Wednesday, November 08, 2006

HP e-vectra : makeover

The e-Vectra refinished with a fresh coat of paint.






This 6 year old PC was certainly showing signs of wear, including some scratches, scruffs, sticker stains, and areas where the color was beginning to fade.

I decided to repaint it's exterior and selected two cans of model spray paint. I selected glossy paint as I wanted a high gloss finish. First step was taking apart all the panels and washing them in detergent, then using masking tape cut-to-shape to seal off any areas I didn't want painted over (like the HP logo).

I painted the original cream colored panels silver, and for the dark blue panels I selected a slightly brigher royal blue.







The final finish was not quite as glossy as I hoped for, despite layering on the paint and waiting to dry between layers. Probably the rough surface of the case didn't help. However the case now looks close to new and is still shiny under bright lights.




Here is the finished case.


And the "before" look.


These photos were taken more than a year ago, but I just haven't had the chance to post them (it's now May 2008). The machine has since been given to a friend who needed a computer and has served faithfully as a web/email machine.



Back to HP e-Vectra : a closer look


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