[bhixon]

did you sand the whole thing? what i am curious about is around the keys on the front....and around the other "silver" stuff....

[MERK350Z]

Originally Posted by bigmatty

LOL! I know, thats what I wanted to say to the site selling it! (At work, though a corp plan we can get these phones $199! (Mine is my personal one though.)) Those were OEM too though.

I hadnt considered using another carriers housing. Before I started this project I would have been all over the $30 tag, but now Im glad I've got a 'worry free' unit.

i have the original housing for my 8700 what i am going to do is wet sand it and then going to prime it and get some nice paint and use my paint gun on it and try a clear coat over it see how it comes out i will have a detailed process written up and pics to show how to do it. should have it done by the end of next week. i was thinking about a nice white with a silver or a blue with a silver tint

[bigmatty]

Originally Posted by bhixon

did you sand the whole thing? what i am curious about is around the keys on the front....and around the other "silver" stuff....

yes, I sanded 100% of the silver off. i had to remove 99.9% of the pieces from the housings front, back, and battery cover. i wouldnt try to do it any other way, ie - dont try to sand around the keys and silver. i say this for two reasons, first - i think it would be almost impossible to not scuff something like a key, siver button, screen, etc.. second - you dont want that much dust flying around 'your unit'. (or your blackberry! :O )

i will detail out the steps i did, it should be posted by tomm.

[bigmatty]

Originally Posted by MERK350Z

i have the original housing for my 8700 what i am going to do is wet sand it and then going to prime it and get some nice paint and use my paint gun on it and try a clear coat over it see how it comes out i will have a detailed process written up and pics to show how to do it. should have it done by the end of next week. i was thinking about a nice white with a silver or a blue with a silver tint

that sounds awesome, i am excited to see how it turns out. i dont have a paint gun, its one of the few remaing tools i want to get for 'electronics'. (i do consider 'resurfacing' a category electronics ;) ) origianally i was going to use spray paint to get an even coat...

[bigmatty]

Okay, I finished the guide, and attached it to the first post as a MS Word doc. Also, I moved the better pictures to that post.

[b3n_asian_freak]

I just got it done last night, man, it was a b*tch doing that, plus I have to do two of them, mine and my gf's. Unbelievable, it looks awesome. I just order BSE to apply on my gf's since she prefers a glossy look. Mine looks fine and I do like the matte finish.

[BryanHarig]

I am interested in doing this to a 8700g, possibly painting one housing as well. I think the blue 8700g keyboard will look odd though. Is it possible to replace the 8700g keyboard with the black 8703e keyboard?

[bigmatty]

Originally Posted by b3n_asian_freak

I just got it done last night, man, it was a b*tch doing that, plus I have to do two of them, mine and my gf's. Unbelievable, it looks awesome. I just order BSE to apply on my gf's since she prefers a glossy look. Mine looks fine and I do like the matte finish.

woot! way to go! yeah, i felt like the whole process was an unbelievable PITA, but was worth it at the end. dang, though - doing two? thats A LOT of careful work!!

[bigmatty]

Originally Posted by BryanHarig

I am interested in doing this to a 8700g, possibly painting one housing as well. I think the blue 8700g keyboard will look odd though. Is it possible to replace the 8700g keyboard with the black 8703e keyboard?

Im not sure. Maybe check the stickies on this 8700 section, as it has both conversion and disassembly pix... I can say that I could see it going either way, as the whole BB is pretty "exact fit", but also the inside portion looks the same for the different carrier's housings....

[BryanHarig]

I know the 8700c had a different one. But the 8700g and 8703e look very similar. I think I will just try it. 8703e keyboard is only $3 on cnn.cn.

[jetspeedz]

great write up, ill have to do this when it gets back... i personally like the black look anyway coming from a 7290 to a 8700c

[b3n_asian_freak]

Originally Posted by bigmatty

woot! way to go! yeah, i felt like the whole process was an unbelievable PITA, but was worth it at the end. dang, though - doing two? thats A LOT of careful work!!

You did this so you know what a hassle it is. I had to sit there for like hours doing that. I did not need all the stuff you have on the guide, I just got some sand paper at Sears, then the air duster, t6 screwdriver, that was all I have. I just had to be careful at the edge and the front screen, i can't believe I didn't even scratch my lcd, how lucky.
I was in process doing that and my gf got home, at first she thought it was a stupid idea. Then after I got mine done, she said hers need to be done like that also (hahahahah, oh women!!!)
By the way, I got the BSE for her, it's glossy black baby! This was so much easier than painting it black and have a clear coat on it, just sand papered it people, and BSE on it.
And did you know you can make patterns with the sand paper also, my gf's has a heart shape pattern on it and she loves it! (hahhaha, that sounds so gay!) anyway, you to let you guys know.

[geekaleek]

My dog chewed my case so I might do this...but What's bse?

[b3n_asian_freak]

Originally Posted by geekaleek

My dog chewed my case so I might do this...but What's bse?

Best Skins Ever RIM BlackBerry 8700c or 8700r Total Body Skin

[stripesace]

interesting.. i like the look. when I scratch up my 8700 that im getting tommorow i'll strongly consider this. I'd be tempted to use a sanding device of somesort (mini sandblaster?) so that I get a common grain or smooth grain. I'd definitly have to make sure I went in the same direction

[nostril]

You mentioned having a trimmed HORI on your screen....forgive my ignorance... What is a trimmed HORI?

[FLIP954RR]

its the brand of screen protector for the PSP-which is very good!!

Originally Posted by nostril

You mentioned having a trimmed HORI on your screen....forgive my ignorance... What is a trimmed HORI?

[bigmatty]

Originally Posted by nostril

You mentioned having a trimmed HORI on your screen....forgive my ignorance... What is a trimmed HORI?

Hori is a company that makes screen protectors! The whole story though... I discovered the Hori brand screen protector (or Hori) after getting a PSP. Those things have a nice screen, and as previoulsy said- I'm a nut-job when it comes to my portable devices! I only ever used a special sunglasses chamois (not even the cheap one they include w/ the PSP) and the screen looked real nice. One day I got it in the sun though, and with the unit off I could notice (what the PSP forums termed) 'microscratches'. Sure, pretty unnoticiable, but still...

So I did some reseach and found the Hori brand to be well established as 'the best'. I bought a regular screen protetor and put it on my glass monitor to test, and it made the screen seem all junky, and you could easily see it was a protector. Then I eBayed one and WOW! The Horis are 100% clear, you cant tell its on there. Also, it adds a glare filter, and is removable for cleaning.

If you are lucky enough to live by a Fry's, you can get them for about $6 each. I recommend you get 2 for any project, because they are very tricky until you are used to them. They are made up of multiple layers, including a silicone-y bottom one. Also, you can wipe them with your shirt or pants... whatever, they basically dont scratch at all! (They make them for DS too!)

[nostril]

Thanks! I will look into te HORI's you mentioned.
I am currently using a trimmed Belkin Palm Pilot screen protector for a Palm III that I found in a local dollar store. It definitely protects the screen, but it is not as clear or as bubble-free as the product you are recommending. (although at 18 sheets for $1, I can't complain )
BTW I would also recommend using one to protect the front of an IPOD

[bigmatty]

Originally Posted by nostril

Thanks! I will look into te HORI's you mentioned.
I am currently using a trimmed Belkin Palm Pilot screen protector for a Palm III that I found in a local dollar store. It definitely protects the screen, but it is not as clear or as bubble-free as the product you are recommending. (although at 18 sheets for $1, I can't complain )
BTW I would also recommend using one to protect the front of an IPOD

I think you will be sold on Hori and never go back, if you've already done stuff like this! The pictures may not illustrate how clear it is (kinda half to see that in real life), but it shows the bubble-free nature of it.