[ssnxp]

Post pictures of your pimped out Blackberry here: http://blackberryforums.pinstack.com/showthread.php?t=73090

First of all, thank you to everyone that voted in the previous thread.
It came down to black or white and I was literally standing in front of the spray paint section for a good hour trying to decide between the two. In the end, I went with the choice that (I believe) no one has done yet.

The first Pearl White Curve.




You can see the spots I messed up, below. I will wet sand it down later.



And just for fun.. they match!



Tools used:
X-acto knife
Masking Tape
Newspaper
Tamiya pure white spray paint
Tamiya surface primer (white)
Model Master gloss pearl clearcoat
320 Grit Sandpaper.
Torx screw driver.
(Watch this video to learn how to take apart your Curve: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiIl19G74C0 )



I bought everything but the masking tape and screw driver from Hobby People. I got the masking take from Home Depot and I've had the screw driver for a while (it’s actually a T6 but it still works). I ordered the housing online so I did not have to take the Curve apart to paint. I'm also waiting for the antenna cover (bottom piece) to arrive from a different supplier, so that piece is missing for now. The same steps apply though.

Sorry for the quality of the pictures, I had to use a Curve and Pearl camera, and there was nearly no light left outside when I did the painting.

1. Protecting: I started off by masking up the glass and the LED indicator on the front faceplate, and the reflective surface on the battery door. I also taped up the back of the glass (er, plastic) screen, just in case. Tape up everything you don't want to get paint on. Trim off the excess tape with the X-acto knife. You might want to tape the bottom piece also, I didn't bother.



2. Sanding: Sand down the plastic. I made it easier on myself by taping strips of sand paper to my fingers. Don't sand it down too deep, just enough to get the smooth plastic off. Try to sand in one direction, not criss-crossed, to avoid any awkward scratches. WIPE THE PHONE DOWN WITH A DAMP TOWEL AFTERWARDS to get all the dust and dirt off. I was in a rush and forgot this part! It cost me a clean finish.



3. Priming: I laid down some newspaper in my friend’s backyard and put both pieces about 1 foot apart. I sprayed on one coat of white primer. Remember to MIST the spray, and make it light. Heavy coats will take longer to dry and chip more easily.





4. Painting: After I let the primer dry for about half an hour, I went back to see if it was dry. I stupidly ran my finger across it, and although it was dry, it was soft enough to make a mark. Another mistake I made, don't do the same. I sprayed on 2 coats of white paint, also leaving half an hour in between coat.

4.5 SMOOTHING: A few people recommended that I wet sand again at this point with a very high-grain sand paper to smooth out the excess paint and blemishes before applying the layer of clear coat. I missed this step this time around, but I will definitely do it on my next project.

5. Finishing: After waiting another half an hour, I came back and applied 2 coats of pearl clear coat (also waiting half an hour in between each).



6. Waiting..: At this point, you should really leave it alone to dry for a day or two. I was in a rush today and had to transfer the housing pieces from the newspapers to another piece of dry paper to take home (I did all this at a friend’s house) and I smudged a small corner of the battery cover. Avoid the mistakes I made! Work in a place that you can leave the housing untouched for a few days.

I will upload pics of the finished product (With a real digi cam) as soon as I think the paint is dry enough!

[devingiles]

Nice tutorial. Can't wait for more pics. I'm in the process of finishing the sanding. I'm not going to put on primer. But when I'm finished I will also post my picks.
~via BB (wap.pinstack.com)~

[ssnxp]

Cool, what kind of paint are you using?

[WuTangPearl]

Looks great ssnxp, you should consider wet sanding it with a very high grit sand paper to remove any finger prints or other small imperfections and of course use a very hard, hi-gloss finish to get it back to as close as the shine on the factory paint

[chicohonda02]

sweet

[ssnxp]

Originally Posted by WuTangPearl

Looks great ssnxp, you should consider wet sanding it with a very high grit sand paper to remove any finger prints or other small imperfections and of course use a very hard, hi-gloss finish to get it back to as close as the shine on the factory paint

I was considering that, but I've never wet sanded before and I'm kind of intimidated by the idea of sanding down the paint I just finished..

How does it work exactly? What grit should I use, 1,200? Do I just dip the sandpaper in water? Do I put another clear coat on top afterwards, and what do you mean by a hard high gloss finish?

Sorry for the 21 questions

Originally Posted by chicohonda02

sweet

Thanks!

[WuTangPearl]

haha no I'm glad to help out
1200 grit is what i used for one of my other projects
you literally turn on your tap at a good pressure, room temp. and gently sand the paint smooth
Because you are using super fine grit and constant water flow you wont remove any of your newly applied paint, but make it superrr smooth
By hard hi- gloss i mean something to the effect of the shininess and hardness of the OEM paint job, you want a smooth hard finish not soft and tacky, which is that you'll end up with if you don't put a clear coat on
post back here if theres anything you still aren't understanding

[ssnxp]

Oh yea, I definitely put on a clear coat. 2 layers actually. Should I have sanded the paint down before the clear coat? Is it too late?~via BB (wap.pinstack.com)~

[WuTangPearl]

its not too late your just going to have to put down one last clear coat, thats all

[ssnxp]

Ok ill definitely do that if it doesn't come out as smooth as I want it. After about 15 or so hours, it was still a bit sticky. Does this change after the clearcoat dries a bit more? ~via BB (wap.pinstack.com)~

[bigblue95z]

Sounds like too much. Need to apply in thin coats (paint and clear) to get a good gloss finish.

[pdxmatts]

Excellent choice in the color. I was hoping you would choose white. Nice surprise ssnxp and good job on the tutorial.

[ssnxp]

Thank you! I can't wait to see the finished assembled results.

[devingiles]

I used the krylon fusion paint for painting mine.
~via BB (wap.pinstack.com)~

[crazypandas]

to ssnxp, will you post pics of it once you have done the wet sanding? Great job by the way, totally makes me want to paint mine but I am nervous to. Want to keep that glossy smooth finish.