Going to Viynl Dye a gba sp shell.

[mkg12]

Well i just got a gba sp the other week. It's is cobalt colored which is decent, but i'm thinking about buying another shell off ebay for $10. Then painting it some nicer color, not sure what color yet. I wanted to just do a simple single tone paint job.

I am going to vinyl dye the shell. Does anyone know any good sites telling you what is involved in taking the gba sp apart? Not so much the base, more worried about the screen.

Can you guys think of any other reasons this would be a bad idea?

Here are the couple sites i got so far on how to take the sp apart for whoever else is interested
http://www.overclockers.com/tips1084/
http://www.lik-sang.com/news.php?artc=2821

[Dunvane]

I say go for it, I did this for my original GBA making it a burnt orange colour with a black fade coming from one side, and it made me love it 10 times more.

All I can tell you is to be very careful sanding so as to not create any really intense stratches or marks, and make sure you have a proper place for it to sit and dry where dust or anything else (cat maybe, who knows) can't mess with it.

Good luck!

[CouRageouS]

Before you do anything you'll want to read up on some modding websites, specifically case modding. Its very good to learn off other's experiences. Handhelds and controllers are a bit trickier because they get more hand traffic than a console. Paint isn't the best way to go, the short answer is use VINYL DYE, it works just like spray paint and is just as cheap. The stuff is really great, gets into all the nooks and crannies no problems. I've personally used it on a Dreamcast controller and my PS1. I think the only real downfall is that the stuff smells extremely strong, even a little while after it dries.

I thought I had a bunch of bookmarks to modding sites but I guess its on my other computer, so later I'll post some links to some helpful websites if I can. I'm sure you can google some upon your own and vinyl dye will come up plenty of times. Good luck with your case mod and dont forget to post pics when you're done! :D

[mkg12]

ok, cool, thanks. I'll look up some stuff on vinyl dye. A silver colored shell should be ok to paint with viynl dye right? I would think it is a neutral color since it's kinda grey


How long does the viynl dye smell stay for after you paint the shell? a couple weeks?

[snotnose_colossal]

http://www.overclockers.com/tips1084/

[CouRageouS]

Hmm I'm not sure about using vinyl dye on silver, though it should work. In cases where the dye doesn't work with a certain color (doesn't show on dark plastic), people have first used white vinyl dye first and then the colored. So if it doesn't work with silver, you'll need a can of white too. You can find vinyl dye at some auto supply stores for about $4. Here is a good link to see how it turns out-
http://case-mods.linear1.org/im-high-on-vinyl-dye/

The smell will last for only a day or two tops, you just really need to let it dry longer. It'll look and feel dry but still smell. I'd leave it alone until the smell is completely gone. Its pretty harsh do it'll be hard not to notice it.

If you're looking for a tri-wing try ebay or an video game import site. I believe they're around $7.

[mkg12]

thanks for the link on taking it apart, and thanks for the link on viynl dye, that was one of the better few sites i stumbled upon on google.

[mkg12]

Is the duplicolor vinyl & fabric stuff vinyl dye or just paint? It is all the few stores i visited had, and the people working there weren't sure it it was a dye or just coated over whatever you were painting.

http://www.duplicolor.com/products/vinyloem.html
http://www.duplicolor.com/products/vinyl.html

or how about krylon fusion? It is supposed to be for plastic,

[ericx]

How would you sand it down? I have some paint remover (spray can for cars) will that work? what will happen if you don't sand it down and you just spray vinyl over paint? thanks.

[CouRageouS]

Is the duplicolor vinyl & fabric stuff vinyl dye or just paint? It is all the few stores i visited had, and the people working there weren't sure it it was a dye or just coated over whatever you were painting.

http://www.duplicolor.com/products/vinyloem.html
http://www.duplicolor.com/products/vinyl.html

or how about krylon fusion? It is supposed to be for plastic,
As long as it says Vinyl it should be the same. On the guys website above, the brand he used was Plastikote Vinyl. The reason why the people at the store didn't know its dye is because it doesn't say so on the can either. Its referred to as dye on most modding websites because the way it works it actually dyes the plastic rather than painting on the outside of it.

Krylon Fusion is good stuff, but I would not use it on your GBA case. Its more for standalone projects that aren't handled much. It would wear down eventually and you could actually feel the paint thats there. Its basically spray paint for plastic. It has A LOT more room for error so I would just star way from it all together. With the Vinyl you won't have to worry about clogging the speaker holes and and Start/Select buttons getting painted over. Little skill is needed to use vinyl.

Good link: http://www.gideontech.com/guides/vinyldye/

[mkg12]

the vinyl dye won't adhere as good if there is paint on the case if i am correct? But at the same time you are not supposed to sand it cause the dye has a hard time with sanded surfaces i read, i forget why

[CouRageouS]

If I were you I would buy a Black GBA shell to paint, I have a black SP and it seems like its just plain black plastic and would be easier to deal with.

[ericx]

If I were you I would buy a Black GBA shell to paint, I have a black SP and it seems like its just plain black plastic and would be easier to deal with.

I have a black sp, so i don't need to sand it down?

[alongx]

I was going to do this a while ago, but I didn't have a tri-wing screwdriver, nor did I want to buy one, and I wasn't able to unscrew the case with a normal flat head screwdriver when I tried.

[mkg12]

I e-mailed the cat_from_mars user on ebay about his gba shell auctions. They end for a little less then $10 shipped. He saided in inluded everything in the 3 pictures, which is the shell, screen, buttons, and tri tip screwdrivers so i think i am going to get one from him. $9.94 shipped doesn't seem too bad. He only has blue and silver colors avaliable but that shouldn't matter since i want to vinyl dye it.

Is the silver cases painted silver? and not just the plastic color? Cause i heard the plantium cases paint scratch off. I assume platnium and silver are the same shell color

[alongx]

I e-mailed the cat_from_mars user on ebay about his gba shell auctions. They end for a little less then $10 shipped. He saided in inluded everything in the 3 pictures, which is the shell, screen, buttons, and tri tip screwdrivers so i think i am going to get one from him. $9.94 shipped doesn't seem too bad. He only has blue and silver colors avaliable but that shouldn't matter since i want to vinyl dye it.

Is the silver cases painted silver? and not just the plastic color? Cause i heard the plantium cases paint scratch off. I assume platnium and silver are the same shell color

I think I'm gonna do the same thing. When I get it, though, I'm going to go to a hobby store and get some vinyl dye to recolor the case.