Vinyl Dye meets my mouse

[UnaClocker]

You may have seen in my worklog, I was showing some pictures where I used vinyl dye on NanoCube to get rid of the ugly grey plastic on it. Well, I've always wanted to change the color of my mouse, but the problem with paint is that it's such a high friction area (Where your hand rests) that it'll just rub off. Whereas vinyl dye soaks into the plastic of the mouse.
So I completely tore my MS optical mouse apart.
http://una.procooling.com/mouse_before.jpg
Then I gave it a quick scrub with soap and water to get all the grease and oils from my hands off of it.
I put it out in the garage and sprayed on the vinyl dye. It goes on just like spray paint, I even thought I got the wrong stuff the first time I used it. But after 24 hours you can tell it definately soaked into the plastic. After 15 minutes it's dry enough to handle/put on another coat.
http://una.procooling.com/mouse_after.jpg
It turned out perfectly. Here's a closer shot:
http://una.procooling.com/mouse_very_close.jpg
Turned out nice, that spot that looks like an imperfection rubbed right off, you can't tell it was ever there. :) Not sure what it was.
Anyways, I'll post a shot or two of it after I re-assemble it tomorrow. ;) Whatcha think?

[Hallis]

Nice, hope that due doesn't rub off easilly :-)

Hallis

[UnaClocker]

Guess I'll be proving that.. :)

[Joe]

yeh how far into the plastic does the dye permiate?

[decodeddiesel]

Wow, very cool Una. You gonna add a window mod to your mouse now :p

[UnaClocker]

hehe, If I could shape lexan that way, I probably would.. hehe.. ;) I don't know how deep it goes, I experimented on a old CD-Rom tray, I'll have to find it and break it in half to see.. ;)
Ok, I went ahead and put it back together, but I won't use it till tomorrow.. Here are the shots.
http://una.procooling.com/blackmouse_1.jpg
http://una.procooling.com/blackmouse_2.jpg
http://una.procooling.com/blackmouse_3.jpg
The flash kind of makes it look like it's patchy.. It actually looks fine in normal light. :)

[Sled_Dog]

I need to take apart my extra explorer and paint it or soemthing. How much that dye cost?

[UnaClocker]

$9 at the local autoparts store. ;)

[OcPunK]

Does this dye work on body parts?

[UnaClocker]

As in my hand? I didn't try, but unlike when I paint with real paint, I had nothing left over on my fingertips, so I'd guess it doesn't.

[Sled_Dog]

Really Una gonna have to go get some.

[decodeddiesel]

Yeah, that is hella sweet looking. F-117 stealth mouse hehe. I think my M$ Elplorer could use a makeover.

[Sled_Dog]

Originally posted by decodeddiesel:
Yeah, that is hella sweet looking. F-117 stealth mouse hehe. I think my M$ Elplorer could use a makeover.
Put a coat of primer on my Explorer yesterday ;). The one problem is I can't figure out how to get the extra two buttons off. So all the dark grey is staying that color and the silver is going flat black. Gloss wouldn't be any good. Its easier to F up and it would show dust and hand prints bad.

[decodeddiesel]

I don't think the dark grey and flat black would look bad...probably look pretty bad a**ed. But you're right about glossy black, everytime I touched my mouse I'd be grapping for a rag to buff it up. ;)

[Sled_Dog]

Yep. My Playstation is that way. Its a damn dust magnet and everytime I touch it I have to buff it. Damn gloss black.

[futRtrubL]

About the window mod, what about taking a low shrinkage plaster mold of the part and then squshing some epoxy resin into shape?

Edward

[decodeddiesel]

You could do that I suppose...would be very nice looking. Here's a nice article on one dude's mouse window mod http://www.planetklatt.de/alpharat.htm
He used the plastic packaging his mouse came in (it was conformed to the shape of his mouse). I think it looks sweet.

[Sled_Dog]

hmm I could cast a mold of mine in Aluminum and amke a new cover out of that...