painting a monitor

Ok im sure you all have had this question before. I want to paint my monitor, but i need advice because god knows,..im not a pro..hehe. I have a gateway ev700 17inch crt, i want to paint it. What would be the best way about doing this? Do I leave it assembled ( That way I preserve my life..hehe) or take it apart?
I know the problem Ill have is the vents if I leave it together. If i do disassemble it, will the screen itself pull from the front panel or will I have to tape over the glass to paint the front section of the shell? What should I touch and Not touch when taking it apart. I understand how dangerous crts are even when unplugged, and I dont like pain..hehe. I also have a question about the type of paint. Will testors model car spray paint work if it is applied? or will I need to do a full sand and primer job? Any suggestions or warnings you can give me will be greatly appreciated. thanks..

By the way I want to paint it silver



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I'd advise taking it partially apart. I painted a dell monitor that way and can give you some advice since disassembly will probably be similar.

First, locate a series of screws holding the back of the casing to the monitor. It should just slide off the back. This way when you paint it you don't need to worry about paint getting in the vents.

Next, wrap the monitor internals in plastic or newspaper or something to keep paint from getting in. Mask the screen so it doesn't get painted. I'd suggest Scotch tape for the edges, since it seals more tightly than masking tape. The rest of the monitor can be masked with tape and paper.

Next, mask off the clear window that the LED shines through. There are a couple ways to do this. One, cover it with a carefully cut piece of tape. Two, use petroleum jelly. Paint won't stick to the jelly, and it can simply be wiped off after the monitor is painted.

Now comes the fun part - the actual painting. There's not much to say here. If you use a primer, apply it in a series of light coats instead of one heavy one. A heavy coat will dry unevenly and produce a cracked appearance, and may also drip. Next, paint the monitor in the color of choice. Wait for it to dry and then uncover the screen, indicator window, and internals. Slide the back of the monitor back onto it and screw it in place.

You're done! Hope this helps.

Thanks man thats a big help. Im glad i just didnt pay 400 bucks for a painted monitor from alienware,....god knows they got enough of my money.....thanks

Just make really sure not to touch any of the internals, because you never know which ones will go POP! and shoot sparks all over. Touching any of these items will result in serious pain, disfigurement, or death .

Gravity Man said:

Just make really sure not to touch any of the internals, because you never know which ones will go POP! and shoot sparks all over. Touching any of these items will result in serious pain, disfigurement, or death .

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you really think he is dumb enough to do this with the monitor plugged in???

KeyboardCowboy said:

you really think he is dumb enough to do this with the monitor plugged in???

Click to expand...

it doesnt matter, the high voltage capicators store enough juice to deliver a highly dangerous (possibly lethal) shock
just leave the monitor unplugged for like a day so all the power is gone out of the monitor before you open it up

BigRed said:

it doesnt matter, the high voltage capicators store enough juice to deliver a highly dangerous (possibly lethal) shock
just leave the monitor unplugged for like a day so all the power is gone out of the monitor before you open it up

Click to expand...

That may not even be enough. The only way to be absolutely safe is to go through and discharge (very carefully) the capacitors. They have special equiptment for this in TV repair shops, but you can do it yourself with a heavy resistor. CAUTION! DO THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK! You hit one of those things and it will not be fun. Trust me ("Voice of Experience, line one"). You could even fry your moniter if you mess up. It would be best to just avoid them alltogether. Wrapping up the moniter's innards in plastic/newspaper sounds like a very good idea, both to protect you and to protect the guts from paint.

Capacitors hold their carge indefinitely. I discharged a capacitor with a screwdriver in a TV that was unplugged for over a week, and the screwdriver was welded to the wires on the capacitor. Now when I discharge big capacitors I either use a wire with a big resistor in it, and follow up with a screwdriver just to make sure, or, like the last time I discharged a cap, I use friends (he didn't get what I was so worried about, so I showed him).

When dealing with crts DO NOT TAKE IT LIGHTLY i doubt anyone here has taken a direct and full hit from one unless they aer talking from beyond the grave or were very lucky. I am a high voltage hobbist (i build things like jacobs ladders and tesla coils) and it is commonly known that crt's are quite deadly.

Thanks for all your help, I havent started it yet, Im workin on a window on my case at the moment, but the monitor is next.
Another question...the front part of the case of the monitor cannot be taken off can it? So id have to mask the screen.
What paint is best? Can i use testors plastic model spray paint?
laterz

If it's anything like the monitor I painted, getting the front off will not be easy. It'll be a lot simpler to just mask the screen.

And a simple way to guard against electric shock is to wear gloves when you're working on the monitor.

Return of the Deadly Capacitor Thread!!!! It has been too long since this all too important topic was discussed!

I painted my monitor 5 months ago and here are some noteworthy suggestions...

1. Go slower than you think you need to, it's not very easy to take apart and won't go back together easily either.
2. Use atleast 4 coats of Clear-Coat or Diamond coat or you're rub the paint off after moving\handling it.
3. (Duh) don't touch any of the internals
4. DON'T EVEN THINK OF USING A MAGNETIC SCREWDRIVER. It will assuradly try to eat the powder that's inside the tube and will discolor\darken any areas it comes near.
5. After painting and re-assembling only turn on\use the monitor in a room that is well ventilated because the paint that did not get clear-coated will evaporate off (Monitors get soooo hot inside!).
6. read suggestion number one again