I finally bit the bullet and replaced my trusty two year old MX700 with a nice spanky-new MX1000. You may be wondering what this has to do with paint...well, this freed my still-working MX700 up for a little modding. To justify the new purchase, I had to make this an "upgrade" for my fiance (those of you in relationships may understand...) and since I've been collecting vinyl dye, decided to try and match her "Snowflake" theme colors.

I took it apart, cleaned the plastic and sprayed the top silver part with blue Dupli-Color vinyl & fabric color, then while it was still wet, misted it with silver Dupli-Color, then over the top again with blue. This trapped the silver under the surface and made a pretty nice effect. The base was a piece of cake....or so I thought.

I sprayed the black base with silver dye, and very quickly a wrinkled surface appeared. I let that coat dry and checked it out. It had an overall texture similar to the paint made to leave a wrinkled surface. If you've taken one of these mice apart, you'd know how little I was looking forward to stripping the dye out of all the tiny nooks and crannies, so I decided to leave it since it seems to have bonded well.

I may still do a blue LED mod to it when I can find one with the right specs, but she's happy with it and using it as I type. Think I should leave the paintjob alone?

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I kinda like the look myself, maybe it's just me though.

It doesn't feel as rough as it looks, and actually, it gives a bit of grip. I'm just not sure if it will last. If not, I'll do something about it when the time comes.

This is AWESOME bro - very nice, veerry nice.

Personally i think it looks pretty good. sometimes unexpected things turn out to be good suprises.

Well thanks guys.
I'll take credit for the top part...and let grace take care of the accidental yet pleasing result on the bottom.

Sometimes good things are discovered by accident. It kinda gives it a frosty look for your snowflake mod.

You're crazy if you try to "fix" it. Very nice look. Now, can you duplicate it?

Quote: Originally Posted by HoJo You're crazy if you try to "fix" it. Very nice look. Now, can you duplicate it?

You know, I'm not sure. It has to do with the type of plastic the base is made of. The top came out glossy and smooth. I suppose there may have been some paint or other coating on the base that made it wrinkle up, but I doubt it. Even on the inside it wrinkled, where there shouldn't have been any coating. I may try dyeing on top of paint to see what happens. If it works, it could be an easier technique than wrinkle paint which I've never had any great success with.

Looks really cool definately let us know how the top piece of the mouse turns out.

DUDE that's some dope **** you got there.

Quote: Originally Posted by JessAlba452 Looks really cool definately let us know how the top piece of the mouse turns out.

Thanks Jess, but those are finished pictures, other than the aforementioned blue LED mod. I won't dye the black strip as it would probably be uncomfortable on the fingers. I kinda like the contrast myself.

The black portion of those is "Rubberized" thats why it did that, and it would do it again, so you wouldnt have trouble duplicating it.

If you are interested in that effect for non-rubberized materials you can use whats called Wrinkle paint. But its only available in black and silver as far as I know. You can get it in a spray can and the only place ive seen it sold is Harley shops for refinishing engines. I think HD was the first to use it, so it is known as Harley Davidson Wrinkle black. It can be painted over afterwards for a different color.

Yes, I have experimented on a PSU before with black wrinkle paint, and it was around when I was a wee lad. The stuff I used wasn't Harley-branded, but I did get it at an auto parts store. The bad part about wrinkle paint (and why my earlier experiment didn't come out) is that you have to add four coats all at once, according to the instructions, and then hit it with a heatgun or hairdryer for max effect. PITA, doesn't work well on plastics or surfaces with detail, and has a tendency to sag going on that thick. Thing is, I wasn't even going for that effect. It just happened.
As far as the "rubberizing" goes, as I said earlier, even in the hidden fine cracks the dye wrinkled, which leads me to believe that the reaction was chemical, and was likely because the dye couldn't penetrate the surface. If an overall rubber coating was applied, it would make some of the internal parts sticky. The plastic where your fingers contact does have a texture to it, but it's hard and smooth underneath the top plate where the buttons interlock, and had the same wrinkle effect.

Sorry to resurect this thread, but how is that mouse holding up?

Hey Feral,
The mouse is holding up just fine...especially just sitting there on the shelf. I moved up to a laser mouse and the one previously pictured went to my wife. As some of you know, the MX700 is a bit bigger and heavier than a standard mouse, and she didn't care for it as much as her Creative corded mouse. I re-vinyl dyed the Creative and she has been using that ever since. I'll probably move the MX700 out to my shop. The ridges did get a bit worn in the time that she used it, but it still looks great.

To justify the new purchase, I had to make this an "upgrade" for my fiance (those of you in relationships may understand...)


I understand that 100% i'm in the same situation with my wife

Nice work on your mouse i like it (you may just give me an idea so i can buy some new parts )

What brand did you use WB? Plastikote Vinyl dye, Krylon Fusion, or Duplicolor Vinyl and Fabric?

Quote: Originally Posted by Wordbiker I took it apart, cleaned the plastic and sprayed the top silver part with blue Dupli-Color vinyl & fabric color, then while it was still wet, misted it with silver Dupli-Color, then over the top again with blue.

First post bro

Thanks, I scanned right past it...