Mac Hacks (33 page)

From further use, it’s clear that the MacBook Pro is substantially
faster now, but the increase in speed was rapidly adapted to so we
didn’t really notice it anymore. While the machine is indeed much faster
than it was pre-upgrade, it still doesn’t match the zippiness of a new
MacBook Pro. While the yearnings for a new MacBook Pro remain, the
necessity of acquiring one has been staved off (at least until a new
O’Reilly sticker can be procured).

Bottom line: the upgrade will likely give us another one to one
and a half years out of the MacBook Pro. At a cost of $226, this hack
pays off if you get a new laptop every three or four years. But if you
wait five years (or longer) between purchases, you’d be better off
putting the money towards a new MacBook
Pro.

Note: Want color pictures? Want more pictures? Want to email the
author of this hack? Visit
the online
repository
for this hack.

The MacBook’s polycarbonate lid, bottom case, clutch cover, and
fan vent cover are all sealed with a strong gloss layer. That means that
unlike the iBook others used in earlier, similar hacks, the MacBook’s
plastic will absorb dye slowly. The display bezel (the plastic around
the edges of the screen) is made of a softer plastic, and will absorb
the dye very quickly, as will the keys. (The newer black Macbook
Pro/unibody line keys are sealed with a gloss layer.)

The only way to remove the gloss layer is with sandpaper. If done
improperly, this process can create a coarse surface. But, if properly
wet-sanded and grit-stepped (moving from coarser to ever finer-grained
sandpaper), it can almost mirror the original finish. Personally, I
chose to leave the surface coarse as I don’t like gloss. To each their
own.

Just throwing this out there, I accept zero responsibility for
your actions based on anything you read here. If you dye half your
stove, your cat, your hands, and permanently ruin your computer, it
rests on you. (“With great power, comes great responsibility.”) Also,
the water will be boiling hot, so
be careful and take
care
. (Do I need to show you my burn marks/scars? Do as I
say, and not as I do.)

Now that you’ve been sufficiently warned, it’s time to get to the
heart of the project. What’s the best place to start when you’re doing a
project? The supply list, of course!:

The first step, obviously, is to unplug your computer and then
take it apart and separate the plastic parts from their metal
counterparts. Take care not to leave
any
electronic
parts in the dye pieces, or you’ll be replacing those parts. I’m not
going to detail taking apart the computer here because you might not
have the same model I do. Take a look at one of the
take-apart guides
from the
wizards at iFixit for instructions specific to your model. Their
take-aparts are the absolute best on the Web. Follow them to a T, and
you’ll be butter.

Now all the glossy plastic pieces need to be sanded down until the
gloss layer is completely gone. (The best way to tell when the gloss is
gone is when they will no longer glimmer in the light.) If you want a
nice smooth finish, start with 120-grit sandpaper, then switch to
200-grit, then 400-grit, and finally 1600-grit; by the end, you should
have a very smooth finish. (If you want a
really
smooth finish, you can get superfine sandpaper—up to 4000 grit—at auto
parts stores or in the automotive section of your local big-box store.)
But I’m not patient enough for that, so I stuck with 120-grit paper all
the way through and ended up with a somewhat rough finish but the
relative smoothness of the finish is up to you.

Once the parts are sanded, clean them thoroughly. Denatured
alcohol and a paper towel work well, and the alcohol dries
quickly.

Next, go get a pair of rubber gloves and put them on
right now
. I don’t care if you aren’t even
contemplating this project—you should be wearing gloves. Trust
me.

Then get a pan big enough to hold the largest plastic part (you
can’t dye the part in stages) that’s an inch or so deep. (Make sure the
pan is stove safe, like the one in
Figure 11-8
.) I used a
rectangular pan that covered two burners. Fill the pan with water 8 cups
of water, and then add two boxes of Rit dye the color of your choice
(that’s 4 cups of water per dye packet). Add 2 tablespoons of table salt
to the water and stir. Place the pan onto your stove, and let the salt
dissolve while the pan sits on the heat. As the water starts to boil,
place the part(s) you want to dye into the bath. (If you’re dyeing the
display bezel, keep the heat as low as possible to avoid warping the
bezel.) Gently stir the water as you dye the parts, and add water as
necessary—it will boil away quite quickly.

Figure 11-8. The pan used for this project. If you use this kind of pan,
you’ll probably want to use a gas stove.

It took about 45 minutes for the lid and bottom case of my MacBook
to become saturated with the orange dye (
Figure 11-9
). Darker colors
(navy blue, scarlet, black, pine green) may require more time. The
display bezel took only 10 minutes to become saturated, as did the
clutch cover and display spacers. Check your parts as you go, and flip
as necessary. The larger parts require a hotter and longer bath.

Figure 11-9. My MacBook lid in the dye bath. The larger parts take more time
and require less attention than the smaller parts.

Remove the part from the bath, and clean off excess dye with a
paper towel and cold water. Check for even color distribution (
Figure 11-10
). If it looks good,
great! If not, go ahead and throw it back in the bath. The small parts
can warp, as I’ve said, so keep a close eye on them. But the large parts
can take a lot of heat/beating/abuse; they’re like the Hercules of
plastic or something.

Once all the parts are dyed to your satisfaction, you’re done!
Well, okay, you still have to put your computer back together, but
still—you’re done with the dying process. After your computer is
reassembled and looks awesome, it’s time for those cookies I mentioned
earlier!

So, originally I had a white MacBook. (I used the white pieces for
the lid and bottom case.) I decided that I like the way the black
accented the orange, instead of doing full orange. The inside top case
is also very difficult to dye, as the keyboard cannot be easily removed,
which explains why the entire thing isn’t orange: part of it came from a
black MacBook that had been killed by too much liquid. The dead machine
supplied all the black parts you see and helped the project look even
better. And yes, I rock at
Halloween.

—
Phil Herlihy

Figure 11-10. Here’s the dyed and dried lid. It looks fantastic and I’ll be
the only person rolling with an awesome orange MacBook.