[jbelcher]

Does anyone know where I can find custom housing for the 8700? I do not want to replace the existing housing with the same one, I know you can find those. I am talking about other colors, etc.

[Pizzle]

Nope. Don't exist. There are some folks on here that have delved into painting theirs...or spending oodles of money and having a solid gold one made (you know who you are!). Other than that, nope.

Disclaimer: Don't do either. You'll probably screw something up.

[lmlloyd]

If you really want a custom color, your best bet is probably to paint it with two-part urethane automotive paints, which will give you a finish more durable than the one it ships with. The downside is that automotive paints are expensive, tricky to work with, take some practice to get the hang of, and require an airbrush.

However, the result is quite nice.

[dizzle247]

any pictures of the finished product??

[lmlloyd]

I'll take some later today. However, I'll warn you now that what my girlfriend wanted was a metallic hot pink and silver paint scheme.

[lmlloyd]

Here are some pictures. Sorry they aren't better, but my girlfriend's camera isn't very good, and metallic paint can be hard to properly photograph.

[rambo47]

It came out great. That is, if you like pink! Did you bake the case once the paint was applied?

[lmlloyd]

No need to bake it. The final clear coat I used was a urethane clear coat that is catalyzed with cyanoacrylate (basically super glue) and it chemically cures the paint into a hard shell. Actually it is a pretty neat system. The first three coats were just urethane enamel (silver, then a hot pink pearl, then a dusting of pink pearl) then when you apply the catalyzed clear coat, it bakes all the urethane layers into one solid coating on the device. Then you just wet-sand it with really fine sanding cloths (3200-12000 grit) to get a really smooth finish.

[ItsAllVerbatim]

Where's that guy...what's his name...

MrPink57

We should send him one as a promotional thing! Just kidding...

[ItsAllVerbatim]

Originally Posted by jbelcher

Does anyone know where I can find custom housing for the 8700? I do not want to replace the existing housing with the same one, I know you can find those. I am talking about other colors, etc.

I did successfully swap the 8700g TMo black housing onto a 8700c. But involved Torx screws and patience.

Don't do it

[aston]

I've just purchased a blue housing for my 8700g from an Ebay seller. Interestingly the seller asked me to reconfirm that I wanted blue, as opposed to other colours, after the sale. I haven't received the blue housing yet so I'm not sure what it will be like (or whether it will actually arrive!) but if you're interested I can provide you with the seller's contact details?

[b3n_asian_freak]

I think there is a service who will paint your blackberry. I don't know if they will do 8700x or not but im pretty sure there is one and I saw them on this forum before actually. Anybody knows ?

[rhassoii]

Can anyone recommend a brand of paint to use for a DIY paint job like the one above, but probably not pink =)

[lmlloyd]

Well, I used Bulldog Adhesion promoter for the primer, and House of Kolor paint which you can get here.

The House of Kolor paint is really amazing stuff. It has all sorts of different shades and types, and airbrushes beautifully. The only problem with it is that it is expensive, and the clear coat takes a little getting used to. Also, when using the catalyzed clear coat, make sure to wear a real respirator mask, not just a dust mask, in a well ventilated area, because the fumes are very bad for you (trace amounts of cyanide are one of the byproducts of the curing process)!