motion Posted March 11, 2009 Report Share Posted March 11, 2009 Hello, I decide to try some painting on a old Mac 512k i get from an "iron seller" (not sure of that word) wich was not working, it was very used caused it has been storage outisde, connectors rusted and plastic used, the mac was power on with the ? on screen, i tried to make it working but the floppy drive was broken, looked on ebay to buy another one but it was a little too expensive to try to get on working, so i decided to sell boards on ebay so they can profit to some mac addicts and keep case with screen to do a light-painted Mac. For those who want to do that and try to do that correctly, it's a long work, need to sand plastic, prepare plastic with paint base, as i had never paint with spray before i had to do some test, need multi coats to get a great result, etc... The result is not exactly what i expected, the paint is not so bad, some drops its hard to miss cause sprays, the final varnish give a nice gloss look, but the problem is on the light. I used an halogen desk light, and the light with the screen painted is very low, but i hope i can do better on light on a future design. i hope you like it (sry for bad english) http://www.flickr.com/photos/36250055@N07/ Quote Link to post Share on other sites
macgeek417 Posted March 11, 2009 Report Share Posted March 11, 2009 Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!! How could you??? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dog Cow Posted March 11, 2009 Report Share Posted March 11, 2009 I think it looks pretty cool, especially the lettering on this side: Noooooo (&c) oooooooooooo!! (&c) How could you??? Melodramatic as usual, no? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
benjgvps Posted March 12, 2009 Report Share Posted March 12, 2009 Not bad, I have seen MUCH worse paint jobs on older Macs. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
luddite Posted March 12, 2009 Report Share Posted March 12, 2009 I really like it... the colour scheme and graphics suit the compact mac lines quite nicely, but give it a totally different feel. Nice work! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
motion Posted March 12, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2009 thanks for comments Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lumpydog Posted March 12, 2009 Report Share Posted March 12, 2009 It made me smile. The artist clearly put some effort into it - I think it's great. Nice work and thanks for sharing it here. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MacPlusOwner Posted March 12, 2009 Report Share Posted March 12, 2009 looks cool in white! Kinda star trek-ish (not in a bad way) with the font. Too bad apple hadn't discovered "snow" back then. Snow compact macs would look cool. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Charlieman Posted March 12, 2009 Report Share Posted March 12, 2009 A bit more information about the lamp that you are using and the mesh that comprises the "screen", please. I appreciate that it will be difficult to take photos that show what is wrong in your eyes about the lamp, but a few words might help. Some of the photographers here may be able to advise how to construct a reflector that might produce the effect you desire. BTW, I have no qualms about this hack. Some Macs have to be sacrificed to maintain a supply of spares, and this one sounds like a prime example for donation rather than restoration. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
motion Posted March 12, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2009 the lamp i use is a 20W halogen desk light, i'll take some shots to show it, problem comes from the screen, i've painted it with multi coats to get a nice effect (primary paint to give a "base" to paint, + 2 coats of white spray +2 coats of smile black stencil + 2 coats of varnish) all these coats of paint had lowered the transparency of the screen so when the light is on, the effect is very low with that light but at base theses halogen lights makes a high clean power light. the effect i tried to get was not to get a working high power light, but an ambiant light, and the effect i got on light effect is very weak even to do an ambiant light. i think about ameliorate effect with using another light inside case but not inside screen, as i have many holes now where was the connectors it will make a light effect wich can be nice. and for the ones who think it's a bad thing to destroy an old mac and paint it, i can just say that this mac was stored OUTSIDE on rain, bad weather and all, on a top of an pile of old pcs on a iron seller (dunno the right word fir this job (a guy who sold old parts of iron like old cars, olds chairs, old things from army, things like that) (i have to go back there agian becuase there's still one or 2 apple II in this stock i couldn't take the 1st time i go there + some old apple keyboards an parts), if i didn't get it (the 512k) rain had destroy it at all cause no one had buy it + i sold boards on ebay for nothing so they have make some mac collector happy). Quote Link to post Share on other sites
~Coxy Posted March 13, 2009 Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 The english term would be "scrap metal merchant" or perhaps "metal salvage/recycling" these days. Nice paint job! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tecneeq Posted March 13, 2009 Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 I think it looks nice. Maybe you should use another paint for the CRT? Something thinner, to let more light through. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
superpantoufle Posted March 13, 2009 Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 I love it, it looks really cool! Congrats! And it's a nice touch you didn't kill any « living » Mac, but instead save parts for transplantation. Being an artwork AND an organ donor instead of a rusty piece of crap outside in the rain is what makes that 512K smiling again! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GnatGoSplat Posted March 13, 2009 Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 looks cool in white! Kinda star trek-ish (not in a bad way) with the font. Exactly my thoughts. Makes me think of something from an older sci-fi movie or TV show. Good work. I think you should make it functional though, then run some program that puts weird hieroglyphics or Matrix-like screen saver. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
luddite Posted March 13, 2009 Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 Well, I totally didn't see the Star Trek thing... it reminds me of a 1980s jet ski. And I mean that in a good way! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
motion Posted March 13, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 i uploaded some picts so you can see how the light system is. i tried to use original reflector but i can't put the bulb inside monitor with it, tried too to put light just into the case not into monitor. http://picasaweb.google.fr/stefcoug/2009_03_13# Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MacMan Posted March 13, 2009 Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 That is a good paint job, which has a sort of 1980's "boy racer" appeal to it. It's the sort of style in which you might see a Mk 2 Escort or an Audi Quattro painted. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mac128 Posted March 14, 2009 Report Share Posted March 14, 2009 i uploaded some picts so you can see how the light system is. Oh I see, you actually cut the neck off the CRT and put the bulb inside. Did you strip the phosphor off the inside of the monitor? That will go a long way to letting more light pass through. Not exactly sure how you would go about doing it without direct access to the back of the CRT display area. I'm sure some kind of chemical stripper would dissolve it as has been done for at least one LCD Mac mod. How did you cut the neck off? With a diamond wheel Dremel tool? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bunsen Posted March 16, 2009 Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 You could also try translucent paint, made for painting on glass and light bulbs, from a hobby shop. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
equill Posted March 16, 2009 Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 Nooo... !! An interesting alternative to motion's design. How'd you come by it? de Quote Link to post Share on other sites
motion Posted March 16, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 Did you strip the phosphor off the inside of the monitor? That will go a long way to letting more light pass through. Not exactly sure how you would go about doing it without direct access to the back of the CRT display area. I'm sure some kind of chemical stripper would dissolve it as has been done for at least one LCD Mac mod. How did you cut the neck off? With a diamond wheel Dremel tool? i don't strip off phosphor on monitor, i don't know how to do that, i need to try so chemical you are right. to cut neck, i used.... a hammer got a not regular cut, than i 've put some scotch tape around cut ( to try to not get a huge cut) and slowly get it regular with a little rounded pliers with cutting very little pieces of glass. than after cleaning glass remains i put again some scotch tape to not have cutting edge (didn't have any diamond or dremel:/) thks for the link, this is very interesting and yes, special glass painting should be too an interesting solution Quote Link to post Share on other sites
motion Posted March 18, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2009 hi i come back to the iron merchent and find some interesting things but in very bad shape (was storage outside like the 512k ) founded 3 apple II in bad condition and some others things (there is a LOT of laserwriter still there and apple monitors i don't take but i don't think they will work after taking rain, maybe i'll got them later) check what i've grab back home : http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/G87Y9A5mnSQxkJjaR5h7BA?feat=directlink you can check the picts of the pieces i take here : http://picasaweb.google.com/stefcoug/2009_03_18# i need help about this card : http://picasaweb.google.com/stefcoug/2009_03_18#5314661643782250290 i think it's a apple II card but not sure, there's a connector but don't understand what is this for, any idea ? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Charlieman Posted March 19, 2009 Report Share Posted March 19, 2009 i need help about this card : http://picasaweb.google.com/stefcoug/2009_03_18#5314661643782250290 The MC6850P and 9 pin connector suggest that you have a serial card. A slow serial card. Iron merchant == scrap merchant. Traditionally, scrap merchants picked up old iron, copper, brass and lead waste from homes and factories. Today, scrappers pick up old computers as well -- for resale, parts salvage (valuable chips) and eventually metal recovery. You are lucky to have someone who does not immediately trash old computers: have you talked to them about the sources of their old computer junk? There might be a business opportunity. Pardon, the intrusion, but where does motion live? It makes a difference. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
motion Posted March 20, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 20, 2009 thanks for the info about card. For the iron seller, it's not exactly that, he not sell just iron but very various old things from army (he has some helicopters parts, old jeeps), public administry (chairs, offices, racks...), olds tvs, parts of vehicules, etc... he has only a few of computers and he had one corner OUTSIDE his warehouse (what a shame to put that outisde, most of these has been destroy by rain and full of rust and moisture), that's there i founded the 512k wich was on top of the pile of pcs (i saw him immediately from like 50 meters and recognize a mac !), this is outside for many years i think if i guess to the rust on connectors. as i know his computers come from public domain sells and public auctions, he say me last time i go there what he will get some comps soon, but i guess this will be 5/7 years pcs and not be interesting, most administrations there uses pcs not macs honestly if i came back there again for the apple II i saw 1st time, it's not to collect, i'm not into apple II, i'll sell them and they're actually on ebay i'm from france, and apple vintage have some value here too, but not like in the us, as i look sometimes prices on ebay us, prices are very high for some olds mac parts. there's still there many laserwriters but i don't know if it's worse getting them, the only good mac parts still there is old monitors, theres at least three or four 17", a 15" portrait (not sure of size), and i think there's an apple II monitor too but it was under many pcs and i didn't move all of these to see it inside his warehouse he has some macs cables and mouses, i took some adb mouses to sell them in france, i founded too some olds macs video cables, i'll put them later on ebay, found a near clean adb keyboard, i've plug it into a mac 6500/300 i founded into a garbage trash !! yes it's true and it works perfectly ! i just needed a keyboard and a mouse to test it now i have plus the mac/vga adaptator i bought some days ago on ebay (didn't know at this time there was mac monitors at the merchent) look at some of the stuff i clean and prepare today (it was horribly dirty ) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
superpantoufle Posted March 20, 2009 Report Share Posted March 20, 2009 i'm from france, and apple vintage have some value here too, but not like in the us, as i look sometimes prices on ebay us, prices are very high for some olds mac parts. Tiens, c'est toujours sympa d'avoir des francophones dans le coin! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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