I use a 1997 Made-in-Scotland IBM Model M keyboard at work and to be honest I'm not a huge fan of the beige. Would it be unthinkable heresy to paint it to a more pleasant and modern color?
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Yes.
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matt black could look nice
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Yes.
MMM, I would call it heresy, but hey its your keyboard :3
i would say its heresy... but its your keyboard... just make sure you think it through, right now you say you don't like the beige, but will you think the same in 5 years? Beige is not only a sign of the past, but its also a sign of quality. When keyboards were way more expensive to build using way higher quality parts. Painting over the beige is kind of like covering antique solid oak furniture with a laminate. You just took something that had character and looked extremely high quality and made it look new and cheap.
Here is my desk at work. If I were to do this I would not just rattlecan it up in 10 minutes and call it done. I would take the casing off, clean the plastic, use gloves, and paint with plastic/vinyl dye, which isn't technically a paint and for the most part preserves the original texture and feel.
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You can do anything you want, but don't expect a good result from trying to paint your model M. Painting that plastic is going to be tricky.
You just need the right paint.
I had resounding success with an old xbox 360 controller (made of PVC, like the Model M) using this stuff: http://www.autozone.com/paint-and-body/paint-vinyl-and-fabric/dupli-color-red-vinyl-fabric-coating/509758_0_0
It makes the surface soft after you spray it on and then the plastic sets back after a while. It bonds to the top layer of the plastic so it actually dyes the material instead of just painting over the top of it.
Solvent based paint is probably the best to use on PVC.
Silicone based paint might work aswell (but is much more expensive).
A plastidip type paint might work, plus you could peel it if it looks bad.
Or just add some key caps for extra flare, like mine:
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Plasti-Dip has broadened the range of what they have available...
https://plastidip.com/our-products/plasti-dip/
I wonder how plastidip would hold up. I was going to paint my motorcycle with plasticdip, but people said it wears quickly where the knees rub against the tank. I'd imagine keyboard body would not wear as quickly though.
Side note.. there's a black Model M on eBay at the moment. Too bad they didn't make an SSK in black. :|
Don't plastidip your bike. I know first hand.
you should paint your monitors beige to match
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Nahhhh dude, model m's are a dime a dozen, as long as it's not an ssk, who gives. Take it from a guy who's refurbed and bolt moved over 10. They're on ebay ALL the time. If you wanna scab one, just set up an eBay email bot thing and you'll get new listing every morning, the expensive ones always stay up cause no one buys 'em
Use a self etching primer to eat the plastic and create a good contact surface for your colour of choice. Do quick passes, the trick to painting is layers, you don't have to cover everything immediately. Remember once the paint touches it, it's a layer. Give it about 20-30 seconds between layers for the solvent to flash off and for it to breathe. I usually do from 7 - 10 layers. For good coverage and sticktivity. If you're using a gloss, invest in a clear coat (of good quality) or if you're using a Matt, leave it as it but do a few more coats. Sometimes beneficial to do another couple of coats once it's fully dried. Just take it slow in between coats and your can't mess it up. Drips are your enemy, not too little paint.
Take things like drying time and number of coats with a grain of salt, cause that depends heavily on the environmental factors and type/brand of paint. Do some trial passes on the back of the bottom panel to get a feel for it if you have to.
It's pbt plastic so you could technically dye it if you have a big enough pot, buts way quicker and easier to paint it. As well as shade of colour is sort of lucky dip with dye
Hope this helps!! :D
Btw don't use plastidip, it's meme SHIT. It's the worst fucking paint in the world
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Isn´t one of the features of plastidip beeing able to remove it at any time? Does not sound like something I would use for "mission critical" parts.
Nothing mission critical. In my case it was just going to be plastic that hides the gas tank (FZ-07's have large plastic piece that covers entire gas tank).
But yes, one of the features IS being able to remove it... but people probably still don't want it to wear easily. :)
If it makes your bike look shit, it is mission critical imo.
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