395

    ahl395 Ahlball

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    looks pretty nice. Good job.
     
    ahl395, Feb 28, 2008
    #2
  3. KPot2004

    KPot2004 Notebook Evangelist

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    Nice job, looks great..
     
    KPot2004, Feb 28, 2008
    #3
  4. pixelot

    pixelot Notebook Acolyte

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    Wicked sick! I need to do a paint job on mine one of these days....first I need to learn how....

    :eek:
     
    pixelot, Feb 28, 2008
    #4
  5. yuio

    yuio NBR Assistive Tec. Tec.

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    nice that looks AWESOME!

    nice enjoy!
     
    yuio, Feb 28, 2008
    #5
  6. MICHAELSD01

    MICHAELSD01 Apple/Alienware Master

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    Wow, looks really nice. You could make some good money selling custom M1530s on eBay, especially if they all come out looking as nice and flawless. I've always wanted to do some work and customise my iPhone and my XPS 720, any kits you'd reccomend for etching something in, flawlessy painting something, etc.? BTW, that looks much better than the red Dell offers
     
    MICHAELSD01, Feb 28, 2008
    #6
  7. K-TRON

    K-TRON Hi, I'm Jimmy Diesel ^_^

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    That looks pretty good for a one day job.
    I really hope my laptop comes out nice, the paint, metal flake, pearls, clear and gold/silver leaf cost upwards of $1100. I swear if it does not come out perfect I am going to be pissed.

    By the way, what kind of spraypaint did you use?
    I am thinking about painting/sirbrushing my e1505 this summer.

    K-TRON
     
    K-TRON, Feb 28, 2008
    #7
  8. jack53

    jack53 Dell XPS 9360 i7 Lover!

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    Thanks everybody for the nice compliments... :D
    Both the red and black Dell offers are not shiny at all, more like a flat black and flat red. I didn't care for that much.

    K-TRON, I used the automotive aerosol paint you get in the auto parts house.
    WOW... I would like to see YOUR paint job when you get it!
     
    jack53, Feb 28, 2008
    #8
  9. MICHAELSD01

    MICHAELSD01 Apple/Alienware Master

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    I'm guessing you spraypainted it, right?
     
    MICHAELSD01, Feb 28, 2008
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  10. Mark

    Mark Desktop Debugger

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    Man you are a painting machine Jack! :)

    That looks great!
     
    Mark, Feb 28, 2008
    #10
  11. MICHAELSD01

    MICHAELSD01 Apple/Alienware Master

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    MICHAELSD01, Feb 28, 2008
    #11
  12. Premonition_45

    Premonition_45 Notebook Guru

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    That is incredible work!
     
    Premonition_45, Feb 28, 2008
    #12
  13. jack53

    jack53 Dell XPS 9360 i7 Lover!

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    Well NOSEY... for your info, this was the Notebook Cosmetic Modifications area for custom jobs and that post is DELL and mine is what I did to change my DELL appearance. Therefore two post.
     
    jack53, Feb 28, 2008
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  14. Jest

    Jest Notebook Guru

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    How many times did you sand/coat it?
     
    Jest, Feb 29, 2008
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  15. jack53

    jack53 Dell XPS 9360 i7 Lover!

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    I painted 4 coats of primer, 4 coats of base, sanded in-between w/2000 grit and then 2 coats of clear, then I baked it with a heat lamp.
     
    jack53, Feb 29, 2008
    #15
  16. Raven322

    Raven322 Notebook Evangelist

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    very nice. what brand of paint did you use
     
    Raven322, Feb 29, 2008
    #16
  17. jack53

    jack53 Dell XPS 9360 i7 Lover!

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    Thank you!

    (base coat was ruby red metalic by Dupli-Color Auto Spray)
     
    jack53, Feb 29, 2008
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  18. Supaweak

    Supaweak Newbie

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    thats awesome! can you post a close up of your phone/pda there?
     
    Supaweak, Feb 29, 2008
    #18
  19. RobtRoma

    RobtRoma Notebook Enthusiast

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    I gotta say that does look very nice with the metallic red. Have you put it side by side with a factory red 1530? A girl in my office has one and it looks really nice too. I think I like the look of yours slightly better because of the black that is still visible. It creates a nice frame around the color. Good job!
     
    RobtRoma, Feb 29, 2008
    #19
  20. scooberdoober

    scooberdoober Penguins FTW!

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    Looks good. You did a great job on that.
     
    scooberdoober, Mar 3, 2008
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  21. jack53

    jack53 Dell XPS 9360 i7 Lover!

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    No close-ups, but a couple more showing the sidekick.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
    jack53, Mar 20, 2008
    #21
  22. jack53

    jack53 Dell XPS 9360 i7 Lover!

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    If you mask correctly... no.
     
    jack53, Mar 20, 2008
    #22
  23. lordhidetora

    lordhidetora Notebook Consultant

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    I love that, nice job man.
     
    lordhidetora, Mar 22, 2008
    #23
  24. talin

    talin Notebook Prophet

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    Really nice job, looks very professional. :) :cool:
     
    talin, Mar 22, 2008
    #24
  25. fattail95

    fattail95 Notebook Evangelist

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    looks great, well done!
     
    fattail95, Mar 22, 2008
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  26. jack53

    jack53 Dell XPS 9360 i7 Lover!

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    I now have a matching mouse :D

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
    jack53, Mar 24, 2008
    #26
  27. Arki

    Arki Super Moderator

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    Beautifully done. Looks great.
     
    Arki, Mar 25, 2008
    #27