What colour do I paint it?

[Maconthemove]

Going to spruce up a SE/30 with a new paint job. What is the name of the

colour of the paint used on the SE/30? What type of paint is best for use

on shell?

 

[MacG4]

go with black for the color

 

[Franklinstein]

Aren't those old things just injection-molded platinum-coloured ABS plastic with a silk-screened name badge? AFAIK, the only paint they may have used was on the inside, and that was the special conductive paint. I have no idea about that stuff, though, or where to get it.

I'm pretty sure Apple didn't put viewable paint on their computers until the late '90s, starting with some of the multi-coloured models.

 

[Bunsen]

The two most commonly recommended are Krylon Fusion automotive spray paint, and vinyl dye (also from auto shops). The folks that use vinyl dye spit on Krylon, saying it chips off, whereas the dye soaks into the plastic. The Krylon folks seem to like their results.

Applefritter.com have some pretty good articles/threads about case painting. But the "Search" box on the site is pretty naff. Use google with "site:applefritter.com" as one of your search terms.

 

[Charlieman]

Aren't those old things just injection-molded platinum-coloured ABS plastic with a silk-screened name badge?

The precise colours are listed in the AppleDesign: The Work of the Apple Industrial Design Group book. Even if you match the shade, paint may look different from injected ABS.

If you decide to paint the Mac any other colour, use black and try to find matching black ADB keyboard and mouse. Ideally, find the KB and mouse *before* you make a mess.

 

[Mac128]

The precise colours are listed in the AppleDesign: The Work of the Apple Industrial Design Group book.

Charlieman ... Are you talking about the Kunkle book? As far as I know, the only "precise" colour referenced in that book is Pantone PMS 453, the original beige Mac. The SE/30s Platinum is not mentioned until page 53 when they discuss the corporate change to a light neutral gray colour. The other colour discussion is with respect to the IIc & Laserwriter being a creamy white colour known in-house as "Fog". I've referenced that book a lot, so if you know of a specific reference to "precise" colours used, I'd love to know about it.

 

[TheNeil]

Why not bring the little chap into the 21st century and paint him white. Instant iSE/30

 

[Cory5412]

I second the motion for a white paint job, that could look spiffy if it were done well.

 

[Maconthemove]

Might be easy to find a white keyboard.

 

[Mac128]

From Kunkle's Apple Design: the interesting thing about painting it white is that Hartmut Esslinger of Frogdesign whose firm designed the SE wanted desperately for Jobs to back them in a bright white approach to the IIc and then again with the IIGS and SE. Jerry Manock argued that people would leave fingerprints all over it so they went with a creamy off-white. Even then they chose the khaki coloured keyboard keys (same as Macintosh) for the initial run of the IIc and then eventually switched the keyboard keys to platinum after the companywide change (though it looks a little odd against the cream for my taste).

They wanted white because they thought it best showed off their "Snow-White" design language. So white may well be the most appropriate colour to paint the SE in order to show off its best attributes, assuming it actually has any (from a design perspective) ...

 

[equant]

Am I the only one that thinks it should be painted orange and blue?!?

Go Broncos!!

 

[Bunsen]

Yes. Yes you are

 

[Quadraman]

You need a paint or dye that is designed to bond with plastic or it will just flake off later. It should say on the can whether it works on plastic.

 

[alk]

Am I the only one that thinks it should be painted orange and blue?!?
Go Broncos!!

Red, white, and blue would be more appropriate to your city. Go Wildcats! ;-)

I can't stand the Broncos, and I live in Denver. Besides, orange and blue?! Those colors just suck.

BTW, Arizona is my alma mater...

Peace,

Drew

 

[bluekatt]

i'd say blue but then that would be expected from me

 

[Charlieman]

Are you talking about the Kunkle book?

Spot on. I thought that the Platinum Pantone was in there as well as Beige. It isn't in the book and I can't find it on the internet. Possibly one of the third party accessory manufacturers can illuminate.

 

[SiliconValleyPirate]

Matt Black, and pick out the Apple logo. and frame the lettering in a little beige panel.

Either that or pure white, about 6 coats then 4 coats of clear coat.

 

[JDW]

I have yet to see a paint job that doesn't look like a paint job. To me, I wouldn't want it to look painted. Yes, I know that there are nice jobs that look good from a few feet away, but the perfectionist in me wants too look closer, and that's when my eyes see it's paint.

I myself would want it to look just like it rolled off the assembly line, with the color having been mixed with the plastic at the time of the mold process. But then again, I would likely only color my machines their original color (platinum, in the case of the SE/30), for the sake of keeping them in the "stock look."

 

[Mac128]

I thought that the Platinum Pantone was in there as well as Beige. It isn't in the book and I can't find it on the internet. Possibly one of the third party accessory manufacturers can illuminate.

As an aside, in addition to PMS453, Fog and Platinum, the Mac Plus HyperCard Service Source lists the Platinum cables and keycaps as a colour called "Smoke". There is only one reference in the Kunkle book to the key colour of the accents used on the "beige" Macs and that is in relation to the Apple IIc and the choice to use Khaki-coloured keys. I have not seen an original IIc in person to know if it is the exact colour used on the Macintosh keys, but in pictures it looks identical. The only colour I am not clear about now is the Apple II through the Lisa. They appear to all be the same colour as the original Macintosh, but Kunkle is so specific about the Pantone colour used on the Mac, that it suggests the earlier Apples and Lisa were a different colour altogether. If so, it begs the question whether they changed to PMS 453, especially the Lisa when it became the Mac XL in order to better tie it into the Mac line.

Anyway, mostly pointless, but fun to have specific terms to apply to the colours.